Most folks driving down SE Oralabor Road in Ankeny probably don't know that the parts made inside Accumold's buildings end up in medical devices and electronics around the world. Now the company is adding a fourth building, and that means a big job for Iowa contractors.
Accumold broke ground on Oct. 7 on an expansion of its campus at 1711 SE Oralabor Road. The new building will cost about $33 million and add more than 50,000 square feet, according to the company and the Business Record.
The new building is expected to nearly double the company's production capacity and support the creation of 150 new jobs.
Who's building it
"The Weitz Company of Des Moines (Iowa) is the project's general contractor, and SVPA Architects of West Des Moines is providing architectural services," according to Medical Product Outsourcing. Weitz also shared the groundbreaking on its LinkedIn page.
Trade reports said construction was scheduled to begin in October 2026, with completion expected in February 2028. The Business Record described Accumold as a maker of small plastic parts for the medical, microelectronics and optics industries.
The new building will be used mainly for production. It will include new equipment and technology, expanded quality and tooling capabilities, and office and meeting space.
Like the company's 40,000-square-foot expansion completed in 2016, the new building is engineered to withstand an EF-5 tornado. Accumold says that protects employees and strengthens business continuity for customers.
"Our customers depend on precision, quality, and a reliable supply of components. As we expand our production capabilities, we are also strengthening our ability to protect our team and support our customers through disruptions," Accumold President and CEO Roger Hargens said.
"This expansion gives us the space, technology and capabilities to keep growing alongside our customers," Hargens said. "It is also an investment in Ankeny and in the people whose skill and commitment make our work possible."
The Business Record reported that the expansion, on the west side of the current facility, is the second since the original building went up in 2000. Company officials have said it's needed to meet growing demand for the company's products. The groundbreaking was set for 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 7, the paper reported.
The incentives
The Ankeny City Council voted 5-0 to approve a development agreement with Accumold, the Business Record reported. The agreement includes seven years of tax increment financing rebates on the increased value of the property, starting the second year after the building is finished. The TIF payments follow a sliding scale over those seven years and won't exceed $910,000, city documents show.
According to city documents, the expansion will increase the property's taxable value by about $8.1 million.
The state is helping too. On Sept. 18, the Iowa Economic Development Authority approved more than $1.08 million in tax incentives from its Business Incentives for Growth program for the project, which will create 150 jobs, with more than 100 of them in the first three years, the Business Record reported.
Accumold thanked a long list of partners at the groundbreaking, including The Weitz Company, SVPA Architects, Community State Bank, the Ankeny Business & Industry Collaborative, the City of Ankeny, Des Moines Area Community College and IEDA.
Accumold specializes in precision micro injection molding. It makes complex, high-volume micro components for customers in medical, microelectronics, optics and emerging technology markets. All of its production happens at the Ankeny facility, and it ships to more than 30 countries every year. Its capabilities include engineering and design-for-manufacturability support, precision tooling, automation, advanced inspection and high-volume manufacturing that can scale up.
The company has a total workforce of 425 employees and added more than 100 employees in 2026. The new positions will span production, quality, tooling, administration and other areas.
Why it matters for Contractors
A more than 50,000-square-foot, tornado-resistant production building is a serious job, and with Weitz as general contractor, the subcontract packages are where most local trades will find work. The EF-5 tornado design and a production floor for precision manufacturing make this more than a standard warehouse shell. With completion set for February 2028, it's a long-running job in Ankeny. Concrete, steel, roofing, MEP, fire protection, and finish subs interested in bidding should reach out to The Weitz Company in Des Moines.