CEP USA Opens Arkansas Manufacturing Facility to Scale Domestic Substation Supply
Electrical substation manufacturer CEP USA Inc. announced plans to invest nearly $1 million in its newly opened U.S. manufacturing facility in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The development, which is CEP’s first in the U.S., was in partnership with the Little Rock Regional Chamber and the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.
The new U.S. facility expands the Italian company’s prefabricated substations nationwide, strengthening the domestic electrification supply chain.
SMA Solar Technology, a longstanding partner of CEP, supports the integration of this U.S. facility in its ability to help deliver SMA’s medium-voltage power station (MVPS) solutions. SMA highlights that the MVPS integrates a central inverter, transformer, and switchgear into a 20-foot skidtainer design intended for utility-scale solar and storage.
The two companies look to reduce project timelines and simplify their logistics to meet customer demand across the utility-scale solar and storage sectors. SMA states that its manufactured inverters from its company headquarters in Niestetal, Germany, will now be shipped to CEP’s Arkansas facility to be fully integrated into an American-made medium-voltage transformer.
“With our low cost of living and capable workforce, CEP USA will have access to the tools it needs to grow and deliver solutions for people and businesses across the country,” Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement.
Over the next five years, the facility will reportedly add roughly 27 jobs, which includes employees from family and veteran-owned business Mountain Ridge Energy Service of Conway, who will partner with CEP in manufacturing operations.
“This investment positions us to support faster delivery, provide local expertise, and meet the growing demands of utility-scale projects across the country,” stated CEP CEO Mario Melodia.
