Southwest Ohio’s next manufacturing boom might start in the same factories that powered its last one.
Why it matters: The region’s manufacturing roots and engineering talent give it an edge as companies look to bring more production back to the U.S.
- Take Cincinnati startup 1872, now operating its AI-powered steel fabrication factory out of a 123-year-old former stone masonry building in Camp Washington.
The backstory: CEO Dan Summers, a former SpaceX engineer, moved to Cincinnati in 2022 to be closer to family and saw an opportunity to build something here.
- The region has engineering talent and access to Midwestern steel suppliers.
Zoom in: Summers toured about 15 local properties before choosing the former David Hummel Building Company site on Spring Grove Avenue.
- Its rectangular layout with 30,000 square feet of production space was ideal for an automated production line, while nearby rail access could eventually help move materials.
The advantage: Old factories and underused industrial properties dot the region, offering a chance to attract new manufacturers.
- These older buildings may need costly upgrades, says Melissa Johnson, The Port’s senior vice president of real estate strategy. But having infrastructure in place can save companies time and the expense of building from scratch.
- “We moved in here in April, and we were already producing by August,” Summers tells Axios, calling it “the definition of reindustrialization.”
Another example: REDI Cincinnati points to Dainty Foods investing an initial $85 million to turn a former Georgia-Pacific plant in Batavia Township into its first U.S. manufacturing operation, creating about 240 jobs…