PALMER TWP., Pa.- A Swiss company that makes a variety of products for automation and electrification is closing its distribution center in Northampton County.
ABB is discontinuing operations at 1000 Carson Court in Palmer Township, just beyond the Upper Nazareth Township line.
ABB opened the 350,000-square foot facility in 2023. At the time, the company said it would employ about 100 people there. It currently has about 30 employees, a company spokesperson told 69 News.
The spokesperson provided a statement to 69 News via email that reads, in part:
“At ABB, we regularly review our operations to ensure we meet the needs of our customers and partners. After careful consideration, we have made the decision to discontinue service from our Northeast Distribution Center (NEDC) in Pennsylvania, rerouting customer deliveries to come from our Byhalia, Mississippi Distribution Center and our distributor partners around the Northeast.”
The spokesperson said ABB is “focused on supporting impacted employees with advanced notification and transition assistance.”
Shipments have already stopped from the facility, and the final winddown is expected to be completed in the next two weeks.
The building served as ABB’s warehousing, logistics and distribution center for electrification products manufactured domestically and globally for customers on the East Coast.
At the time operations began on Carson Court, ABB said the building would stock $15 million in inventory and more than 5,000 products.
The Palmer Township spot is ABB’s only location in Pennsylvania. It also has a 120,000 square-foot facility in Hackettstown, New Jersey, where, according to ABB’s website, it designs and manufactures its Elastimold products, which are used on power poles and electrical lines.
The Hackettstown location has been operational since 1960 and employees 300 people, ABB’s website says.
ABB was just a tenant at 1000 Carson Court; the property is owned by Carson Companies, a California-based industrial real estate firm that has properties in California, Texas, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
Carson owns several buildings in the Palmer Township area, including 1575 Van Buren Road and 1571 Van Buren Road.
ABB has global headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. Its U.S. headquarters are based in North Carolina, and it has more than three dozen facilities across the country.