What Galesburg City officials call the first new manufacturing facility to be built in Galesburg in 22 years is officially open.
“This is the factory of the future right here. Can you believe we’re standing in a place where things are manufactured?” says State Senator Chuck Weaver, at the Thursday opening of Jupiter Machine Tool — a facility that will service and sell CNC machines both in-house, and through the use of augmented and virtual reality technology.
“Virtual reality becomes the foundation…and these kids will get interested in it,” says Ray Whitehead, Jupiter Machine Tool CEO. “In doing so, you now have began to open the career path to the foundation for the expansion of manufacturing. It’s our sincere hope that this technology in Galesburg helps the community and the region turn a historic corner — one of growth, one of technology.”
It’s the kind of hands-on experience that Galesburg School Superintendent John Asplund tells WGIL will serve Galesburg-Area Vocational Center students well.
“With the virtual reality and augmented reality technology that’s available to us, these students can get very real experience in a safe way, and get through the application process in a much more meaningful way for them,” says Asplund, who recalled working at Butler Manufacturing over summers during his youth, and how he always came home dirty and dusty.
The Vocational Center already partners with Jupiter’s sister company, Pegasus Manufacturing, and that partnership will continue with Jupiter.
Fifty jobs or more are expected to be created over the next three years. Jupiter received more than $700,000 in grants and loans from the city, but only $100,000 isn’t in the form of a city loan.
