Spanish Company Will Make EV Chargers In Milwaukee

Ingeteam, 3550 W. Canal St., in 2020. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

The successful 2010 recruitment of Spanish energy industry manufacturer Integeam to Milwaukee has delivered a second win for the city.

The company confirmed Friday that it will use its Menomonee Valley plant to make electric vehicle (EV) chargers. The facility was originally built for the assembly of wind turbine generators.

It expects to hire up to 100 additional workers in the next five years to add two product lines to the facility, its North American headquarters. Ingeteam will assemble a fast-charging direct current charger as well as a slower, level two charger. It expects to produce 13,000 chargers per year at the plant.

“Ingeteam will be starting the production of our state-of-the-art, Red Dot award-winning DC Fast Charger RAPID 180 kW, fully compliant with the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program (NEVI) by the second half of 2023. We will bring the technology from our R&D centers and manufacturing facilities in Spain, and the experience of more than 35,000 EV charger connectors already deployed globally,” said Jesus Rodriguez, Executive Vice President of Ingeteam EV Chargers USA, in a statement.

The announcement follows an October visit to the facility by then-Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh to tout the benefits of the Inflation Reduction Act. The company now expects to leverage green-energy funding from the spending package to support its growth. Company officials said during a media tour during the visit that they hoped to bring the charging business to Milwaukee. The Biden Administration has established a goal of creating a network of more than 500,000 public EV chargers.

“Ingeteam’s new production line in Milwaukee is good news in multiple ways. It helps advance this country’s environmental goals; it expands the company’s manufacturing capabilities in our city; and it adds good jobs to our community,” said Mayor Cavalier Johnson.

The company reports making more than 4,000 of its Indar wind turbine generators and 2.5 gigawatts of solar and energy storage inverters at the facility since it opened in 2011. It also operates a service division from the plant, 3550 W. Canal St.

“In Wisconsin, we make things, and we do it well. And I am so proud that Ingeteam is continuing our proud Made in Wisconsin manufacturing tradition to make products that will cut down our reliance on foreign oil and reduce the high energy costs that have impacted Wisconsinites’ pocketbooks in recent years,” said Senator Tammy Baldwin.

“As we work to implement Wisconsin’s Clean Energy Plan and build a strong, clean energy economy for our state, we’re thrilled to see Ingeteam expanding their footprint in Milwaukee and looking forward to partnering with them on our clean energy goals in the coming years,” said Governor Tony Evers.

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) and M7 supported the recruitment of the latest expansion.

“We are proud and pleased that Ingeteam continues to grow and invest in southeastern Wisconsin,” said Jim Paetsch, M7 executive director. “The company is well-positioned to serve the evolving energy needs of our country and the rest of the world. The renewable energy future is here, and it’s being propelled by the products and technologies imagined and engineered by shining stars like Ingeteam.”

No subsidy agreement was referenced in the company’s announcement. WEDC has often provided income tax credits for large job expansions.

In 2022, the company reported approximately 150 employees at the facility. Its original goal, when the building was announced in 2010, was for 275 employees. It received an approximately $8 million incentive package to develop the facility and had to repay part of a forgivable loan as a result of not reaching the figure.

The business expansion is expected to be accommodated within the existing 140,000-square-foot building.

Ingeteam EV charger. Photo provided.