A new manufacturing facility has opened in Cherokee, Alabama on March 20 to support the production of US Navy submarines.
The site, built by Hadrian, will produce key components for nuclear submarines and help speed up construction.
The facility is spread across 2.2 million square feet and is designed as a highly automated production unit. It will manufacture parts for Virginia-class submarines and Columbia-class submarines.
The total investment in the project is more than $2.4 billion, including $900 million from the US Navy and over $1.5 billion from private investors. The company says the project could create up to 1,000 well-paying jobs
US officials said the goal is to reduce pressure on existing shipyards. At present, shipyards in places like Rhode Island, Connecticut and Virginia handle both component production and final assembly.
By shifting component manufacturing to this new facility, those shipyards can focus more on building submarine sections, which could speed up overall delivery.
John C. Phelan said the investment will help rebuild the country’s shipbuilding strength and bring more manufacturing jobs back.
Officials also described the plan as “distributed shipbuilding,” where different parts of the production process are handled at separate locations to avoid delays.
Jason Potter said these types of factories can take on work that would otherwise slow down shipyards, helping submarines get delivered faster.
The US Navy has been facing delays in submarine production for several years due to limited capacity and workforce shortages.
This new facility is expected to ease some of those issues. The company also said its automated systems will make it easier to train workers and improve efficiency.
The facility is expected to reach full production in about 18 to 24 months. During this time, the company will complete equipment setup, testing, and certification processes.
By the third year, the site is expected to run at a steady pace, supplying components for submarine programs.
Lawmakers said the project will also support the local economy. Robert Aderholt said the investment will bring jobs and growth to the region while strengthening the defence sector.
Reference: US Navy
The transformation of a former rail car facility in northwest Alabama into a submarine components plant is one of the largest investments in maritime industrial base history, the CEO of the company doing the transformation said.
Hadrian founder and CEO Chris Power credited President Donald Trump’s administration with making the $2.4 billion investment possible. Power’s company is investing $1.5 billion into the 2.2 million square-foot facility in Cherokee, while another $900 million is coming from funding from the One Big Beautiful Bill.
The plant is expected to employ more than 1,000 people when at full capacity. U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville said spinoff jobs would be created by the plant’s work and the Shoals could expect “hundreds of billions of dollars” in future investment because of the work at the site.
Power, Secretary of the Navy John Phelan and U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Saks, who chairs the House Armed Services Committee, said the plant would play a critical role in addressing longstanding capacity shortfalls in the submarine industrial base, helping to build what the Trump administration calls “the Golden Fleet.”
They were present at the ribbon cutting at the facility in Cherokee on Friday, along with U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Haleyville, Tuberville, U.S. Sen. Katie Britt and Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee.
“The administration has set the strategy, Congress has cleared a path, the Navy has set the requirement, and Secretary Phelan has been unambiguous that private-sector partnership is foundational, not optional, to deter threats to national security,” Power said. “Industry has to answer that call with real execution, and the window to do it is now. We are proud to be part of the coalition building that capacity, and this factory is Hadrian’s commitment to meeting this moment.”
The facility is dedicated to the U.S. Navy’s Columbia- and Virginia-class submarine programs.
Known as Factory 4, the Cherokee facility is an advanced, highly automated manufacturing plant that will mass-produce components needed for submarine construction, including parts, assemblies, and finished products. These products have been identified by the industry as the largest drivers of submarine schedules, so increasing production allows submarines to also be produced faster, according to Hadrian.
F4 will be one of three facilities producing systems for the maritime industrial base, with one of the facilities slated to be a Foundry of the Future, focused on castings and forging.
“This facility is coming back to life,” Phelan said. “This is not just an investment in infrastructure. It is an investment in the American worker in Alabama communities and in the future of American security. This is how we begin restoring the industrial base.”
The secretary credited efforts by federal, state and local officials in making the plant happen. He specifically praised the state’s congressional delegation, including Tuberville, Britt and Aderholt, who represents the area.
The first phase of the facility is expected to reach full-rate production capacity within 24 months of contract award. Other parts of the facility are slated for construction over the coming months.
“This investment marks a major step forward in strengthening our nation’s defense industrial base while bringing high-quality jobs and economic growth to northwest Alabama,” Aderholt said. He credited partnerships with Hadrian, AE Shoals and the Retirement Systems of Alabama, the former owner of the site. He said the Retirement Systems of Alabama kept the site in good enough condition for Hadrian to make its investment.
“This effort demonstrates what can be achieved when industry, community leaders, and the federal government come together to support our warfighters and invest in America’s future,” the congressman said. He said the effort was part of a goal to bring jobs to rural parts of his district.
Britt called the plant’s opening “truly a transformational moment for the Shoals region.”
“The Shoals has long been home to world-class artists and musicians, and we’re excited that the region is now going to play a key role in restoring America’s maritime and manufacturing dominance,” Tuberville added.
The plant is the first large-scale inland advanced manufacturing facility dedicated to the U.S. maritime industrial base, Hadrian said. Hadrian has four facilities totaling approximately 2.85 million square feet across California, Arizona, and Alabama, and is developing additional production sites covering the full suite of production, from components to complete products and assemblies.
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