By GREGORY ZELLER //
The Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency has waded into the U.S. trade war with China.
The IDA has approved a 20-year tax-abatement plan that will trigger a “major investment” by Orbic Electronics Manufacturing, a Hauppauge-based 2013 startup that produces smartphones, tablets, laptops, routers, wearable devices and related hardware, including charger adapters and USB cables.
With the new Payment In Lieu of Taxes plan greenlighted by the business-boosting agency, Orbic – which in December 2023 launched a $30.8 million investment in its Long Island operations, also supported by the Suffolk County IDA – has announced that it’s increasing its regional investment to $107 million.
That hefty chunk of change will go toward remaking the ambitious manufacturer’s Wireless Road headquarters, with Orbic now promising up to 1,000 new full-time jobs by 2030.
Mike Narula: Patriot act.
Behold, Project Patriot – a 75,000-square-foot addition to Orbic’s existing 70,000-square-foot facility, which is already undergoing an ambitious transition from underutilized space to state-of-the-art electronics-manufacturing mecca.
While supersizing the manufacturer’s bottom line, Project Patriot aims to “onshore” manufacturing and assembly work currently conducted overseas, primarily in China and India – a targeted strike that not only notches for a win for President Donald Trump’s sputtering trade war but establishes a domestic base for production of Orbic’s flagship products.
It’s also a major score for Suffolk County, according to Orbic founder and CEO Mike Narula, who’s trumpeting “hundreds of skilled jobs” in the making, all wrapped up in red, white and blue.
“Project Patriot will return critical manufacturing to Suffolk County while … strengthening U.S. supply-chain security,” Narula said Tuesday. “We will be proud to set ourselves apart from the competition by having ‘Made in America’ on our products.”
The ongoing Wireless Road renovation/expansion involves the installation of Surface Mount Technology and Dual In-Line Package systems – advanced production lines leveraging specialized automation, optical inspection, soldering and other cutting-edge equipment.
Kelly Murphy: Mission accomplished.
When completed, these new systems will enable Orbic – a primary Verizon supplier that also counts T-Mobile and Spectrum among its clients – to manufacture 5 million units annually, according to the Suffolk IDA.
“This is exactly the kind of high-impact, innovation-driven project the Suffolk County IDA was created to support,” IDA Executive Director and CEO Kelly Murphy said in a statement. “Orbic’s Project Patriot will bring critical manufacturing back to Long Island while retaining and creating jobs for Suffolk County residents.”
In addition to creating jobs, the project represents a workforce-development win. According to the IDA, all newly hired employees will receive extensive technical training covering systems management, engineering, marketing and other important disciplines – all provided at no cost to the new hires.
That makes Project Patriot an all-around victory for the county, the Island and the nation, Narula noted.
“We are grateful to the Suffolk County IDA for helping us take this transformative step toward building a smarter, stronger and more sustainable Orbic here in New York,” the CEO added.
