Emerson unveils $10 million renovation in Shakopee

Shakopee Valley News

In the past seven years, Emerson Automation Solutions has invested $115 million in its Twin Cities facilities, including those in Chanhassen, Eden Prairie and Shakopee.

The $14 million Chanhassen renovation will convert the 30,000 square feet of office space into manufacturing space, and upgrade the employee entrance and visitor lobby. Those renovations are expected to be done by early 2018. Chanhassen will add 80 jobs, primarily in manufacturing, with an average wage of $27 per hour, according to Lisa Nelson, marketing and customer care measurement and analytical vice president.

The renovations in Shakopee have taken place over the last year, and added about 100 jobs to the facility, mostly on the manufacturing side. The Shakopee building still has space for up to 500 more employees in the offices and room to expand the manufacturing floors.

A production line was moved from Chanhassen to Eden Prairie, where manufacturing floors were upgraded and offices added. Jobs from Chanhassen were moved to Shakopee to expand manufacturing, Nelson said.

“We’re risk mitigating,” Nelson said. “We have a duplicate capability in Chanhassen manufacturing as well as what you see in Shakopee. So, if one factory was impacted or the other, we’d be able to move the complete manufacturing capability here and continue to serve our customers uninterrupted.”

Emerson is a global manufacturing and technology company that makes things like temperature gauges and pressure sensors. The Rosemount piece of the company — headquartered in Shakopee — creates measurement and analytical technologies. The oil and gas industry is Emerson Rosemount’s biggest customer, with tools to measure temperature, flow levels, pressure and flame and gas detection to prevent explosions.

The company had two tough years due to falling oil prices, but has been growing recently, as oil production picks up.

“Things are looking up for large projects ... a lot of them are being resurrected and starting to move,” Nelson said.

Oil companies are looking for new technologies that Emerson makes, such as wireless products, Nelson said.

Emerson Rosemount employees in Shakopee worked furiously until the last second to show off $10 million in renovations in time for the recent Emerson Exchange annual user conference in Minneapolis.

The conference brings 2,700 customers, vendors and Emerson employees to the Twin Cities to attend technology workshops, hear from customers and see new Emerson technology. Nelson said a major focus of this year’s conference was on the digital workforce.

An interactive plant environment in Shakopee was part of the renovations. Students are able to study Rosemount products in the Shakopee facility and then put that to use in a simulated factory, without the danger, such as steam. It’s only the second such facility in the world, Nelson said.

Other changes to the Shakopee plant include additional offices, a central hub and a solutions center to improve collaboration with Emerson customers and other Emerson facilities with screens to draw on, specialized apps, cameras for conference calls and more.

“This really is state-of-the-art,” Nelson said. “We are able to help (our customers), not only with innovative technology but the experts that we can offer to them in environments like this, both in the interactive plant for real, hands-on learning and skilling of the work force, to bringing our experts together from all over the world to help solve their problems. It really is a differentiator in the market.”

Being in Minnesota is important both to draw employees and customers, Nelson said. For instance, Emerson recruits from five nearby state school engineering programs.

“The most important part is a close proximity to our other factory here in Chanhassen, so we can actually share our engineering and manufacturing experts and be able to bring skilled instrument builders as well,” she said. “Being close to our other facilities allows us to continue to hire the people we need and know we can get here in Minnesota.”