New Modine Manufacturing Plant in Franklin Will Hire 300 Workers
Franklin mayor says Modine is 'setting roots down in the community.'
This facility on 3303 West Oakwood Road in Franklin will soon be home to a new Modine Manufacturing plant. The company hopes to hire 300 employees for it by March 2026. Photo courtesy of Modine Manufacturing
Modine Manufacturing is expanding in southeast Wisconsin with plans to hire about 300 workers at a new manufacturing facility in Franklin by early next year.
The Racine-based company will lease a 153,000-square-foot plant, taking occupancy in November and beginning production shortly after, according to the company.
“It’s important to continue to invest in the southeast Wisconsin area,” said Ashley Conley, corporate marketing manager for Modine. “Of course, we have other manufacturing locations throughout the world, but we need to have something in our own backyard before continuing to branch out — and this was a good move for us.”
Ashley Arner, human resources director for data centers at Modine, said the new plant will help the company meet growing demand for data center cooling systems. The facility will produce large chillers that weigh about 33,000 pounds.
The company is working to hire staff for the facility with 55 immediate openings, including production assemblers, certified welders, production leaders and engineers. Modine will host a pair of job fairs Thursday and Friday in Franklin.
“We are working really hard to bring some of our key talent in prior to taking occupancy of that building and starting to get some people trained up, so that — as we open beginning of November — we can quickly pull some of that trained talent in to start doing manufacturing and getting some of the product out the door,” Arner said.
“When we are investing, as a city, in something like this, we are looking long term,” he said. “And they made that long-term commitment.”
The city is supporting the development through $1.6 million in tax increment financing, said John Regetz, Franklin’s economic development director. Modine’s expansion is located in a tax increment district the city created for prior developments, he said.
Regetz said the city’s development agreement with Modine requires the company to spend $26.4 million and create at least 200 jobs with an average annual compensation of $85,000 within three years. The project is also expected to increase the property’s assessed value by $6.5 million, he said.
This building on 3303 West Oakwood Road in the city of Franklin will be home to a new manufacturing facility for Modine Manufacturing. The site will help the company respond to growing demand for data center cooling systems. Photo courtesy of Modine Manufacturing
Regetz said the jobs created by the development will be a mix of office and manufacturing positions. He also said Modine has been a “good collaborator.”
“Modine is a very successful company, and they’re making air handling equipment for data center cooling systems, which is a burgeoning market,” Regetz said. “We look forward to growing opportunities with Modine.”
The company also reported its third straight year of record revenues during its 2025 fiscal year, according to Modine’s 2025 annual report. Net sales totaled $2.6 billion, up 7 percent from last year.
According to the report, Modine’s revenue growth was “driven by” its data center business, which saw revenue grow by 119 percent from the prior year.
Arner said the company is “committed to growing” as demand for its cooling products in the data center market continues to grow.
“We’ve committed to being that supplier of choice for our customers, and innovating and growing with them,” she said. “As the data center needs change throughout the future, we are also innovating our cooling products to meet their demands.”
Modine Manufacturing to add 300 jobs with new southeast Wisconsin plant in Franklin was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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