ATC Manufacturing Inc., a trade name of Post Falls-based Advanced Thermoplastic Composites Inc., is nearly doubling its 67,000-square-foot headquarters and manufacturing facility, at 1224 N. Lean, with a new 57,600-square-foot expansion.

The project is meant to increase the company’s capacity to meet growing demand from commercial and defense customers, who make lightweight, durable composite aerospace structures from thermoplastic composite materials, says Patrick Jones, president and chief operating officer at ATC Manufacturing.

“We’re continuing to grow, and we’ve grown quite a bit just in the last year and a half,” Jones says. “There’s a lot of projects and opportunities that we’re pursuing, and this new expansion could be utilized for any of those opportunities that are coming our way.”

The company broke ground in August and expects to wrap up construction in summer 2027, says Jones. 

“In the last two years, we've really talked seriously, got the architects involved, got the designs started, and looked at permitting and how big (the expansion) needs to be based on the work we see coming,” explains Jason Merrifield, business development manager at ATC.

Construction is valued at $10 million, with electrical work valued at $1 million, according to permit information on file with the city of Spokane. The total expected cost to construct and equip the new space is currently unknown, Jones says.

Spokane-based Baker Construction & Development Inc. is the general contractor on the project, and Bernardo Wills Architects PC is designing it, permit information shows.

Plans call for much of the new space to be used for manufacturing and a mezzanine area for offices on an upper floor. ATC plans to use office space on the main floor for customer intake, meeting areas, and a break room, Jones says.

To meet expanded manufacturing needs, ATC will hire dozens more engineers and technicians. Currently, 90 are employed at the company, he adds.

“We’re essentially doubling our manufacturing capacity, so there’ll probably be a similar expectation with the workforce,” Merrifield adds.

Thermoplastic composites are manufactured using high temperatures and pressure to stamp form sheets of raw materials into three-dimensional parts. Demand for these materials has increased in the aerospace and defense industries since the pandemic, explains Merrifield. Parts made of thermoplastic composites are lighter and stronger than metal analogues, they can be manufactured faster, and can be re-pressed and recycled, according to ATC’s website.

In March, the Air Force Research Laboratory awarded ATC Manufacturing  a $6.7 million contract for a program titled, Thermoplastic Composites for Large High-Rate Aircraft Structures, the Journal previously reported. The contract is a research and development collaboration between thermoplastic components manufacturer ATC; defense technology company Anduril Industries Inc., of California; and advanced composite materials supplier Toray Advanced Composites USA Inc., of California.

The companies will seek to prove that thermoplastic composite components can be scaled up in size for aerospace and defense uses. ATC currently manufactures smaller thermoplastic composite parts, including brackets, clips, and beams, but plans to produce larger parts with the help of a new, larger hydraulic press system, Jones says.

The new expansion project is not a part of that contract, nor will revenue from the contract be used to develop the expansion, Jones explains.

Other Inland Northwest-based manufacturers have ongoing or recently completed facility expansions this year, including Spokane Valley-based Hotstart Inc., which completed a $1.1 million renovation at its 90,000-square-foot facility at 6715 E. Mission in August, the Journal previously reported.

Hotstart began renovating the Hotstart East facility to meet its growing office and manufacturing needs at the beginning of 2026, says Hotstart CEO Terry Judge. The company purchased the building from Spokane Valley-based King Beverage Inc. for $11.5 million in 2023 and began renovating the space in January, when King Beverage’s lease ended.

Spokane Valley-based Silvey Construction Inc. led the project and provided general contracting services, Judge says. Other participating contractors include Spokane Valley-based A.C.I. Coatings LLC; Memphis, Tennessee-based Barnhart Crane and Rigging Co.; Jewell Excavating & Construction Inc., of Spokane Valley; Spokane-based Machine Tool Services Inc.; and Electric Smith Inc., also of Spokane.

In Spokane’s Bemiss neighborhood, pharmaceutical manufacturing and packaging company Jubilant HollisterStier LLC is planning to expand its campus footprint with a new $18.5 million building for the company’s allergens processing business unit, the Journal previously reported. The two-story structure is planned on two parcels of land, at 2813 and 2835 E. Gordon, just north of its existing campus at 3525 N. Regal, says Jennifer Beeler, director of marketing at HollisterStier Allergy.

On July 30, the company submitted a State Environmental Policy Act application for the 22,000-square-foot project prior to permit approval and is in the public comment phase at time of publication, according to an environmental permit application.