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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Katerra Plans Tracy, California, Manufacturing Facility

07/19/2018
Katerra, a technology company, plans to open a new advanced manufacturing factory in Tracy, California. The facility will produce building components including wall panels, floor systems, roof truss assemblies, windows, cabinets and finishes.

According to company officials, Katerra is expanding its U.S. operations as it delivers on $3.7 billion in new build project bookings. With its new 577K square foot factory, Katerra’s manufacturing presence in Tracy will add more than 500 jobs. This new manufacturing facility will complement Katerra’s existing California operations, including its headquarters in Menlo Park and office in San Francisco.

“Establishing a manufacturing presence in the Central Valley made sense to efficiently serve the West Coast market while gaining access to talent to operate advanced robotic equipment,” said Michael Marks, Chairman & co-Founder of Katerra. “We’re excited to be adding jobs to California’s economy as we apply technology to deliver high-quality buildings faster.”

Katerra’s integrated factory model seamlessly connects building design to the factory floor and job site, officials said. Compared to its first factory located in Phoenix, Arizona, Katerra’s next generation plant will be an advanced manufacturing facility with significantly more automation. The operation will include fully automated wood frame wall production lines, automated floor lines, automated cabinet and finish areas, automated roof truss lines, an automated window line and a light gauge steel production line. The factory will be able to produce, on an annual basis, the equivalent of 12,500 multifamily units, officials said.

“We are very excited about the economic impact that Katerra will bring to the City of Tracy and the region,” stated City of Tracy Mayor, Robert Rickman. “Tracy’s proximity to workforce talent, affordable land, and state-of-the-art building opportunities, provide a business supportive environment for advanced manufacturing companies such as Katerra to thrive. I would like to welcome Katerra to the City of Tracy and thank them for ‘Thinking Inside the Triangle’.”

The new facility will be strategically located near rail, shipping ports and freeways. To support the factory’s operation, company officials said more than 500 jobs will be created in San Joaquin County, which is designated by the state as a high unemployment area. Production is slated to begin in 2019.

In addition to its factories in Arizona and California, Katerra is constructing a mass timber manufacturing facility in Spokane, Wash., which will produce cross-laminated timber wall panels and floor systems when it comes online in 2019. Katerra’s near-term manufacturing expansion plans for the U.S. includes three more building components factories to serve the South and East Coast markets, as well as another mass timber production facility to be located in the Southeast.

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