Yaskawa America, which manufactures solar inverters and industrial robots, is investing $180 million to expand and consolidate its facilities into a single campus in Franklin, Wisconsin, over the next eight to ten years.

The project includes relocating its North American headquarters and training facility from Waukegan, Illinois.

In addition to solar inverters for various sectors, such as semiconductors, machine tools, automotive, HVAC, pumping, and oil and gas, Yaskawa America produces motion control devices and AC drives for low- and medium-voltage applications.

With this expansion, the company will also begin manufacturing robots in Franklin, which will be shipped directly to customers or integrated into production lines at its Ohio facility.

The new campus will feature a headquarters, a training and lab building, manufacturing and packaging facilities, as well as robotics and semiconductor production operations spanning over 800,000 square feet.

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers said the facility will create over 700 jobs. He said the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation is authorizing up to $18 million in performance-based Enterprise Zone tax credits. The actual amount of tax credits received is contingent upon the number of jobs created and the amount of capital investment during that period.

Clean energy tax credits in the U.S. are at risk with the House of Representatives recently

According to an analysis of clean energy projects tracked by E2, businesses in the U.S. have canceled or delayed over $14 billion in investments in clean energy and clean vehicle factories since January of this year due to rising concerns surrounding the future of federal clean energy tax credits and policy. Companies canceled $4.5 billion in investments in new battery, electric vehicle, and wind energy projects in April alone.