Generac Opens Sixth Factory in Wisconsin

The company wants to create more than 300 jobs by the end of the year.

A Generac generator outside a house.
A Generac generator outside a house.
Generac

Generac, a Waukesha, Wisconsin-based company, has expanded operations to Beaver Dam with a $35 million investment. Breaking ground in 2023, the new 350,000-square-foot facility currently employs 130, with goals to hit 320 workers by the end of 2025.

Chosen for its blue-collar community, the Beaver Dam facility is now the company’s sixth in the Dairy State. With strong midwestern ties, the company has done business in more than 150 countries, with manufacturing across four continents.

Inside the facility, you’ll find five operational assembly lines, with room for a sixth. Per shift,  it can hold as many as 250 workers on the floor. The plant is taking on work being transferred from Hidalgo, Mexico, and it will be used primarily to produce medium-sized commercial generators. This transfer frees up space for other Wisconsin facilities to focus on other manufacturing needs. For example, Generac’s Oshkosh plant will focus on larger generators built for data centers and hospitals. Meanwhile, the company’s Eagle facility will take on further fabrication operations.

The new factory's 17 test cells take generators through a rigorous testing process, exposing them to conditions and elements they will see in the field. The generators then move on to subassembly, fuel supply tanking, and painting and boxing areas before they are shipped off.

With a “clean-sheet” approach in mind, the factory was laid out targeting autonomous, efficient output with the ability to scale in the future. As the company eyes further expansion, Generac seeks to attract other manufacturers to the area.  

The company is working with workforce nonprofit GPS education partners to help fill the labor gap. The Beaver Dam facility includes work-based programs for high school students and classrooms, staff, and apprenticeship programs are in place to teach the appeal and need of the manufacturing industry to those seeking a strong technical education.

More in Operations