Artist rendering of planned new facility. (Courtesy of SPS)
A 350,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art SPS Technologies manufacturing facility to replace the more than 100-year-old plant destroyed in a February 2025 fire will be a nod to the past with an eye on the future.
Plans for the new Jenkintown plant specializing in the manufacture of high strength nuts, bolts and associated products, primarily used in the aerospace industry, were presented at a community meeting September 25.
Following an explosion around 9:30 p.m. Feb. 17, hundreds of firefighters from 69 fire companies battled the 4-plus alarm blaze at the 650,000-square-foot manufacturing plant at 301 Highland Avenue in the Jenkintown section of Abington Township that was extinguished after 114 hours on Feb. 22.
The Abington Fire Marshal’s Office issued a statement Sept. 26 regarding the results of an investigation that determined the origin of the fire was in the area of the compressed air system in the building, though the specific failure in the system has not been identified. As a result, “the fire cause has been deemed undetermined” and “accidental,” it says.
The apparent failure of the compressed air system infrastructure resulted in numerous explosions and fires throughout the plant, according to the news release. There was “no indication of an intentionally set fire” and “no indication of any negligence/malicious intent on behalf of SPS Technologies that led to this fire,” it says.
The three-story plant was 80 percent destroyed in the fire, but chemicals stored at the site were not impacted, David Dugan, director of corporate communications for Precision Castparts Corp., the parent of SPS, said in a recent interview.
Demolition of the old plant was completed the beginning of September and construction of the new facility, a mixture of glass and brick expected to cost “hundreds of millions of dollars,” is anticipated to begin in 2026 for an early 2028 opening, he said. The manufacturing area will be about 300,000 square feet with an additional 50 square feet of office and other space, he said.
The previous facility was entirely brick and “we were able to save a ton of the bricks” to use on the front façade of the new building “in a nod to the past,” along with the old Standard Press Steel concrete sign, which will be incorporated into the new structure, as well, Dugan said.
It will be a “less imposing, one-story building” further set back from Highland Avenue and neighboring structures and fields, he said.
The SPS website notes the complex will “meet all applicable building, safety, and environmental codes,” and use solar panels and other green features to attain LEED certification. The facility “will have environmental controls for the protection of air, water and soil” and “use the latest technology and automation.”
SPS had about 475 employees at the time of the fire, of which around 250 lost their jobs, Dugan said.
Currently, 200 are working out of a temporary site in Langhorne to get some parts made, with plans to put in some additional equipment, he said. The company intends to have a little more than 200 to start at the new facility, he said.
“The aerospace industry counts on us to make unique parts no one else makes,” Dugan said. The decision to rebuild was based on the fact that “the operation and the people who made the more than 700 parts unique to the aerospace industry are there.”
“Our strength is our people — those who know how to do it,” Dugan said.
Abington Commissioner Matt Vahey, whose Ward 12 encompasses the SPS site, said this week that the September meeting “was overwhelmingly positive.”
“Almost all there were positive about a rebuild,” he said. One person spoke in opposition, and he is aware of another resident who is “not in favor.”
Vahey said he is “looking forward to feedback,” but thus far has received only a few emails from residents, ranging from neutral to positive.
“The reality is they have a right to rebuild a manufacturing facility at the site,” he said. “Residents understand that.”
The new facility will adhere to current codes and be smaller, Vahey said. It doesn’t appear there will be any request for zoning relief, so it should be a streamlined process, he said.
“We want to work with the company on a good outcome.”
Vahey, who lives a block from the site, said he could see the fire from his house and knowing there were chemicals inside was scary. In the aftermath, SPS “has been very responsive to all my requests” for the neighborhood, he said.
As opposed to when the original plant was built, the township now has strict building codes, he said, and while “no building will be fireproof, it will be safer, look better and maintain the history of SPS in the community for a long time.”
“We appreciate the support the community showed at the meeting,” Dugan said.
“We’re looking forward to rebuilding on the same site and excited to have people back in the new building. We look forward to a strong future in the area.”
