New Shrewsbury Physik Instrumente Factory Breaks Ground

SHREWSBURY, MA — A global manufacturing company with a large presence in the region will break ground Wednesday on a new 120,000 square-foot production facility along Route 20 in Shrewsbury.

The new facility will the largest among Physik Instrumente's (PI) facilities in Auburn, Hopkinton and Nashua, NH. The Shrewsbury factory will focus on production of "precision motion and automation systems, air bearings and piezoelectric transducers and nanopositioning components," according to the company. The facility could open as soon as 2025.

The company's products are used where precise "nano" positioning is needed — for example, positioning mirrors in deep space telescopes, or telling robots precisely where to hold parts on an automobile assembly line.

PI hopes the Shrewsbury site will help the German company grow its presence in the U.S.

“Over the past five years, annual sales of PI USA have grown by more than 10 percent. At the same time, PI’s production in the USA increased by 30 to 50 percent each year,” PI Group CEO Markus Spanner said in a news release. “With this new production facility, we lay the foundation to meet the growing demands of the American markets. At the same time, by continuously increasing our local production, we further reduce lead times and provide even more flexibility to support our American customers.”

The facility will take over a vacant lot near the corner of Stoney Hill Road east of Route 140. A groundbreaking ceremony will be held Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. with company leaders and local elected officials.