Lowell – October 06, 2026 -- Draper has broken ground on a 111,000-square-foot microelectronics facility in Lowell, Massachusetts, designed to onshore advanced chip packaging capacity that is currently 97% dependent on foreign production.
Draper's IMPACT Center targets a critical gap in U.S. chip packaging capacity
Colleen Anderson, Electronic Systems program director at Draper, said only 3 percent of chip packaging is performed in the United States today, leaving a domestic void the new Integrated Microelectronics Production & Advanced Chip Technology (IMPACT) Center intends to fill. The facility will house design, production, and packaging operations covering microelectronics through advanced precision navigation and timing systems, supporting high-mix, low-volume manufacturing for Draper's customer base.
The project will add more than 100 skilled jobs and complete in 2029
Construction, partly funded through state and local partnership with the city of Lowell, is expected to create over 100 positions spanning technicians, advanced-degree engineers, and business executives. The IMPACT Center is scheduled for completion in 2029 and will offer manufacturing services spanning design to field-ready systems.
Draper CEO Jerry Wohletz ties the build to national supply-chain security
"Microelectronics are a critical component in nearly every system used to safeguard our nation's interests," said Wohletz, Draper's president and CEO, calling for a domestic supply chain free from foreign influence and disruption. He said the Center will expand onshore capacity while strengthening Massachusetts' position in the defense industrial base.
The facility anchors the Hamilton Canal Innovation District within Lowell's LINC corridor
The IMPACT Center sits within the Lowell Innovation Network Corridor (LINC), an ecosystem stretching from the UMass Lowell campus into downtown Lowell that links research, workforce development, and economic growth. Draper is an anchor tenant in LINC and already operates a corporate campus in the corridor. UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen said the project will deepen ties between industry and academia, enabling researchers, students, and companies to share resources.
Local and state officials attended the groundbreaking ceremony
Lowell Mayor Erik Gitschier said the investment strengthens the city's innovation and technology economy and expands opportunities for residents. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, U.S. Congresswoman Lori Trahan, University of Massachusetts President Marty Meehan, and Chancellor Julie Chen attended the event, hosted by Wohletz alongside Wexford Science & Technology Chief Investment Officer John Grady.
Multiple real estate and construction firms are delivering the build
Draper is teaming with Wexford Science & Technology as real estate developer, alongside GMH Communities and First Atlantic. Shawmut Design and Construction and Burns & McDonnell are supporting the development team.