GREENVILLE, S.C. — JR Automation, an industrial automation firm owned by Japan’s Hitachi Ltd., has invested about $15.5 million in a new Automation Technology Center in Greenville, adding one of the larger industrial-tech footprints to the Upstate this fall.
The facility includes 186,755 square feet of automation build space and 28,996 square feet of office and break room space, for a total of more than 215,000 square feet, according to Greenville Business Magazine and Rubber World. The company planned to mark the opening on Nov. 4 with a ribbon cutting, remarks from executives and tours of the building, Rubber World reported. Neither publication disclosed the facility’s street address or any state or county incentives tied to the project.
About 100 employees already work at the center, and the company said it has room to grow its Greenville team, according to both reports. The site combines engineering, systems integration, project execution and customer collaboration under one roof, with a focus on helping manufacturers build more connected, data-driven operations, including what the company calls Physical AI. “The investment in Greenville represents more than additional capacity,” JR Automation CEO Yusuke Kazama said, according to Greenville Business Magazine. Mitch Neal, general manager of the company’s Greenville Division, said in Rubber World that “Our new Automation Technology Center was designed around how our people work.”
Founded in 1980 and acquired by Hitachi in 2019, JR Automation employs more than 2,000 people at more than 20 facilities worldwide, Rubber World reported. The company builds automated systems for customers in automotive, aerospace and defense, life sciences, energy, semiconductors, food and beverage, consumer goods, heavy equipment and warehousing.
The opening adds to a steady run of manufacturing-related investment in Greenville County. The Greenville Area Development Corporation reported in January that the county landed $725 million in new investment and 1,293 jobs across nine projects in 2025, led by Isuzu North America’s $280 million, 700-job truck assembly plant and GE Vernova’s $200 million, 230-job project. GADC said 89% of those wins fell within its target industries, which include advanced manufacturing, mobility and professional and technology services.
For commercial real estate professionals, the project is a reminder that demand for large-format industrial space in the Upstate is not limited to warehousing and traditional production. An integrator that designs and assembles automation lines needs high-bay build space paired with sizable engineering offices, and a 215,000-square-foot commitment from a Hitachi subsidiary signals confidence in the region’s manufacturing customer base and technical workforce. As automakers, energy equipment makers and their suppliers continue to expand in the region, service and engineering firms that support them are likely to compete for similar flex-industrial and build-to-suit space.
Sources: Greenville Business Magazine, Rubber World, Greenville Area Development Corporation
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