American Center for Manufacturing & Innovation Announces a First-of-its-kind Industrial Development: Munitions Campus - Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Center for Manufacturing & Innovation (ACMI) today announced Munitions Campus – Indiana. The project, a private-public partnership leveraging the Department of Defense (DOD)'s $75M Munitions Campus program award to ACMI Federal and an estimated $300M of private capital for developing infrastructure, is an industrial real estate development to support scaling and innovation in munitions-related areas.

The Munitions Campus program was established through the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Resilience (IBR) through its Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritization (MCEIP) Directorate.

"This program is an important pathfinder effort to develop a new public-private partnership model, stimulating private investment even in a market such as munitions, where DOD has traditionally shouldered nearly the entire cost burden," said Anthony Di Stasio, MCEIP Director. "This approach will stretch the taxpayer dollar much further, enabling us to accelerate growth of the domestic industrial base, maintaining America's technological and industrial edge."

"ACMI is proud to be leading this important project to support innovation, scaling production and the unique needs of this supply chain," said John Burer, founder of ACMI. "This is a first-of-its-kind project that is expected to attract thousands of jobs and bring billions in economic development to the State of Indiana."

ACMI Properties will construct the facilities in a hub and spoke configuration, with a R&D-oriented campus located near Indianapolis and other sites under consideration, including some adjacent to Crane Army Ammunition Activity and Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane).

"Crane Army and NSWC Crane are the ideal partners to take on this important project," said Pam Clark, Ecosystem Manager for ACMI and former U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) Division Chief. "The longstanding relationship we will build with Crane was a key factor in selecting Indiana for the munition campus investment. The partnership is testament to the commitment to deliver technology that is critical for our defense and national security." 

"ACMI will develop a series of buildings designed to support the unique needs of campus tenants," said Simon Shewmaker, Head of Development for ACMI Properties. "Tenants focused on R&D and prototyping will naturally align with facilities near Indianapolis while facilities near Crane will focus on scaled production, creating a pathway to develop and deploy new technologies in the market."

The Purdue Energetic Research Center (PERC), one of the nation's leading academic organizations in comprehensive energetics materials research, will lend research expertise to the project.

"We need to modernize how we make energetics," said Steve Beaudoin, director of the Purdue Energetics Research Center (PERC). "We need to get to profitable, sustainable, and responsive domestic manufacturing of these materials. This initiative supports both developing a more resilient supply chain and bringing the ability to manufacture energetics back to our shores. PERC is pleased to support this important effort."

Support for scaling production and the munitions supply chain was a key objective for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, MCEIP Directorate. Leveraging private capital to develop platforms supporting cross-Services priorities is a novel approach to supporting DOD needs and may be applied to other targeted areas.

"Crane Army is eager to work with industry partners who can complement our ability to provide munitions to the warfighter," said Anthony Fabrizio, Deputy Commander of Crane Army Ammunition Activity. "The Army recognizes the need to modernize, and the Munitions Campus has the potential to help us bridge that gap."

ACMI Properties is focused on developing industry-centered campuses to address the infrastructure gap for companies between startup ideation and scaling phases. These next-generation industry campuses are designed to scale manufacturing capacity. They will also create dynamic spaces for innovation and growth focused on critical industry sectors that are important for national security and economic development.

"It is exciting to see these campuses come to Indiana," said Ms. Jenna Dix, Director of Engagement at NSWC Crane. "This innovation environment for industry can help to revolutionize the production of energetics, reducing the time it takes to have these technologies ready for DOD use."

For media inquiries, please contact:

ACMI
Dan Palumbo
[email protected]
301.875.2356

For more information as well as leasing inquiries, visit https://acmiproperties.com/.

About ACMI
The American Center for Manufacturing & Innovation (ACMI) is committed to revitalizing the United States' industrial base through strategic investments in emerging businesses in critical sectors. ACMI's approach, through its affiliates ACMI Federal, ACMI Capital, and ACMI Properties, aims to consolidate funding, resources, and expertise to close gaps in the US industrial base, enhance supply chain resiliency, and accelerate innovation.

About the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy (OASD IBP) 
The OASD IBP works with domestic and international partners to forge and sustain a robust, secure, and resilient industrial base enabling the warfighter now and in the future.

About Crane Army Ammunition Activity
Crane Army Ammunition Activity produces and provides conventional munitions in support of U.S. Army and Joint Force readiness. It is part of the Joint Munitions Command and the U.S. Army Materiel Command, which include arsenals, depots, activities and ammunition plants. Established Oct. 1977, it is located on Naval Support Activity Crane.

About NSWC Crane
NSWC Crane is a naval laboratory and a field activity of Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) with mission areas in Expeditionary Warfare, Strategic Missions and Electromagnetic Warfare. The warfare center is responsible for multi-domain, multi- spectral, full life cycle support of technologies and systems enhancing capability to today's Warfighter.

SOURCE ACMI