Spain’s Molins opens first US factory in Oklahoma, plans up to 50 jobs

Spanish construction materials company Molins has opened its first US manufacturing plant in Elk City, Oklahoma, establishing a production base for its Escofet street-furniture brand. The factory will serve customers in the United States and Canada, with employment expected to reach up to 50 as industrial activity expands.

The opening shifts a business previously supplied largely through exports from Europe towards local manufacturing. Molins wants the facility to shorten delivery times, improve its response to customer requirements and strengthen its competitiveness in North America, according to reporting by ARA and Hoodline.

The ambition extends beyond replacing shipments across the Atlantic. North America currently accounts for about 6% of revenue in Molins’ urban landscape business; the company aims to increase that contribution to 30%, ARA reported, citing a company statement. That is a target for the region’s share of business revenue, not its share of the North American market.

A focused production launch

The Elk City facility has approximately 3,000 square metres of built space on a 2.4-hectare site. It will initially manufacture eight Escofet products selected from those with the strongest demand in the United States and Canada, with production expanding in response to demand.

That makes the opening a targeted industrial expansion rather than a transfer of the brand’s entire product range. Molins is starting with established demand for selected products while leaving room to develop the operation as its North American business grows.

The launch team trained at Molins’ factory in Martorell, Spain, working alongside technical and production staff to learn manufacturing processes and quality standards, according to ARA. The approach connects the new US operation with the company’s existing European production expertise.

The employment figure is a planned outcome of that ramp-up, rather than a confirmed opening-day headcount. ARA reported that the factory could eventually employ up to 50 people as activity progresses.

From export customer to production market

For Molins, the strategic change is proximity. A US factory gives the urban landscape business a local source of selected products for two markets it already serves, rather than making this a first commercial entry into North America.

The company also expects local production to reduce the carbon footprint associated with transporting finished goods from Europe, Hoodline reported, citing Molins. Neither the delivery-time improvement nor the transport-emissions reduction was quantified in the supplied reporting.

Molins chief executive Marcos Cela linked the opening to international growth and competitiveness, ARA reported. The company operates in 19 countries, placing the Oklahoma investment within a broader international business rather than a standalone US venture.

Part of a broader diversification programme

Hoodline reported that the Oklahoma plant is one of three initiatives representing approximately €100 million in combined investment under Molins’ diversification strategy. That figure covers the wider programme; it is not a disclosed price tag for the Elk City factory alone.

The plant’s expansion is tied to demand, while the revenue ambition is substantial. Moving North America from roughly 6% to 30% of the urban landscape business would give the region a much larger role in that operation. The supplied reporting does not specify a deadline for reaching that target.