IEM Plans $200 Million San Antonio Plant for Power-Distribution Production

IEM selects San Antonio for a major U.S. capacity expansion

Industrial Electric Mfg. (IEM) has announced plans to invest $200 million in an advanced-manufacturing facility at Brooks City Base in southeast San Antonio. The company said August 25 that the proposed plant will encompass 1 million square feet and expand its U.S. production footprint for customer-specific power-distribution and integrated control equipment. ([globenewswire.com](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/08/25/3350748/0/en/iem-announces-200-million-manufacturing-facility-in-san-antonio-creating-jobs-and-expanding-u-s-production-capacity-to-support-business-growth.html))

The project is intended to serve demand from sectors that require engineered electrical infrastructure, including healthcare, energy, advanced manufacturing and data centers. IEM’s stated product scope includes power-distribution systems, remote power panels, switchgear and switchboards. ([gov.texas.gov](https://gov.texas.gov/es/news/post/governor-abbott-announces-iem-expansion-in-bexar-county?utm_source=openai))

Employment target is up to 3,000 jobs by 2030

IEM projects that the facility could create up to 3,000 jobs by 2030, spanning manufacturing, engineering, logistics and corporate-support functions. That is a target rather than a current employment figure, and the company has not published a construction start date, opening date, ramp schedule or staffing plan. ([globenewswire.com](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/08/25/3350748/0/en/iem-announces-200-million-manufacturing-facility-in-san-antonio-creating-jobs-and-expanding-u-s-production-capacity-to-support-business-growth.html))

The San Antonio expansion had been under consideration well before the formal August announcement. In January 2026, Bexar County said IEM’s incentive application outlined an estimated 2,960 new jobs and up to $200 million in capital investment at Brooks City Base. Local reporting from the county presentation described a potential two-phase development comprising two 500,000-square-foot buildings, with tentative openings discussed for 2028 and 2030. Those phase dates preceded the August announcement and should be regarded as planning-stage information, not a confirmed delivery timetable. ([bexar.org](https://www.bexar.org/DocumentCenter/View/52245/Press-Release_-Economic-Development-Incentive-Agreement-IEM))

Public incentives are part of the project framework

The Office of the Texas Governor said a $3.36 million Texas Enterprise Fund grant has been extended to IEM for 448 of the proposed jobs. The state describes the Texas Enterprise Fund as a performance-based program for qualifying relocation or expansion projects competing with out-of-state locations. ([gov.texas.gov](https://gov.texas.gov/es/news/post/governor-abbott-announces-iem-expansion-in-bexar-county?utm_source=openai))

Separately, Bexar County Commissioners Court in January authorized staff to negotiate a potential 10-year, 70% tax abatement on $80 million of personal-property investment. The county estimated the potential value at about $1.55 million and explicitly said final terms would require further negotiation and approval. Procurement and project teams should therefore distinguish the announced plant investment from any final local incentive agreement. ([bexar.org](https://www.bexar.org/DocumentCenter/View/52245/Press-Release_-Economic-Development-Incentive-Agreement-IEM))

What the expansion could mean for electrical-equipment buyers

For electrical contractors, consulting engineers, system integrators and owners planning large power projects, the material point is prospective domestic capacity for engineered distribution and control assemblies. IEM says the investment is meant to help meet rising demand, strengthen its domestic supply chain and support faster order-to-delivery cycles across North America. Those are company expectations, however, rather than published commitments for specific product lines, configurations or lead-time reductions. ([globenewswire.com](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/08/25/3350748/0/en/iem-announces-200-million-manufacturing-facility-in-san-antonio-creating-jobs-and-expanding-u-s-production-capacity-to-support-business-growth.html))

Accordingly, teams sourcing switchgear, switchboards, remote power panels or related custom assemblies should continue to validate factory allocation, engineering-release requirements, testing needs, shipping windows and approved substitutions on each project. The new facility may become strategically relevant as it is built and staffed, but the August 25 announcement does not yet establish when its output will be available to customers.

Part of IEM’s broader manufacturing buildout

IEM operates manufacturing locations in Fremont, California; Jacksonville, Florida; and Surrey, British Columbia. The company says that, including the San Antonio project, it has added more than 3 million square feet of product-development and manufacturing space and invested $300 million during the past five years. ([globenewswire.com](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/08/25/3350748/0/en/iem-announces-200-million-manufacturing-facility-in-san-antonio-creating-jobs-and-expanding-u-s-production-capacity-to-support-business-growth.html))

Regional development organization greater:SATX characterizes the IEM project as its largest job-producing investment in more than two decades. That assessment underscores the project’s regional significance, but the operational milestones that matter most to equipment purchasers—construction progress, hiring, production qualification and first shipments—remain to be disclosed. ([greatersatx.com](https://greatersatx.com/industrial-electric-manufacturing-selects-greater-san-antonio-for-major-manufacturing-investment))