MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) – For the past year Rolls-Royce has been constructing a new addition to their Mankato facility, adding more than 250 thousand square feet and 100 jobs.<\/p>\n
The $24 million addition is meant to streamline a workflow that was previously spread out between several local facilities, more than doubling the previous output capacity of the facility and creating what Rolls-Royce calls Mankato\u2019s largest manufacturing site.<\/p>\n
\u201cNext year we will be building 14 generators a day, large generators a day. In the past we were a little bit limited on that but we\u2019ll also be able to do it safer because we\u2019re going to be doing that under controlled conditions for our operators and also the truckers that come and deliver and take our product,\u201d Rudy Stanglmaier, an engineer at the plant, said.<\/p>\n
The facility primarily manufactures large-scale generators, which are back-ups for facilities that can\u2019t afford to ever lose power.<\/p>\n
Those facilities include hospitals and water treatment plants, but the newest buyer for generators are data centers.<\/p>\n
Rolls-Royce makes the generators in Mankato and ships them all around North America, and the increased demand for the back-up generators is a big reason the company is investing so much into the new facility.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is allowing us to double the production of this product for ourselves, but if you look at critical infrastructure, if you look at energy resiliency, the need for reliable power, it certainly in the United States has continued to grow significantly which we are certainly part of and we look forward to continuing that in the future,\u201d Managing Director of Rolls-Royce Solutions America Adam Wood said.<\/p>\n