Orbic CEO pledges factory expansion will create more than 500 jobs on Long Island
Mike Narula, CEO and founder of Hauppauge-based Orbic Electronics Manufacturing, said he expects the company will exceed the number of jobs it promised to create in Suffolk. Credit: Newsday/Howard Schnapp
A Hauppauge-based seller of cellphones, computers and other electronics will exceed the 503 jobs that it promised to create within two years in return for tax breaks from Suffolk County.
"We definitely see more jobs being created," Mike Narula, CEO and founder of Orbic Electronics Manufacturing LLC, said on Wednesday. He did not provide a number but the company now has 42 employees in the county.
The size of Orbic's first U.S. factory at 555 Wireless Blvd. in Hauppauge — 135,000 square feet — "is going to demand ... more jobs," he told a meeting of the county's Industrial Development Agency.
Most of the new positions will involve producing electronics, such as cellphones, laptops, tablets, hot spots and routers. The positions will pay $45,000 per year, on average, according to Orbic's application for IDA assistance.
The agency's board of directors on Wednesday voted unanimously to approve a $5.4 million incentive package. It consists of a sales-tax exemption of up to $1.9 million on the purchase of construction materials and supplies, plus $3.5 million off property taxes over 20 years.
The package is $3.4 million larger than the one that the IDA granted in December 2023 because Orbic has doubled the size of its plant, from 60,000 square feet to 135,000.
The project, valued at $107.5 million, is part of Orbic's plan to shift production from China to Long Island at the behest of Verizon and other customers who want "Made in America" products, Narula said.
"The goal is to run the [Wireless Boulevard] facility for two shifts, if not more," he said, responding to a question from Kevin Harvey, IDA vice chairman and a union official.
IDA secretary X. Cristofer Damianos, who also is a commercial real estate developer, said, "Thank you for bringing jobs to the United States, in particular Suffolk County. It's 500 jobs that we don't have right now."
Orbic is implementing its expansion plan, called Project Patriot, as the Trump administration seeks to boost domestic manufacturing by imposing higher tariffs on imported goods. In a move seen to put pressure on Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co., President Donald Trump has called for a 25% tariff on imported smartphones.
IDA CEO Kelly Murphy said in an interview on Wednesday that Orbic "is doing something that hasn't been done before and that will fill a tremendous need."
James T. Madore writes about Long Island business news including the economy, development, and the relationship between government and business. He previously served as Albany bureau chief.
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