Geobrugg, a global leader in fence and safety protection, has been awarded state economic assistance to double its footprint in New Mexico, add 60 jobs, and create a North American manufacturing hub at its Sandoval County location.
Geobrugg North America, a Brugg Group company, moved to Algodones from Santa Fe in 2011 and expanded in 2018. It has now outgrown its 25,000-square-foot facility and purchased an additional 13.5 acres for offices and manufacturing capacity in New Mexico.
The company constructed its first installations made of wire rope net in 1951 as protection systems against avalanches in Switzerland. Today, its products protect against a range of natural hazards around the globe, such as rockfall and slope stabilization, landslides, and debris flows, as well as the impacts experienced from mining, tunnels, pipelines, underwater harbors, aviation operations, and construction. A growing segment of the business is safety protection at motor sports events -- all Formula 1 tracks are required to use homologated fencing such as Geobrugg, and the company recently provided fencing for the Formula 1 race in Miami and the 4th of July NASCAR event on the streets of downtown Chicago.
The state pledged $500,000 for the expansion from the Local Economic Development Act (LEDA) job-creation fund, with the award paid out as Geobrugg achieves economic development benchmarks. The company will invest $8.8 million in the New Mexico project.
“Geobrugg has identified its New Mexico location as a strategic hub in its global operations,” New Mexico Economic Development Department Deputy Secretary Jon Clark said. “The interstate system, our workforce, and New Mexico’s business climate is driving manufacturing growth in the state. Geobrugg and other companies are seeing these advantages and choosing New Mexico to expand operations.”
“North America is a key market for Geobrugg products to protect people and infrastructure from geohazards," Andrea Roth, CEO Geobrugg Group, said. "For decades, Geobrugg has been committed to produce its solutions directly in the United States with our manufacturing hub in New Mexico. The planned expansion in Sandoval County will give us the potential to meet the growing demand in the market and offer possibilities for other products from the BRUGG Group such as EV charging cables or wire ropes for cable cars.”
Geobrugg’s expansion encompasses a new 20,000-square-foot factory building to increase production capacity and 4,195 square feet of office space. Geobrugg is expected to break ground this month with project completion by the end of 2023. Geobrugg currently operates 24 hours, 3 shifts per day, 5 days per week.
Sandoval County is serving as the fiscal agent for the project.
“Geobrugg North America has grown to over 100 employees in four years and will continue to have a major economic impact on Sandoval County,” Katherine Bruch, District 1 Sandoval County Commissioner, said.
“It is important to invest in projects located in the rural areas of Sandoval County. The Geobrugg North America expansion in Algodones will have a positive impact there and throughout the county,” Joshua A. Jones, Sandoval's District 5 Commissioner, added.
In addition to providing for Geobrugg's current and five-year manufacturing growth needs, the expansion will also provide space for Geobrugg's sister company, eConnect, which makes DC (direct current) fast-charging system solutions for electric vehicle charging stations. This will allow eConnect, now with facilities in Poland and Switzerland, to begin manufacturing in the United States, providing products for our rapidly growing Electric Vehicle (EV) charging station market, addressing the needs of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Ninety percent of Geobrugg employees are New Mexican residents living in Sandoval and Bernalillo Counties. The location is an easy commute from nearby Pueblos, and the employee base includes members of the Santo Domingo, San Felipe, Navajo, and Jemez Tribes.
Staff currently earn between $36,000 and $300,000 annually. This expansion will continue to offer wages between $16 to $80 an hour, plus benefits.
The Sandoval Economic Alliance has provided the company technical assistance during its expansion planning.
“Sandoval Economic Alliance is proud of our long-term relationship with Geobrugg and Pierce Runnels, their General Manager. We have enjoyed watching and assisting them grow over the years. Each time we meet with them we learn more about their international presence and are proud to have them in our community,” Fred Shepherd, president and CEO of the Sandoval Economic Alliance, said. “They are yet another world-class manufacturing gem in Sandoval County and were the initial manufacturing anchor in Algodones which has now seen additional manufacturing companies establish operations there.”