ASHLAND — Israel-based Meptagon has selected Ashland’s Industrial Park to serve as the location of the company’s newest manufacturing facility.
Ashland City Council approved the sale of 10 acres located on the southwest corner of Ford Drive and Wells Road to Meptagon at Tuesday night’s meeting.
The facility will manufacture and fabricate process piping, which is used for water cooling systems in microchip, wafer and other electronics factories.
“They do other things, but those are the primary components that they manufacture, and their process piping is used in Intel’s facilities as well as Micron’s, where they make these chips,” Mayor Matt Miller told council.
The land will sell for $10,000 per acre, totaling $100,000. The city purchased the land in 2022 for $625,000, according to Ashland County Auditor records.
“In this case, this was part of the negotiation, to leverage the fact that we own that land and can offer it at a discount rate. So, when you consider the future payoff, I think it’s probably worth securing a company that could eventually have up to 200 employees,” Miller said.
Miller said he has been working on making an agreement to sell the land to the company since last summer. The city hosted Meptagon representatives in Ashland because the company purchased BCU Electric in March of 2025.
During their visit, Miller showed the representatives a view of the land from the city’s new fire truck, because there were fields of corn preventing a clear view of the property at the time.
“We sent them up in the new truck, and I don’t know if they were enthralled with our land, or more impressed that they were up in our truck. But I will tell you, it evidently left a mark, and when they did their due diligence, they came back and said that they would like to build their first U.S. facility here in Ashland,” Miller said.
The sale agreement specifies the company must begin construction within three years, and complete it in five, or else the land comes back into city ownership.
Miller said Meptagon plans to start construction in 2027, with the facility up and running in 2028.
“Initially, they expect to have 10 management or engineering employees, and approximately 25 laborers, but they plan to grow that fairly quickly to upwards of 150 to 200 full-time employees,” Miller said.
Miller also noted the company further diversifies Ashland’s economic drivers in the Industrial Park, which range from Barbasol producing shaving cream to Amazon’s new Ashland facility.
“We’re not reliant on any industry for this city’s well-being. And here’s another prime example,” Miller said.
In other business
Council also approved an ordinance authorizing the mayor to enter into an agreement to replace a “severely dilapidated” brick storm sewer which used to service the Myers Pump properties — better known as the Pump House.
While the building’s new owners have been planning redevelopment, contractors discovered the century-old storm sewer had failed in multiple locations.
The work is estimated to cost $285,537, which will be “provided for at the discretion of the Finance Director,” as stated in the ordinance.
“It’s been replaced with plastic and it was necessary to do this, of course, so that they could continue to prepare the foundations for the buildings that will be on the property as well as the parking lot,” Miller told council.
Council also approved dedication of a water distribution main at the soon-to-be Culver’s, located across from Goasis.
The water distribution main was necessary for the site’s development, and also includes several fire hydrants being installed on the site.