Industrial activities of Amphenol has officially announced that solar junction box production has begun in January 2024 at its new factory in Mesa, Arizona. The company spoke exclusively to World of solar energy about the planned solar supply chain factory last October.
Amphenol’s Arizona plant houses a dozen production lines, each with a capacity of approximately 100,000 junction boxes per month. The first line is operational and produces approximately 3,000 junction boxes per day. Two more lines are added. (If a 400 W module is used as standard, World of solar energy estimates the facility’s full annual production potential at 4.8 GW.)
The facility is also equipped for the production of connectors and other advanced connection structures for solar panels. Production lines supporting the production of these components are expected to be operational by the end of 2024. To date, Amphenol has hired 70 new team members to support junction box manufacturing in Mesa, a number that is expected to grow as customer demand increases. Additional production capacity will come online.
“By producing and shipping high-quality, reliable solar products every day at our expanded Mesa facility, we are building on our mission to help create a more efficient and sustainable solar supply chain in the U.S.,” said Mark Cunningham, General Manager of Amphenol Industrial Activities. “As we grow our manufacturing footprint and add more local, specialized talent to our Mesa team, we remain committed to helping our customers, partners and the broader community navigate the transition to a cleaner energy future.”