Seagate expanding its Bloomington campus to meet global demand for data storage

To meet global demand for data management technology, Seagate Technology plans to expand its Bloomington facility to increase fabrication and manufacturing of its hardware and software products.

The Fremont, Calif.-based company has asked the city of Bloomington to approve a two-story, 81,000-square-foot addition at its Normandale location at 7801 Computer Av.

The decision to expand its Twin Cities footprint is the opposite of what Seagate proposed in June 2020 when it notified the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of plans to consolidatethe company's Bloomington and Shakopee facilities into one location.

In the SEC filing, the company said the consolidation "will provide greater collaboration opportunities and drive economies of scale."

Seagate representatives on Wednesday confirmed the company's expansion plans but declined to share more details about the reversal.

The expansion is expected to add 45 fabrication workers per shift and operate 24 hours a day, according to the city of Bloomington documents.

Construction is anticipated to begin in March and be completed in summer 2023.

Seagate plans to remove parking lots on the facility's south side to make room for the addition.

While there would be enough room inside for 401 people, Seagate is limiting occupancy to 45 people per shift because much of the facility will be filled with large unmanned mechanical equipment like chillers and air filtration units, city documents show.

Seagate, which reported revenue of $10.6 billion for its fiscal 2021, had employed just over 40,000 workers at the end of fiscal 2020. Twelve percent of the workforce was in North and South America, with the majority in Asia.