A cable transportation company has announced plans to expand its manufacturing operation in Grand Junction as well as construct a new facility in Utah.

Leitner-Poma of America has purchased five acres adjacent to its 100,000-square-foot facility in Grand Junction to expand its manufacturing capacity.

Leitner-Poma also will build a $27 million facility in Tooele, Utah, about 35 miles southwest of Salt Lake City.

At 130,000 square feet, the new facility will be the largest for the company in the United States and serve as headquarters for Skytrac, a subsidiary ropeway manufacturer. The factory is expected to open in 2024.

“This new Utah-based facility will allow us to continue to grow our American-made capabilities while expanding our existing headcount in Utah by up to 60 percent,” Daren Cole, president of Leitner-Poma stated in a news release.

“New ropeway systems are rising at a record-setting pace worldwide,” Cole stated. “The output from this new campus, as well as our work to further onshore our supply chain, positions us to better meet the growing demand throughout the country.”

The new facility in Utah will include the installation of a 162-foot-tall wind turbine capable of generating 250 kilowatts of electricity — enough to meet the needs of the operation.

The wind turbine was developed by Leitwind, an affiliate company of Leitner-Poma.

The Skytrac headquarters in Utah will serve as a showcase for the technology. If market demand materializes as expected, the facility could manufacture the turbines, Cole stated.