Senior Advisor Rocky Adkins joins company officials to celebrate milestone
FRANKFORT, Ky. (March 26, 2026) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear highlights continued growth in the state’s manufacturing industry as AXN Automotive Systems celebrates the grand opening of its newly relocated Louisville facility, a nearly $15 million investment that will create 10 new full-time positions. Gov. Beshear’s senior advisor, Rocky Adkins, joined the company for the celebration.
“The commonwealth’s continued growth and surging economy ensure that Kentucky companies can stay here and take advantage of our prime location and skilled workforce,” said Gov. Beshear. “Today’s grand opening is an exciting step forward for AXN Automotive Systems as they relocate to a larger facility in Louisville. I want to thank the company’s leadership for their continued belief in our state and congratulate them on this great milestone.”
“I’m honored to celebrate the grand opening today of AXN Automotive Systems’ newly relocated facility,” said Adkins. “Congratulations to Louisville, AXN, Randoncorp and everyone who helped make this project happen. It’s pretty simple: When people work together, great things happen!”
The project, located at 6001 National Turnpike in Louisville, included the installation of robotic welding cells to support the precision fabrication of axle components, implementation of a new industrial paint booth to enhance corrosion protection and product finish quality, upgrades to material handling and inspection systems like runout equipment and quality control technology, and the relocation and optimization of existing equipment to integrate into the new line configuration. The project also created the need for 10 new full-time employees.
“This investment reflects our deep commitment to strengthening manufacturing in the United States,” said Daniel Randon, president and CEO of Randoncorp. “We are proud to have AXN as part of the Randoncorp family and proud to expand our footprint in Louisville with high-quality products made in America.”
Headquartered in Louisville and founded in 2009, AXN is an American supplier of high-performance undercarriage solutions, serving the heavy-duty trailer, truck and off-road equipment industries. The company offers premium axles, suspensions, aftermarket products and more. By expanding its capabilities and embracing groundbreaking technologies like nanotechnology and e-axles, AXN and its parent company, Randoncorp, continue to drive innovation, growth and industry-leading advancements.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg commented on the city’s strengths: “We’re thrilled to have an innovative company like AXN Automotive Systems commit to Louisville and create jobs for our people in our community. This is another sign of our city’s economic progress and our strength in advanced manufacturing and logistics.”
Trevor Pawl, CEO of the Louisville Economic Development Alliance, mentioned the job opportunities being created by the project: “AXN Automotive Systems’ $14.7 million investment in its Louisville operations is a testament to the city’s competitive advantages: a skilled workforce, strong logistics infrastructure and a supportive business climate. By expanding their product offerings and adding new positions, Randoncorp is making Louisville an essential hub for its North American growth strategy. We are excited to partner with AXN and Randoncorp as they build on Louisville’s proud legacy of manufacturing and continue to create opportunities for our community.”
AXN’s investment and job creation furthers what has been the best six-year period for economic growth in state history.
Since the beginning of his administration, Gov. Beshear has announced more than 1,300 private-sector new-location and expansion projects totaling over $45 billion in announced investments, creating more than 69,000 jobs. This is the highest investment figure secured during the tenure of any governor in the commonwealth’s history and $24 billion more than the next highest total.
Gov. Beshear has announced some of the largest economic development projects in state history, which have solidified Kentucky as the battery capital of the United States: AESC’s $2 billion, 2,000-job gigafactory project in Warren County; Ford Motor Co.’s $2 billion, 2,200-job commitment in Louisville, as well as its $2 billion, 2,100-job project at the Kentucky 1 plant in Hardin County; Shelbyville Battery Manufacturing’s $712 million investment, creating 1,572 jobs in Shelby County; and Toyota’s $1.3 billion investment in Scott County, among others.
The Governor’s administration also secured the largest General Fund budget surplus and Rainy Day Fund. In 2023, Kentucky recorded over 2 million jobs filled for the first time ever and has stayed above that number ever since.
Kentucky also secured rating increases from major credit rating agencies Fitch Ratings, S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service.
Earlier this year, Site Selection magazine ranked Kentucky in the top five nationally and second in the South Central region for economic development projects per capita in its 2024 Governor’s Cup rankings. Site Selection also placed Kentucky second in the South Central region and No. 6 nationally in its 2025 Prosperity Cup ranking, which recognizes state-level economic development agencies for their success in landing capital investment projects.
Gov. Beshear also announced a new initiative, called New Kentucky Home, to increase economic investment, attain and attract talent, and increase tourism across the state.
To encourage investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) in September 2025 preliminarily approved a 10-year incentive agreement with the company under the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based agreement can provide up to $150,000 in tax incentives based on the company’s investment of $14.7 million and annual targets of:
- Creation and maintenance of 10 Kentucky-resident, full-time jobs across 10 years; and
- Paying an average hourly wage of $27.50, including benefits, across those jobs.
By meeting its annual targets over the agreement term, the company can be eligible to keep a portion of the new tax revenue it generates. The company may claim eligible incentives against its income tax liability and/or wage assessments.
In addition, AXN can receive resources from Kentucky’s workforce service providers. Those include no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job-training incentives.
A detailed community profile for Jefferson County can be viewed here.
Information on Kentucky’s economic development efforts and programs is available at NewKentuckyHome.ky.gov. Fans of the Cabinet for Economic Development can also join the discussion at facebook.com/CEDkygov, on Twitter @CEDkygov, Instagram @CEDkygov and LinkedIn.
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