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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Jabil Plans Rowan County, North Carolina, Manufacturing Operations

07/21/2025
Manufacturing solutions provider Jabil Inc. plans to establish operations in Rowan County, North Carolina. The approximately $500 million project is expected to create 1,181 jobs.

The company’s new manufacturing facility, located at 2121 Heilig Road in the Granite Industrial Park, will support cloud and AI data centers. Operations are scheduled to begin mid-2026.

“The drive to build AI data centers is only accelerating in the United States,” said Matt Crowley, Executive Vice President, Global Business Units. “We are excited to help meet that demand, provide additional scale and capabilities for our data center customers, and empower the AI solutions of the future with Jabil’s new facility here in Rowan County.”

The project is being supported, in part, by a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) approved by the state’s Economic Investment Committee. Over the course of the 12-year term of this grant, the project is estimated to grow the state’s economy by $3.2 billion. Using a formula that takes into account $264 million of the company’s investment as well as the new tax revenues generated by the new jobs, the JDIG agreement authorizes the potential reimbursement to the company of up to $11,251,800, spread over 12 years. State payments only occur following performance verification by the departments of Commerce and Revenue that the company has met its incremental job creation and investment targets.

The project’s projected return on investment of public dollars is 115 percent, meaning for every dollar of potential cost to the state, the state receives $2.15 in state revenue. JDIG projects result in positive net tax revenue to the state treasury, even after taking into consideration the grant’s reimbursement payments to a given company.

“North Carolina has a proven track record of cultivating an environment where companies like Jabil can manufacture innovative solutions for the global economy,” noted Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley. “Our ecosystem of workforce training partnerships, Tier 1 research, and growing supply chain is sure to ignite the advancement of this next generation technology and provide the company a great return on its investment.”

Because Jabil chose to locate in Rowan County, classified by the state’s economic tier system as Tier 2, the company’s JDIG agreement also calls for moving $1,250,200 into the state’s Industrial Development Fund – Utility Account. The Utility Account helps rural communities finance necessary infrastructure upgrades to attract future business. Even when new jobs are created in a Tier 2 county such as Rowan, the new tax revenue generated through JDIG grants helps more economically challenged communities elsewhere in the state.

“This is a major economic development win for Rowan County,” added Rod Crider, President of the Rowan EDC. “Jabil’s decision to invest here reinforces the momentum we’re building and highlights the strength of our workforce and available industrial assets. It’s especially meaningful to see a vacant facility repurposed for cutting-edge manufacturing that supports the future of cloud and AI technology.”

In addition to the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC), other partners in the project include the North Carolina General Assembly, N.C. Commerce’s Division of Workforce Solutions, the North Carolina Community College System, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, Rowan County, and Rowan Economic Development Council.

Jabil Inc. is involved in the design, engineering, and manufacturing of electronic circuit board assemblies and systems, along with supply chain services, primarily serving original equipment manufacturers. The company works with industries, including aerospace, defense, automotive, healthcare, and more.

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