Westrafo launched within the transformer energy industry in 2014, according to CEO Alberto Cracco. The company currently has manufacturing facilities in Italy and Ghana. Cracco visited the U.S. last year in search of a home for the American-based facility, touring multiple states across the Midwest.
“We selected Ohio, and Dayton in particular, as the best area for us based on the type of skilled workers, and a type of location that is similar to our origin,” Cracco said Friday, highlighting the similarities in population and size of the Dayton area to its current locations in Italy and Ghana.
In 2023, Westrafo opened a customer care/after-sales branch in the U.S., the first step in expanding its production into North America.
The proposed project locally includes the long-term lease of a new 230,000-square-foot industrial building near the intersection of Wolf Creek Pike and Olive Road in Trotwood.
Ferguson Construction is set to build the structure on a site at 6206 Wolf Creek Pike on behalf of developer Gated Properties Global (GPG). The building will include 216,000 square feet of space for industrial manufacturing use and 15,000 square feet of office space.
Another selling point for Cracco is the availability of training opportunities for potential workers.
“I visited the Miami Valley Career Technology Center and Sinclair College and I was really impressed by the quality of training there,” he said. “I was also impressed by the highway system structure of the state, and the service that can provide to our foreign industry.”
Cracco said he considered other cities in the region, including Miamisburg, Xenia, Moraine, and Cincinnati, but ultimately landed on Trotwood.
“Trotwood was especially attracting our company based on the new industrial area that the city is building,” he said.
Westrafo makes customized medium and high-voltage power transformers for energy storage and industrial applications including renewable energy generation through solar, wind, and hydrogen.
Cracco said the company plans to create a “state of the art” facility with its Trotwood expansion.
“This means that we are willing to invest a lot in advanced manufacturing and our production process,” he said, adding that while the technology used within the electromechanical manufacturing industry is standard, Westrafo aims to “shake things up” in terms of efficiency.
“We are trying to do this by designing the process in a more efficient way, minimizing material waste and time lost in production,” he said. “We want to make the process as smooth as possible while allowing people to work in a clean, safe environment for a company that they can be proud of.”
Westrafo reported an initial investment of $12 million for the installation of machinery alone, Cracco said, though he noted there’s potential for additional investment in production equipment of up to $50 million.
The Ohio Tax Credit Authority on Monday approved a 1.778%, 10-year tax credit for the Westrafo project.
Cracco said the Trotwood facility is expected to open by July 2025.
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