The Faymonville Group, a European specialty trailer manufacturer, plans to open its first U.S. production facility at the Little Rock Port in 2026.

Once fully developed, the company expects the $110 million factory project to employ 500 people.

The Little Rock Port Authority board voted unanimously early Tuesday morning to approve a deal for the 54-acre site, which the Faymonville family picked after looking at locations across the country. The plan will next be presented to the Little Rock Board of Directors.

Family-owned for seven generations, the Faymonville Group specializes in trailers designed to transport the largest payloads, with equipment rated to carry loads from 16.5 to 27.5 tons.

The group has three brands — MAX Trailer, Faymonville and Cometto. The brands’ semi-trailers, low-loaders, modular vehicles and self-propelled trailers are designed to move anything exceptionally heavy, long, wide or tall, like cranes or even a NASA space shuttle. The trailers stand out due to their axles, which can pendulate and be steered through tight, difficult routes. 

An aggressive recruitment effort, meeting in Europe with Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and a connection to a trailer dealer in North Little Rock combined to bring Faymonville to Arkansas.

“The reactivity of the [Little Rock Regional] Chamber and [officials] around the state, that is not what we find in Europe,” said Alain Faymonville, president of the company. “I hope that it will continue into the future. When we came home [after a visit], we were really impressed. They did really everything to bring us to Little Rock.”

The company plans to develop the Port site in two phases. The first covers 409,000 SF, and Phase 2 will expand to 624,000 SF. In addition to those hired at the facility, the project is estimated to create 389 indirect jobs in the region and generate $239 million in economic impact, according to local economic development officials.

“Our low taxes and strong workforce sold Faymonville on Little Rock for their first U.S. facility,” Sanders said. “With access to road, river, rail, and the ability to get things done quickly, our capital city is proving itself as a manufacturing and logistics hub. It was great to meet with the family behind this successful company while I was in London for the Farnborough Airshow this summer and play a role in landing this $100 million investment and 500 good- paying Arkansas jobs.”

The Faymonville Group originated in Belgium in a blacksmith’s workshop; it is now headquartered in Luxembourg with production sites in Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland and Italy.

Company officials said Faymonville generated roughly $500 million in revenue in 2023, with $60 million coming in U.S. sales. They hope to quickly grow U.S. revenue beyond $100 million a year after opening the first stateside production facility.

“In the first phase, individual components will be manufactured in Little Rock, while preparations for in-house production are underway. Additionally, service and spare parts support for Cometto-branded vehicles will be strengthened,” Alain and his brother Yves Faymonville, who also sits on the company’s board,
said in a joint statement. “By early 2026, the production will be operational, and the vehicles will proudly bear the ‘Made in America’ label, with the goal of long-term success in the U.S. market.”

The company, which employs about 1,400, began exporting to the U.S. in 2016, and it generally only transports its largest-capacity trailers here due to high shipping costs. Faymonville plans to expand its U.S. offerings over time, and it is even in the early stages of developing new products specifically for the demands of the U.S. market.

“We are a niche player in the American market,” Alain Faymonville told Arkansas Business. “That is what we want to change with this new factory.”

Fast Recruitment

After a series of unfruitful visits to cities along the East Coast and Midwest, the first members of the Faymonville family came to Little Rock in June on the recommendation of officials from Hale Trailer, a dealer with a location in North Little Rock.

A month later, company leaders met with the governor and other local economic development officials at the Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom.

Soon after, Alain Faymonville and other company leaders visited Little Rock on a trip that included a tour of the pits at Wright’s BBQ, a classic car, meetings and the Junction Bridge lit up in the company’s signature red. 

In September, local officials and Faymonville leaders agreed to move forward with a deal that has been negotiated over the last two months and includes incentives tied to project deliverables.

The Arkansas Economic Development Commission offered the following incentives: Create Rebate, which provides annual cash payments based on a company’s annual payroll for new, full-time employees, and Tax Back, which provides sales and use tax refunds on purchases of building materials and taxable machinery and equipment to qualified businesses investing the requisite amount and signing a job creation agreement.

Being a family company, Faymonville can move quickly when it senses an opportunity, said Lisa Faymonville, head of human resources at the company.

“We pride ourselves on being flexible and agile and being able to adapt to new surroundings,” she said.

Construction on the project is expected to start in the first quarter of next year, and the company plans to start hiring in six to nine months.

“Faymonville selecting Little Rock validates the community’s vision to expand the Port of Little Rock so we can attract industry-leading companies and significant investment opportunities,” said Jay Chesshir, president and CEO of the Little Rock Regional Chamber. “Today’s announcement means 500 people, and their families, will have the opportunity to have a better life in Little Rock. This deal came together quickly, and the company looked at multiple locations for this investment. The ability of the Chamber’s economic development team to move at the speed of business secured this win for Little Rock.”