Tooling Manufacturer Plans $800M Montana Factory

A Washington state manufacturer of tooling and parts for advanced industries plans to establish its third production facility in Montana — and create about 2,000 jobs.

Janicki announced Tuesday that it selected Great Falls, Montana, for the $800 million project, which would complement the company’s existing production facilities in Northwest Washington and suburban Salt Lake City.

The privately-owned engineering and manufacturing company, established in 1993, says it designs and builds tools, parts, assemblies and prototypes for a wide range of industries, including aerospace, defense, architectural and marine applications. It specializes in composite fabrication and precision machining utilizing its proprietary 5-axis mills, which it says are among the largest in the world.

Janicki officials said in a statement that growth in its aerospace and defense programs, in particular, has pushed demand beyond its capacity in Washington and Utah. The Montana plant, they added, will be part of a “multi-state, phased growth strategy.”

The company anticipates building a campus that would add 2 million square feet of production space over the next decade. The project would create about 1,000 jobs within the first five years and more than 2,000 jobs overall once construction is complete — a total that would roughly double its current workforce.

Montana Free Press reported that Janicki would receive a 50% property tax break from the city and county over five years, which would then be gradually phased out over the following five years. The incentives would reportedly be applied separately to each of the project’s four phases of construction.

Janicki expects to begin construction next month and open the first phase of the new facility by the end of next year.