Pair of global manufacturers choose Central Ohio for North American expansions
Posted By: CoStar on February 27, 2025. For more information, please click here to read the source article.
A pair of global manufacturers have selected Central Ohio for their North American expansions in moves that add to the region’s growing advanced manufacturing sector.
De Angeli Prodotti, an Italy-based electrical equipment manufacturer and distributor, and Japanese chemical company Kansai Paint announced plans to establish manufacturing plants in Columbus.
De Angeli Prodotti chose Ohio for its growing industry of statewide electric transmission grids, creating an opportunity for the manufacturer to modernize electrical grids as energy demand rises throughout the Midwest, according to a press release from economic development agency JobsOhio.
“The Columbus region offers the talent, infrastructure, and strategic location we need to succeed in North America,” Luca Mora, president of De Angeli Prodotti, said in the release.
The company will invest $42 million into its new facility, which Columbus Business First reported will be located at 475 E. High St. in London. Honeywell vacated that 283,584-square-foot complex in 2024, according to CoStar data.
The announcement comes as technology companies invest billions in regional data center development. Amazon disclosed plans in December to invest $10 billion in data centers throughout Ohio, Cologix said it would build eight AI-ready data centers in Johnstown and Microsoft is committing $1 billion to build three data center campuses throughout Licking and Franklin counties.
Another foreign manufacturer also announced expansion plans in Columbus. Kansai Helios Coatings, a European subsidiary of Japanese chemical company Kansai Paint, is opening a manufacturing plant at 231 Commerce Blvd. in Johnstown. The overall investment could exceed $20 million, according to a press release from One Columbus, the region’s economic development organization.
Commercial real estate professionals throughout Ohio have noted increased interest from foreign companies. International companies represent 42% of projects in the state’s pipeline, which could contribute to increased demand for industrial space, according to One Columbus.
After falling 12% year over year, new industrial lease volume in Columbus is accelerating in the first quarter, according to CoStar data. Around 3 million square feet of new leases have been signed quarter to date, already more than twice the first-quarter total over the past two years.
Increased leasing and a sharp pullback in completions will likely support stable market conditions in Columbus, and vacancy will hold steady through 2025, according to CoStar’s forecast.
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