CRANE — The American Center for Manufacturing and Innovation has expanded its National Security Industrial Hub in southern Indiana, increasing the campus from 1,100 acres to more than 1,500 acres as additional defense and aerospace companies commit to the project.
ACMI announced the expansion this week, saying the additional land was driven by new tenants and the growth of an existing defense manufacturer. The organization said the development is now the largest aerospace and defense project in Indiana.
The campus is under construction adjacent to the Crane Army Ammunition Activity and the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division, a major U.S. Navy installation focused on weapons research, testing, engineering and logistics. Construction on the project began earlier this year.
The Indiana campus is the first implementation of ACMI’s National Security Industrial Hub model, which is intended to provide shared manufacturing infrastructure for defense companies while increasing domestic production capacity for munitions, aerospace systems and other national security technologies.
Among the newest companies joining the campus is SPINNER North America, which plans to establish an advanced manufacturing facility featuring computer numerical control, or CNC, machine tools and automation systems. The company will provide machining, engineering, process development and production support for businesses operating at the site, helping manufacturers transition from prototype development to large-scale production.
Aerospace company iRocket also plans to build testing and development facilities at the campus focused on solid rocket motors and fully reusable launch vehicle technologies.
In addition, Prometheus Energetics, which previously announced plans to locate at the development, is expanding its planned footprint from 600 acres to 700 acres.
The additional acreage will also accommodate ACMI’s headquarters and production facilities as the campus continues to develop.
“The United States has no shortage of innovation. What it lacks is production capacity at scale, and that’s what we are delivering on with this expansion of NSIH,” ACMI Properties Chief Executive Officer David Dowell said in a statement. “We are setting the physical foundation necessary to close the critical production gap for munitions, supply chains and components essential for national security.”
The National Security Industrial Hub is designed to bring together manufacturers, suppliers and technology developers in a shared industrial environment intended to accelerate defense production and strengthen the nation’s defense manufacturing base.
