Connecticut, US headquartered technology company Amphenol Industrial Operations (AIO) is coming up with a new manufacturing fab for solar junction boxes and connectors in Arizona by the end of 2023. It attributes the growth of its manufacturing footprint to the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
The facility in Mesa region, spread over 58,000 sq. ft. space, will also roll out other advanced interconnect assemblies. Amphenol says it will be equipped with advanced machinery and robotic technologies.
Listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) as APH, AIO is a business unit of Amphenol Corporation. Among its other facilities that cater to the solar industry are located in Mexico's Nogales, Taiwan's New Taipei City, and China's Kunshan.
The company is a supplier to North American solar cell and modules manufacturer Heliene that, with many others, seeks domestically produced PV components to secure tax credits under the IRA.
Heliene President Martin Pochtaruk said, "Amphenol Industrial Operations' junction boxes are becoming an essential component of Heliene's bill of materials for its US-made solar PV modules. Heliene is committed to decarbonizing our supply chain and utilizing more domestically sourced components in our manufacturing."
AIO's Arizona fab will contribute to the much needed and growing solar supply chain in the US. The region is already announced to host several large-scale solar module manufacturing plans, including Meyer Burger's 2 GW module factory and another 2 GW fab announced by NE Solar, among others (see Another 2 GW Solar Manufacturing Fab For The US).