Gray recently joined Morinaga America Foods to top out its new North Carolina manufacturing facility.

The final beam was placed atop Morinaga’s brownfield confectionery expansion during the ceremony. This construction tradition signifies a project reaching its structural peak.

Morinaga chose Gray to provide a suite of services for the needs of this project, including construction, engineering and automation. Additionally, Gray will procure and install process equipment on this project.

Gray’s efforts to solve Morinaga’s challenges with a package of professional services led Morinaga to accelerate the project timeline.

“This topping out marks more than just progress; it celebrates the strength of our partnership and the shared commitment driving this project forward,” says Brett Goode, executive vice president for the food and beverage market at Gray. “It’s an honor to work alongside Morinaga on a facility that will help shape the future of the confectionery market and meet growing demand in a rapidly expanding sector.”

Once complete, this 130,000-sq.-ft. expansion will support Morinaga’s U.S. presence and increase production of HI-CHEW. The expanded facility will enable Morinaga to meet customer demand, boost output capacity and streamline operations under one roof.

Once fully operational, the facility is expected to provide more than 200 new jobs for the area.