SKOWHEGAN, Maine — New Balance has announced plans to expand its athletic footwear production factory in Skowhegan.
Currently, the brand owns three Maine manufacturing facilities in Norridgewock, Norway, and Skowhegan.
The Boston-based company bought the New Balance facility in Skowhegan back in 1981, bringing a significant amount of jobs to the area, a news release from the company said.
The Skowhegan facility, also known as the New Balance Factory Store Skowhegan, is reportedly well-known for producing New Balance's popular MADE 990v6 running shoes, in addition to other "lifestyle footwear models," the release states.
Now, the athletic company is working on planning and designing additional manufacturing capabilities at its Walnut Street location in Skowhegan.
According to the release, the expansion is said to be an estimated $65 million investment in construction and capital equipment at the existing facility.
The proposed expansion is estimated to add more than 200 jobs at the factory, totaling 450 associates once the project is complete, New Balance said in the release.
The company said the expansion is due to "strong global consumer demand." The plan aims to construct a 120,000-square-foot, single-story addition to the existing five-story building and renovate 20,000 square feet of the existing facility, the release said.
According to the release, the early stages of the project are estimated to begin in late August 2024, with the project's completion by the end of 2024. The facility's manufacturing operations would continue during the construction.