ATC Manufacturing breaks ground on 57,635 sq ft expansion in Post Falls, Idaho

ATC Manufacturing today broke ground on a 57,635-square-foot expansion of its Post Falls, Idaho facility, a milestone that builds on the company's recent contract award from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) for large-scale, high-rate thermoplastic composite aircraft structures. ATC is partnered with Baker Construction as general contractor and Bernardo Wills Architects on the design of the new facility, with support from the City of Post Falls throughout the permitting and development process.

The expansion is expected to be complete by late summer 2027, and ATC already has multiple projects lined up expected to quickly fill the new capacity. The expansion increases ATC's capacity to meet demands from commercial and defence customers for lighter, more durable composite aerospace structures, replacing legacy metallic and thermoset parts currently used across U.S. defence systems.

As defence programmes push for faster fielding of next-generation platforms and commercial airframers look to scale output, industry analysts and manufacturers alike expect thermoplastic composite usage to grow substantially across both markets in the coming years, a shift ATC's expanded capacity positions it to help meet.

"We are proud to call Post Falls home and are grateful to Senators Crapo and Risch, and Mayor Westlund, for their unwavering support of American manufacturing. Our partnership with the US Air Force and hiring dozens of new engineers and technicians is very exciting for us, as one of the largest thermoplastic composite aerospace manufacturing centers in the country." says Pat Jones, President of ATC.

"Post Falls celebrates this latest expansion of ATC. Their growth is a testament to what's possible when a company invests in a workforce right here at home. We're proud to have such a critical part of commercial and defense aerospace manufacturing growing in Post Falls," said Randy Westlund, Mayor of Post Falls.

The groundbreaking falls during National Composites Week, the composites industry's annual celebration of manufacturing innovation. Thermoplastic composites are increasingly viewed as a key solution to one of aerospace manufacturing's biggest challenges: producing lightweight, high-strength structures fast enough to meet growing defence and commercial demand. Unlike traditional thermoset composites, thermoplastics can be reheated and reformed, enabling faster processing cycles, and manufacturing rates suited to high-volume aircraft production.

"Baker Construction is proud to partner with ATC Manufacturing on this home-grown expansion of advanced manufacturing and national defense. We're committed to delivering a facility that launches ATC into this phase of exciting growth," said Brooke Baker Spink, CEO of Baker Construction.

The expansion will create dozens of new jobs in ATC's Post Falls, including mechanical engineers, project engineering, entry and mid-level skill tradesman roles. ATC is also a designated DoW SkillBridge employer, offering transitioning service members hands-on training and career pathways into its growing manufacturing workforce.