Electrochem opens new 82,000 s/f, $30 million green manufacturing facility

Dan O'Connell, secretary of housing and economic development for the commonwealth of Mass. said, "Without the skilled work force in southeastern Mass., we wouldn't have been able to attract and retain businesses like Electrochem." O'Connell addressed more than 300 people on August 15th at the ribbon-cutting for Electrochem's new 82,000 s/f green manufacturing facility on a 20-acre site at the Raynham Woods Commerce Center. "In ten months, the company has completed a beautiful, green building, which is providing 230 jobs in southeastern Mass.," he said. "I have great expectations for continued high performance at this world class facility, so that we will remain globally competitive," said Thomas Hook, CEO of Greatbatch Ltd., of which Electrochem is a subsidiary. He noted that the new site was chosen after a worldwide search. The company is relocating from a much smaller facility 20 miles north in Canton. Electrochem will retain its employees while expanding in a region with a high concentration of battery and engineering expertise. Headquartered outside Buffalo in Clarence, N.Y., Electrochem is the commercial segment of the Greatbatch business, with $80 million in annual revenues. The company is a leading provider of technology solutions for critical industrial applications.  Born from the lithium battery invented for the implantable pacemaker, the company now offers customized battery power and wireless sensing solutions with applications worldwide in oil and gas, military and aerospace, seismic and oceanographic surveying, and more. While Electrochem invested heavily in the Canton facility over several years, double digit growth since 2005 has caused it to outgrow the current space.  The new $30 million facility is almost triple the size and will allow for growth to meet the increasing worldwide demand for the company's customized battery power and wireless sensing solutions.   Electrochem has constructed a "business sensible" green facility that enables the company to reduce operating costs, improve the work environment for employees, and reduce impact on the environment. Green initiatives include high efficiency HVAC and lighting systems, state-of-the-art building automation and control system, and a 10,000-s/ft green roof (covered in desert plants), which will reduce stormwater runoff, improve heating and cooling energy usage of the building, and help filter pollutants and carbon dioxide out of the air. Hook said the Raynham site was chosen after a worldwide search because of southeastern Mass.' educated work force and healthy business climate. Its proximity to Rtes. 24 and 495 was also a factor.  Ground was broken for the facility last summer. Susan Bratton, senior vice president of Electrochem in Canton, noted that the new facility will enable the company to invest in technology and semi-automation as well as increased research and development for the company's engineers. Partnerships among the commonwealth of Mass., municipalities and businesses, including the commonwealth's Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) program, enabled Electrochem to keep all its manufacturing jobs in Mass. while adding more as it continues to grow.     Erland Construction constructed the new facility, designed by M-E Engineering in combination with Palmisano Architecture and Maugel Architects. Paramount Development owns Raynham Woods.