Family Office Nickolas Asset Management Backs $100m US Advanced Manufacturing Project

Nickolas Asset Management and Kreate have announced a $100 million investment in a 542,000-square-foot advanced manufacturing facility in Tiffin, Ohio.

The project combines family-office capital with automation, robotics, artificial intelligence and physical manufacturing infrastructure.

The investment includes the facility itself together with machinery, infrastructure, tooling and the launch of Kreate's manufacturing operation.

Production is scheduled to begin on 1 October 2026.

For family-office investors, the project provides an example of permanent private capital being deployed directly into an operating industrial asset rather than through a conventional investment fund.

Building an automated manufacturing platform

Kreate plans to operate 32 new ENGEL injection-moulding machines at the facility.

The systems will be integrated with pick-and-place robotics, FANUC collaborative robots, automated material handling and packaging.

Krevera's computer-vision AI platform is expected to connect manufacturing equipment, quality systems and factory operations.

The technology is intended to identify production deviations and allow equipment to make adjustments during the manufacturing process.

The project therefore combines investment in physical manufacturing capacity with technology intended to improve the productivity of that capacity.

Existing infrastructure provides a head start

The Tiffin site already offers electrical capacity, rail access, warehousing and industrial infrastructure.

An integrated rail spur capable of holding 25 railcars will support the movement of raw materials.

The facility will also include tool-and-die maintenance and repair on site.

Approximately 120 jobs are expected across skilled trades, engineering, manufacturing, robotics, automation, maintenance and logistics.

Permanent capital in the real economy

Nickolas Asset Management describes itself as an evergreen, operator-led family office built around permanent capital and long-term ownership.

That structure can be well suited to industrial investment.

Manufacturing assets often require substantial upfront capital, operational expertise and patience before investment in technology and processes produces its full effect.

Unlike a fixed-life fund, permanent family capital can potentially hold assets without an externally imposed exit timetable.

That does not remove investment risk, but it can create greater alignment between ownership duration and long-term operating strategy.

A different form of family-office diversification

Family-office investment discussions often concentrate on private equity funds, venture capital, property and public markets.

Direct ownership of productive industrial capacity represents another route.

It can provide exposure to manufacturing demand, infrastructure, technology adoption and the broader reshaping of supply chains.

The $100 million Tiffin project therefore illustrates a wider role for family capital: not simply allocating to financial assets, but directly financing the modernization of operating businesses and physical infrastructure.