Defense contractor Anduril Industries will build a manufacturing facility in Pickaway County, creating more than 4,000 new jobs and an estimated $2 billion in related economic output each year by 2035.
Those numbers would make the development the largest single job creation project in Ohio history, and the state’s biggest payroll project ever.
A release from Gov. Mike DeWine’s office said Anduril will build a five-million-square-foot facility named Arsenal-1. The facility will be built on 500 acres of land near Rickenbacker International Airport south of Columbus.
“Anduril aims to “Rebuild the Arsenal” of U.S. military weapons and platforms by ‘hyperscaling’ manufacturing with advanced software and production technologies,” the release said.
Anduril said in a statement on its website that it’s investing $1 billion in this development, its first hyperscale manufacturing facility.
“Ohio is the ideal location for Anduril’s first Arsenal factory with its robust infrastructure to support Anduril’s unique needs, a highly skilled and diverse manufacturing workforce, and a legacy of leadership in aerospace and defense,” Anduril said in a statement.
DeWine’s office added the project is expected to create a total of 4,500 indirect and induced jobs over the next decade. It will generate over $1 billion in payroll, with projected tax revenue of around $800 million. The state expects more than $2 billion in direct and indirect economic input.
Peter Mohler, Ohio State University's executive vice president for research, innovation and knowledge, said Ohio State has worked with the state to make sure Anduril officials know there's a workforce ready to go.
"It's important we meet the needs of new companies," Mohler said. That means assuring them that the university has the curriculum and students to meet those needs, Mohler said.
