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On March 20, members of Atlas’ Clean Economy Tracker team traveled to Bowie, Maryland, to visit Blink Charging Co.’s manufacturing facility. An international manufacturer and provider of EV charging equipment and services, the Bowie manufacturing facility is Blink’s first in the U.S. Blink began work at the facility with its acquisition of SemaConnect Inc. in June 2022. Now, Blink plans to expand the facility by 30,000 square feet, add 60 new local jobs in its first year, and invest $49 million over the next ten years. The company announced these expansion plans in mid-March 2023. Senior Vice President of Global Marketing Jenifer Yokley noted that Blink is a vertically integrated, global provider of EV chargers. The SemaConnect acquisition firmly established Blink in the Level 2 (L2) charger market and brought the manufacturer into compliance with the Build America, Buy America requirements. SemaConnect is one of the 13 acquisitions Blink has made in the past two years, marking a period of rapid growth for the company. This growth was capped off by Blink’s recent announcement that they are moving their headquarters to Bowie, just down the road from their current manufacturing facility. |
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“With every parking spot there’s an opportunity,” Yokley said, “This opportunity is only going to grow. Coming off of the grand opening [of the new manufacturing facility], we are pumped about where we’re going and what we’re doing.” Blink received incentives from local and regional authorities to encourage its growth. According to a press release from the Maryland Department of Commerce, Blink received a $1 million conditional loan from Maryland, as well as a $120,000 conditional loan from Prince George’s County. Members of Blink’s operations and facility management staff led our team around the company’s new manufacturing facility. Senior Operations Manager Asmond Coker displayed how Blink’s L2 chargers were assembled, step-by-step. On a good day, staff currently assemble around 200 chargers a day. According to Supply Chain Manager Jaleesa Newsome, all charger components are manufactured in Blink’s international manufacturing facilities. Assembly in the U.S., however, brings Blink’s chargers into Build America, Buy America compliance. “This is just the beginning with this facility,” Coker said. “You’ll see more technical nuances, monitors, auto tracking… We’re utilizing smart tools. This is the brink of our manufacturing and what we plan to expand… it’s going to help us out so much with lessening our lead time to a week from when a customer puts in their order.” |
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In speaking with three different workers on the manufacturing floor, we learned most of the fifteen staff members present had previously been electrical workers. None that we spoke with had worked in the EV industry before, but all noted that their previous electrical knowledge made the transition simple. Production Planner Joshua Baylor added expanding the manufacturing facility means that Blink can expand its clientele and maximize its output, starting with 50,000 chargers a year. |
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