A Taiwan-based toothbrush manufacturer will build its first U.S. plant in Gallatin, investing $20.2 million and starting with 50 jobs. Production at the 90,000-square-foot facility is expected to begin in 2027, according to Main Street Media of Tennessee.
The numbers behind the announcement put it in context. Acumen already runs automated toothbrush lines in Taiwan, China and Vietnam with an annual capacity of 500 million toothbrushes. The Gallatin plant adds a North American base to that footprint, serving the United States and export markets across North, Central and South America. The company, founded in Taiwan in 1976 and marking its 50th anniversary this year, designs its own production equipment and molds and works as an OEM/ODM partner to international oral care brands. This connects to our earlier piece, Dallas Fed surveys put local pressures on the record.
The site itself is a reuse, not a greenfield. Acumen acquired the former Salga Plastics facility at 241 ABC Boulevard and will upgrade it for plastic injection molding, the process that shapes melted plastic into finished parts. The company plans to add hundreds more jobs as operations grow, on top of the initial 50.
How the deal traces back to a recruiting trip
The announcement on Nov. 12, 2026, came from Gov. Bill Lee, Deputy Gov. and Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter, and Acumen officials. The state ties the deal directly to an international recruiting trip to Asia in October 2025.
"Today's announcement proves that foreign direct investment, and the emphasis we put on our international recruiting trips, play a crucial role in the success we have experienced in attracting companies across the globe," McWhorter said, per the report.
Acumen's chairman, David Huang, confirmed the same pipeline from the company's side. He said meetings with the Tennessee team in Taiwan gave the company "a clear understanding of, and strong confidence in, Tennessee's outstanding investment environment, which accelerated our decision to invest in Tennessee." For related coverage, see A strong dollar squeezes small exporters.
The claim sits inside a larger pattern the state cites: nine Taiwanese companies already employ more than 1,100 Tennesseans and have invested nearly $160 million in the state. The Gallatin project adds $20.2 million to that running total once completed.
What the investment buys per job and per square foot
The raw ratios are worth stating plainly. A $20.2 million investment across 50 initial jobs works out to roughly $404,000 per starting position, before any later hiring. Across 90,000 square feet, the capital spend is about $224 per square foot. Those are arithmetic on the announced figures, not official projections, and the job count is a floor: the company says it plans to add hundreds more as operations grow.
According to the report, Acumen operates highly automated toothbrush production lines in Taiwan, China and Vietnam, and the company designs its own production equipment and molds. The report does not offer an explanation for the relationship between the announced investment figure and the initial job count.
Why a toothbrush plant matters beyond toothbrushes
According to Main Street Media of Tennessee, Acumen's existing toothbrush production lines are located in Taiwan, China and Vietnam. Acumen's stated goal for the new site is blunt: Huang said the company wants to make the Tennessee plant "the world's largest and most important manufacturing center for toothbrushes and oral care products," supplying American consumers and Western Hemisphere export markets from one location.
Gallatin's economic development agency, which recruited the project, framed the win in local terms. "Acumen's decision to establish its first U.S. manufacturing facility in Gallatin is a strong endorsement of our community and the advantages we offer global manufacturers," said Rosemary Bates, the agency's executive director.
Mayor Paige Brown made the same point from the city's side, noting Acumen "had many locations to consider for its first facility in North America." Sumner County Mayor John Isbell added that the company's arrival opens a chance to collaborate with local schools on skills training.
What the announcement does not yet show
Three things remain open. The report gives no timeline for the "hundreds more" jobs beyond the initial 50. It does not state what incentives, if any, the state or local governments attached to the deal. And the 2027 production start is an expectation, not a completed build. Site improvements at the former Salga Plastics facility are still ahead.
The near-term test is simple: whether the 50 jobs and the 2027 start date hold, and whether the "hundreds more" materialize as operations scale.
