Defense manufacturer Beehive investing $70M in SW Ohio

Zoom in: Beehive manufactures 3D-printed jet engines for uncrewed defense aircraft.

• The local expansion builds on Beehive's recent acquisitions of Able Tool Corp. in Lockland and Planet Products Corp. in Blue Ash.
• Beehive also has a 39,000-square-foot research and development center in Loveland.

State of play: Beehive plans to expand all three local facilities while adding a new 100,000-square-foot site at an undetermined location in Greater Cincinnati, company spokesperson Alex Walker tells Axios.

• The goal, according to Beehive chief product officer Gordie Follin, is to create a regional production machining center.

What they're saying: "Our success is fundamentally tied to the caliber of the workforce we are building in Southwest Ohio," Follin said in a statement.

• "This expansion allows us to pair our advanced additive manufacturing technology with the deep technical expertise found there."

What's next: JobsOhio says it's working with the state to develop an incentive package for Beehive.

• Beehive plans to seek a job creation tax credit as well.