Robinson, Inc., a custom metal manufacturer based in De Pere, will lease 560,000 square feet of newly constructed, build-to-suit manufacturing space outside of Altoona, Iowa.
This will be firm’s newest facility and the first located outside of Wisconsin. The city of Altoona is investing $9 million for infrastructure improvements and Robinson will invest $76 million for upgrades to the building. Construction will begin at the end of 2025 and occupancy is targeted for January 2027.
The facility will provide flexible production spaces for metal bending, large format cutting, metal forming, welding, fabricating and assembly, and electrical integration. This expansion gives the manufacturer close to 1.4 million square feet of manufacturing space for customized production in both Wisconsin and Iowa.
“Expansion outside of our home state of Wisconsin is critical to provide a dependable supply chain for our growing customer base,” said Sam Thomas, president of Robinson. “This site is conveniently located near interstate 80, a major supply route for our customers in the energy sector.”
Robinson expects to hire additional staff in roles such as skilled labor, fabricating, welding,assembly, automation, electrical and other jobs. Starting in 2027, 100 jobs will be created. The firm has five locations in De Pere and Manitowoc.
The company focuses on designing, building, and installing custom enclosures for energy storage, pump enclosures, battery energy storage and other storage systems. These enclosures can be larger than a semi-truck trailer and contain generators, electrical systems, plumbing systems or other customized components.
“Often our customers can’t get the skilled labor they need to build these enclosures themselves, so they look to us for solutions,” said Jeff Kroening, director of sales. “Our expanded facilities allow us to prefabricate the enclosures and give customers a one stop shop.”
Started as Robinson Metal & Roofing in 1975, the business has transformed from metal fabrication to advanced manufacturing.
“We’ve shifted from a large custom job shop into a one-stop-production environment,” Thomas said. “Instead of executing a portion of a customer’s project, we’re able to design and build metalenclosures and provide all the skilled services to deliver a fully integrated product to our customers.”
Robinson employs 865 people and in 2023 the company established an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).
“Our culture has always been it’s not about the owners, it’s about how we invest in the organization and the team,” Thomas said. “Expanding our business and creating an ESOP helps align the team to pull in the same direction for our customers and we all share in the outcome.”
