European trailer company to construct first U.S. facility in Arkansas

Faymonville Group will create 500 jobs in Arkansas when the Luxembourg-based company builds its first U.S. production facility on 54 acres at the Port of Little Rock, officials announced Tuesday. 

The trailer and heavy-transport equipment manufacturer intends to invest more than $100 million into the project, which is expected to generate a $239 million economic impact, according to a press release. 

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders told guests at Tuesday’s press conference that she met with company representatives three times this summer prior to finalizing this agreement, which she called “a big deal” for Little Rock and the state.

“Faymonville’s investment here at the Port of Little Rock will be a massive expansion to what is already one of our region’s main economic hubs,” Sanders said. 

The Faymonville Group is a family-owned company with 1,400 people operating four locations in Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland and Italy. The team produces 3,000 units annually, and their vehicles are delivered to 125 countries, generating a revenue of around $500 million in 2023, according to the release. 

“We don’t just supply special vehicles, we provide comprehensive transport solutions,” U.S. market representative Paul Hönen said in a statement. “We proudly delivered our first vehicle to the U.S. in 2016. What we particularly value about the U.S. market is its enormous potential, its practical, solution-driven mindset, and the much simpler administration compared to Europe.”

Faymonville’s Little Rock facility will be built in phases and expand from 409,000 square feet in Phase 1 to 624,000 square feet in Phase 2.

Luxembourg is a landlocked country sandwiched between Germany, Belgium and France with about 670,000 residents in 2023.