For What It's Worth
When the announcement came down last week, the sheer numbers to me were staggering. Jabil, an international company with locations in 25 countries and with a global workforce of 140,000 employees, is coming back to Marshall County to invest $119 million.
An existing facility of 1.5 million-square feet in size is being purchased and renovated in the northern part of the county. There, it will produce products used in the data center industry. It is not becoming a data center. Instead, products from the new plant will include server racks, cabinets, servers, power systems and other items that data centers use.
In the announcement, Marshall County Board of Supervisors President George Zinn III pointed out it was Jabil’s second investment in the county over the past 12 months.
It was back last September that the St. Petersburg, Florida-based company said it would construct a 100,000-square-foot facility near Byhalia designed to house advanced X-ray sterilization capabilities for medical devices. The promise was for approximately 24 specialized jobs with plans to be fully operational by late 2027.
This time, the promise is about 2,200 jobs for the proposed massive facility.
Another development in the Chickasaw Trails Industrial Park had similar promises when the Amplify Cell Technologies project was announced. The plant, as announced, would produce electric vehicle batteries and employ 2,000 when production would start in 2027.
But, as we reported in April, market conditions and recent advancements in battery cell technology have contributed to the layoff of employees at Amplify Cell Technologies and to the extension of the facility’s battery timeline for production, according to Justin Hall, executive director of the Marshall County Industrial Development Authority.
Jabil expects to see a growing demand for its products and the location makes Marshall County an attractive place to be. All you have to do is drive out that way and see all of the different brands represented on the large buildings there.
So, what is Jabil, anyway? The company was formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1966 by James Golden and Bill Morean. The name Jabil is actually a “mashup” of the founders’ first names. Put James and Bill together and you get Jabil.
The products made by Jabil are those you may not see branded as “Jabil,” but it does partner with brands to design, build, and optimize products in a broad spectrum of industries. In the case of Marshall County, the products to be made here will become the infrastructure for the growing data center market.
Two of the key areas Jabil serves will now come from the county: healthcare, along with AI and data centers. In other locations, the company supplies highly complex electronic components for electric and commercial vehicles, manufactures infrastructure for solar, wind, and industrial energy storage systems, and others.
On its website, Jabil claims that you have likely interacted with at least one product that has passed through one of its facilities already today.
What does Jabil mean for Marshall County? Economic growth and thousands of high-tech jobs, while continuing to place the county as a hub for the growing data center and healthcare industries.
A current building is being purchased and will be renovated to meet Jabil’s needs, but there was no announcement about a construction, completion and hiring timeline as yet, however.
Jobs are promised and officials say the efforts have begun the foundation to start filling them.
AccelerateMS states it will begin its work to train and ready those who will fill the high-tech positions required when the plant starts operations. Oftentimes when we spill out all of the dollar signs, we overlook that there are construction jobs to come and make the new facility ready for use. Another $30 million is expected to be spent to get the building prepped for new office space and other needs prior to installing manufacturing equipment.
So there are many upsides to this new development. There’s the promise that the economy will grow, dollars will enter the county, people who have skills Jabil needs will enter the county and work alongside those people already here.
An investment of $119 million is a pretty hefty injection into Marshall County.
It should be a welcome bit of news that this area was chosen for such an investment and those who helped attract Jabil back to Marshall County should be thanked for their work.
Now, it is up to Jabil to follow through on the promises and make what has been offered a reality. When, and if it happens, and I believe it will, the benefits will be enjoyed by all of us.
That’s what I have for now... for what it’s worth.
Bob Bakken is editor of The South Reporter.