Amphenol starts up America’s first solar junction box manufacturing lines

Amphenol Industrial Operations officially announced that solar junction box manufacturing began in January 2024 at its new factory in Mesa, Arizona. The company spoke exclusively with Solar Power World about the planned solar supply chain factory last October.

Amphenol’s Arizona factory can accommodate a dozen manufacturing lines, each with a capacity of around 100,000 junction boxes each month. The first line is operational and producing approximately 3,000 junction boxes per day, and two more lines are being added. (Using a 400-W module as default, Solar Power World estimates the facility’s full annual production potential to be 4.8 GW.)

The facility is also equipped to manufacture connectors and other advanced interconnect assemblies for solar arrays. Manufacturing lines to support 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 efforts in Mesa, a number that is anticipated to grow with customer demand and as additional manufacturing capacity comes online.

“By manufacturing and shipping high-quality, reliable solar products every day at our expanded Mesa facility, we’re building on our mission to help create a more efficient and sustainable U.S. solar supply chain,” said Mark Cunningham, General Manager of Amphenol Industrial Operations. “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.”

See SPW’s list of U.S. solar manufacturers here.