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A Washington state developer of electronic systems for the power sector plans to build a new manufacturing facility just across the state line in Idaho.
Pullman, Washington-based Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories said it recently purchased land near Moscow, Idaho, in order to construct a 140,000-square-foot plant, which will fabricate the printed circuit boards needed for SEL’s power-grid automation, monitoring, and protection systems.
SEL officials said the expansion would bring its circuit-board production in-house, which would curb its dependence on suppliers from across the country and provide its engineers with “more freedom to experiment and innovate.”
“As a former hardware engineer, I am really excited about adding this capability to our already amazing manufacturing capabilities,” SEL CEO Dave Whitehead said in the announcement. “Circuit boards are one of the most engineered components we design.”
The company will design the Moscow facility in partnership with New Hampshire-based GreenSource Fabrication to be “the most modern, environmentally friendly and safe PCB manufacturing facility in the United States — maybe the world.”
Construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2021 and be completed by the middle of the following year. SEL anticipates starting the new operation with current employees before expanding as it “gets up and running.”
Image Credit: Courtesy of SEL
