Beehive Industries, an American manufacturer of 3D-printed jet engines for uncrewed aerial defense applications, plans to expand its operations in Southwest Ohio, which it said will create more than 200 new jobs and invest $70 million in the region.
Beehive said that, by designing engines specifically for additive manufacturing and building a fully integrated U.S. supply chain with end-to-end, in-house capabilities, it can deliver propulsion systems with speed, affordability and scalability that conventional engine programs cannot match.
"Our success is fundamentally tied to the caliber of the workforce we are building in Southwest Ohio,” said Gordie Follin, Chief Product Officer at Beehive Industries, in a statement. “Beehive Industries is investing in a region that possesses a unique combination of aerospace heritage and precision manufacturing skill. This expansion allows us to pair our advanced additive manufacturing technology with the deep technical expertise found there, creating a sustainable model for growth that benefits both our mission and Ohio’s economy."
Beehive's Frenzy engine is entering full-rate production, backed by a $29.7 million U.S. Air Force contract to advance the Frenzy engine family. In June, the company announced plans to more than double its metal additive manufacturing capacity with the single-largest publicly disclosed purchase of EOS metal printers. It acquired two Greater Cincinnati precision machine shops – Able Tool Corporation and Planet Products Corporation – establishing its Production Machining Center of Excellence in the Cincinnati region. Together, these investments are building the manufacturing system required to produce more than 8,000 engines annually.
An incentive package is being designed to support hundreds of new Ohio jobs over the coming years as Beehive scales production in the region. The project will pursue a Job Creation Tax Credit from the Ohio Department of Development at an upcoming Tax Credit Authority meeting. JobsOhio also plans to provide assistance for the project, which will be made public after a final agreement is executed.
"Beehive Industries' continued investment across multiple communities in Southwest Ohio speaks to our region’s robust aerospace expertise, world-class talent and strong network of industry partners,” said Kimm Lauterbach, president and CEO of REDI Cincinnati, in a statement. “Combined with our more than $6 billion aerospace industry, this expansion further accelerates the Cincinnati region as the leading destination for next-generation aerospace manufacturing and innovation.”
