ARCO Design/Build Breaks Ground on New OPW Manufacturing Facility in Smithfield, NC
ARCO Design/Build announced that it held a groundbreaking ceremony on July 17 for a new manufacturing facility for OPW in Smithfield, North Carolina. OPW, A Dover Company, manufactures retail fueling equipment, containment, and dispensing products used in retail and commercial fueling applications.
Located directly adjacent to OPW’s existing Smithfield operation, the new facility will allow the company to expand in place as it responds to increased customer demand. The new plant is designed to increase production capacity while supporting the company’s long-term growth.
The project represents an important manufacturing investment in Johnston County and reinforces OPW’s continued commitment to North Carolina. By choosing to stay and grow beside its current operation, OPW is strengthening its long-standing presence in Smithfield while creating the additional capacity needed to serve customers more efficiently.
“OPW’s decision to expand in Smithfield is a strong reflection of both its commitment to Johnston County and the continued momentum of advanced manufacturing across the region,” said Mike Moriarty, Director of Business Development at ARCO Design/Build. “Our team worked closely with OPW to develop a design-build solution that provided greater confidence around cost, schedule, and overall project delivery, and we’re proud to help bring this important expansion to life.”
“Smithfield has been a great home for OPW, and this investment reflects both our confidence in the future and our commitment to the community,” said Greg Kennedy, Vice President of Operations at OPW. “By expanding our manufacturing footprint, we’re creating the capacity needed to support our customers, strengthen our operations, and position the business for continued growth in the years ahead.”
ARCO was selected for the project based on its technical expertise, quality, and ability to deliver an accelerated schedule. While the opportunity initially followed a more traditional guaranteed-max-price (GMAX) procurement path, ARCO’s design-build approach provided a more integrated delivery model with the price certainty and schedule advantages needed to support OPW’s growth objectives.
ARCO has a long-standing history of working alongside Johnston County and its municipalities to support responsible industrial growth. Across the county, the company has completed 22 ground-up construction projects totaling more than 4.4 million square feet. This experience reflects ARCO’s continued commitment to the region and its focus on delivering reliable results through strong local partnerships.
