Photo courtesy of the city of Henderson, Nev.

A rendering of the planned Haas Automation facilty.

After years of delay, construction is under way on a 2.4 million-sq.-ft. facility in Henderson, Nev., for Haas Automation.

Haas plans to move its operations from California to Nevada, invest more than $400 million into the land and construction and hire 1,400 people within five years, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The company is the nation's largest manufacturer of CNC machine tools. Those are automated tools including lathes, drills and mills that manipulate materials through computer instructions.

Oltmans Construction Co. of Whittier, Calif., is the contractor on the three-building, 277-acre site.

Photo courtesy of the city of Henderson, Nev.

Work actually started on the site in 2020 with grading work and the addition of underground utilities; at the time, the project was expected to be completed by 2020. But delays caused by the pandemic, supply chain issues and added construction costs pushed the expected opening until late 2026, the Review-Journal reported.

"We believe this project will be a mighty economic engine for the city of Henderson," Mayor Michelle Romero said at the Oct. 2 groundbreaking, according to the Review-Journal. "Today we are more confident than ever because Haas is the right fit for Henderson because of its long-term commitment to our community...

In August 2023, the city of Henderson opened the Center of Excellence in partnership with the College of Southern Nevada, according to a city press release.

"This state-of-the-art facility is a testament to the city's commitment to supporting its manufacturing industry by providing a ready and skilled workforce for companies like Haas Automation," the release said.

The city believes the relocation of Haas will attract other high-tech companies to Henderson, about 15 mi. southeast of Las Vegas.

"As we all know, machine tools are the core of American manufacturing," Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo said at the groundbreaking, according to the Review-Journal. "Advanced manufacturing will enable our state to attract quality employers and good paying jobs that contribute to economic diversity and resilience."

Haas founder and CEO Gene Haas, the founder of both NASCAR and Formula 1 racing teams, said he's looking forward to putting its operations at one location. The company, founded in 1983, is now in Oxnard, Calif.

"We are the last machine builder in the United States and it's not an easy position to be in," he told the Review-Journal. "It is a big challenge for us to move our operations from California."

Oltmans said the preliminary site work included mass grading the entire property (transporting more than 1 million cu. yds. of soil), pouring 10,000 cu. yds. of concrete and installing 57,000 lineal ft. of underground utility infrastructure, excluding electrical. Twenty megawatts of power were allocated for the project.

Aside from the three industrial buildings, there will be two truckers' lounges north of newly constructed public street Via Nobila.

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