JMP OPENS NEW AUTOMATION AND ROBOTICS PRODUCTION FACILITY IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS

Fayetteville Campus to Create 140 Jobs Over Five Years and Expand JMP’s U.S. Footprint for Greater Access to Intelligent Automation Solutions

Project is JMP’s Latest Step in Building a Global Presence in the $500 Billion Automation Market

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – JMP Solutions recently announced that construction is complete on its new state-of-the-art Automation & Robotics facility in Northwest Arkansas and that it is open for business. The 20,000-square-foot manufacturing and integration space will provide world-class automation and robotics solutions to the region and create approximately 140 jobs in the next five years. The new facility opened for business on March 1, 2022.

With the new facility, the automation systems integrator provides U.S. customers greater access to its intelligent automation and robotics services and can more easily serve its growing roster of core customers in the region. In addition to automation and robotics integration, the company’s offerings also include material handling, automated guided vehicles, and controls systems integration. The facility further positions JMP as a global leader in the growing $500 billion automation market.

“We’re energized by the growth that we’ve experienced and the opportunity that it has afforded us to move forward with this new facility,” said Ray English, commercial leader of JMP’s Automation & Robotics Division in Arkansas. “This investment in Northwest Arkansas not only allows us to better serve our existing customers in this area, but it also gives other potential customers in the U.S. easier access to the automation services JMP provides.”

Many manufacturing and process industries continue to experience staffing and labor related challenges, which have only been exacerbated by the pandemic. These challenges have introduced safety and sustainability concerns and presented opportunities for automated solutions to stabilize manufacturing operations. This announcement by JMP demonstrates its commitment to continued growth in addressing these challenges head-on through increased capacity and capabilities across a continually expanding footprint.

In addition to expanding its reach and providing greater access to its customers, the new facility is positioned to provide unique, ongoing skills development, technology training and continuing education to better recruit and maintain high-quality talent for the area. “JMP Solutions is a values-oriented and people-centric company,” said Mark Fulmer, who was recently appointed director of operations for the new Arkansas facility. “We look forward to partnering with local universities and trade schools to attract the best new talent, and we are wholly committed to providing an enriching work experience for the entire team.”

JMP’s close relationships and partnerships with industry leaders in the region, along with the proximity of the University of Arkansas and other premiere vocational and technical schools, will make Northwest Arkansas a top training and development sphere for the next generation of automation innovators.

Based in the heart of the Ozark Mountains, JMP’s new facility is the latest addition to a thriving economic region with enterprise-class businesses and an unparalleled quality of life. Fayetteville is Arkansas’ second-largest city and was named among the country’s top five places to live in 2021 by U.S. News Best Places to Live. It is also home to the University of Arkansas, the state’s largest university. In 2021, DegreeChoices ranked the school 13^th among universities with the most graduates working for Fortune 500 companies, and Gartner rated the university’s supply chain management program at the Sam M. Walton College of Business as the best program of its kind in the country.

Northwest Arkansas and the Ozark Mountains are home to a wide range of natural attractions, offering an array of outdoor activities that range from cycling, backpacking and hiking to spelunking and boating. Class 4 rapid kayaking and Bull Shoals Lake, with 94,000 acres of water and 1,050 miles of shoreline, are within easy driving distance of JMP’s new 50-acre campus.

In August 2021, JMP was acquired by Crestview Partners, a leading private equity firm. The move was the first of many that Crestview anticipates will build a global market-leader presence in intelligent, automated industrial manufacturing with operations in North America, Europe and Asia.