The Whiskey Project Group (TWPG) has officially opened a 60,000-sq.-ft. manufacturing facility in Edenton, N.C., establishing a U.S. production and sustainment hub for the Australian-founded boatbuilder.
Located on a 50-acre waterfront site, the facility will support aluminum and composite vessel construction, in-house design and engineering, repair, maintenance, and long-term sustainment. It will serve customers across the Americas and Europe and support TWPG’s Whiskey, NAiAD, and VYCOR vessel lines.
TWPG said it plans to invest approximately $10 million in establishing and developing its U.S. operations. North Carolina officials said the Edenton operation will initially create 30 jobs in advanced manufacturing, engineering, technical services, vessel repair, and maintenance, while the company expects employment to grow to more than 200 as operations expand.
“The United States is central to our future, and we’re backing that commitment by investing in local manufacturing, skilled jobs and the capability to build and sustain advanced watercraft here in North Carolina,” said Darren Schuback, founder and CEO of TWPG.
The Edenton facility includes secure space suitable for military programs and scalable production capacity. TWPG said it plans to progressively expand the operation and manufacture larger vessels there as its U.S. business grows.
The company already has defense work supporting the new manufacturing operation. TWPG has secured a $36 million contract for the delivery of Multi-Mission Reconnaissance Craft, with deliveries scheduled through September 2029. The next Whiskey vessels under the program will be manufactured in Edenton, with engineering, design, and program support continuing from Australia.
TWPG has also been selected as one of eight manufacturers for the U.S. Navy’s decade-long program covering as many as 474 composite rigid-hulled inflatable boats. The program has a potential value of up to $650 million across all participating manufacturers if all options are exercised.
The Edenton facility will produce TWPG’s Whiskey tactical and multi-mission craft, NAiAD rigid-hulled inflatable boats, and VYCOR utility vessels for defense, government, commercial, and other customers.
The facility also forms part of what TWPG calls a dual-hub manufacturing model linking Edenton with its established design, engineering, manufacturing, and sustainment operations in Yamba and Newcastle, Australia, and Picton, New Zealand. The company said the arrangement will increase production capacity while allowing vessels to be built, maintained, and supported closer to U.S. customers.
TWPG was founded in 2019 by former Royal Australian Navy clearance divers and now employs more than 90 people across the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein and U.S. Rep. Don Davis were among the government and industry representatives who attended the Oct. 20 opening in Edenton.
