NVent Electric PLC announced September 30 that it would expand its existing electrical equipment factory in Eleanor, West Virginia. In a statement, the company said the expansion will add 100 jobs to the existing production site over a period of six months.
The factory, owned by Trachte LLC since 2023 before the brand was purchased by nVent in 2024, builds large outdoor enclosures for housing switchboards, power distribution equipment, and uninterrupted power supplies for data centers and other industrial sites.
The expansion comes alongside other manufacturers ramping up production of electrical and industrial assets necessary to build data centers, which place a priority on uninterruptable power supply and electricity use. Other manufacturers ramping up production to satisfy the growth of data centers includes Modine Manufacturing in Wisconsin and ABB in three states and Puerto Rico.
An event hosting retirees of the facility and West Virginia state leaders was held at the factory for the occasion of the announcement.
What people are saying
“Our nVent TRACHTE large outdoor enclosures play an important role in the AI infrastructure buildout,” said Sara Zawoyski, president of Systems Protection at nVent. “Our facility, which has been operating here for more than 50 years, is key to our success and the people in this community will help us build AI infrastructure for the future of high-performance computing.”
“West Virginia is an emerging leader in technology with a focus on bringing increased power capacity in the manufacturing sector,” said Senator Shelley Capito. “This expansion announcement from nVent shows its commitment to the community, and the future role it will play in fields such as AI infrastructure.”
“nVent is making a tremendous investment in our state, and I’m proud to have them in West Virginia,” said Senator Jim Justice. “As Senator, my priority is ensuring West Virginia is a leader of industry growth - this announcement is a prime example of that. Their expansion will create 100 new manufacturing jobs and give more of our people the opportunity to stay, work, and raise a family right here at home.”
Other data center investments
Modine Manufacturing to expand to new plant, hire 300 workers
The company’s thermal management systems are used in cooling systems for data centers.
ABB Adds $110M to Grid, Data Center Investment Push
The global electrification and automation giant will expand plants in three states and Puerto Rico and create nearly 200 jobs.
Manufacturers investing in West Virginia
Babcock & Wilcox invests $125M to expand hydrogen production in West Virginia
B&W will focus on the deployment of their BrightLoop low-carbon hydrogen technology.
Cleveland-Cliffs invests $150 million to establish electrical distribution transformer manufacturing plant in West Virginia
The steel producer plans to repurpose its Half Moon Warehouse in Weirton to begin production of three-phase distribution transformers.
SOMAR invests $2.5 million to establish epoxy resin manufacturing plant in West Virginia
"We look forward to growing our North America business from this new location."
About the Author
Ryan Secard
Ryan Secard joined Endeavor B2B in 2020 as a news editor for IndustryWeek. He currently contributes to IW, American Machinist, Foundry Management & Technology, and Plant Services on breaking manufacturing news, new products, plant openings and closures, and labor issues in manufacturing.