MINDEN, La. — Eaton is planning a more than $242 million manufacturing expansion for its Fibrebond business in North Little Rock, Arkansas, a move the company says will double its U.S. capacity for customized modular electrical enclosures while continuing to build on its longtime operation in Minden.
According to Eaton, the new 1 million-square-foot facility is expected to create more than 1,200 manufacturing, electrical and operations jobs and expand workforce training opportunities in Arkansas. The company said the project is part of its long-term growth strategy for the Fibrebond business, which Eaton acquired in April 2025.
The announcement is significant for Northwest Louisiana because Minden has served as Fibrebond’s home for more than 40 years.
Eaton specifically said the Arkansas investment “builds on” the foundation established in Minden, where production capacity has doubled over the past three years and where the company says it continues to invest.
“Building on the strong foundation we’ve established in Minden, this investment enables us to better support customers with the speed, scale and expertise they need to meet growing demand,” Mike Yelton, president of Eaton’s Electrical Sector, Americas, said in the announcement.
The new facility will manufacture the customized modular electrical enclosures Fibrebond supplies to data center, utility, industrial and digital communications customers.
Demand in those markets has accelerated as utilities, technology companies and industrial customers invest heavily in electrical infrastructure needed to support data centers, grid modernization and other large-scale projects.
Eaton said the Arkansas facility will double its U.S. manufacturing capacity for the Fibrebond product line. The company characterized the project as an expansion of capacity rather than a relocation of its Minden operation.
Minden remains part of Eaton’s strategy
Fibrebond was acquired by Eaton on April 1, 2025, in a transaction valued at approximately $1.43 billion, net of cash acquired. Eaton describes Fibrebond as a designer and builder of pre-integrated modular power enclosures for data center, industrial, utility and communications customers.
The company operates from its longtime facility at 1300 Davenport Drive in Minden, which Eaton continues to list as an active Fibrebond operation.
Eaton has increasingly positioned Fibrebond as part of its broader strategy to serve the rapidly expanding data center and critical infrastructure markets.
The company said the North Little Rock expansion is intended to help customers deploy critical power infrastructure more quickly and at greater scale.
While the Arkansas project represents a major new manufacturing commitment, Eaton’s announcement did not indicate any reduction in employment, production or future investment in Minden.
Instead, the company emphasized that Minden production capacity has already doubled over the past three years and that additional investment there is continuing.
For Webster Parish and Northwest Louisiana, that distinction is important. The Arkansas facility adds significant new production capacity to the Fibrebond business, but Eaton is publicly presenting the expansion as growth built on the Minden operation rather than a shift away from it.
The company has not released additional details about the level or timing of future investment planned for Minden.