Modine Manufacturing to expand to new plant, hire 300 workers

Modine Manufacturing, a maker of thermal management systems used in the booming data center industry, is expanding to a new, 153,000-square-foot location in Franklin, Wisconsin.

While plans for the new plant have been known since the city announced it in January, a more recent statement from the company adds new details, including an estimated total headcount of 300 employees by March 2026. According to that statement, Modine has immediate openings for 55 hires for entry level assemblers, welders, production leaders, engineers, and other positions.

According to Wisconsin Public Radio, Franklin Mayor John Nelson predicts the factory could make 436 jobs over the next three years and that it would be a stable presence in the community.

The company did not disclose how much they would spend to open the new location, but according to the Franklin’s economic development director, John Regetz, the city is offering $1.6 million in tax increment financing that requires the company to spend at least $26.4 million.

Data center fever drives expansion

In July, Modine announced it would spend a total of $100 million to expand its capacity for data center thermal control products to keep up with increasing demand. Data centers, including those used to train and operate “AI” software, generate heat and need to be cooled: Those cooling systems can demand enough water and electricity to seriously tax local infrastructure.

Ashley Arner, HR director for data centers at Modine, confirmed that Modine’s Franklin expansion is also driven by demand from data centers for thermal controls. According to Urban Milkwaukee, the new Franklin plant will build huge coolers that weigh as much as 33,000 pounds.

What people are saying

"As the demand for data grows—driven by AI and high-density computing—Modine is expanding its capabilities to support the global growth of data centers," said Art Laszlo, Group Vice President, Global Data Centers, at Modine. "We're investing in scalable, integrated cooling solutions that meet the changing needs of hyperscale and colocation operators around the world."

"Our investment in U.S. manufacturing for data center cooling advances our strategy to capitalize on our best opportunities in high-growth markets," said Neil D. Brinker, Modine President and CEO, in July. "The U.S. market is driving a significant portion of global data center activity. With the increasing demand for our solutions and this investment in additional manufacturing and testing capacity, we believe that our total data centers revenue can approach $2 billion in our Fiscal 2028. We're in an era of enormous growth in digital infrastructure in the U.S. and Modine is committed to growing with demand to deliver value for our customers and shareholders."

"With the exciting growth in data centers driving demand for our products, we encourage those who are looking for a good-paying job with excellent benefits to attend our career fair or apply online to learn about the positions that might be a fit for you," said Ashley Arner, Human Resources Director for Data Centers, at Modine. "We're looking to add talent immediately to build these large unique thermal systems, and we are willing to train those without experience who are interested in working with Modine."

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