FRANKFORT, Ky.—ABB Optical Group is planning to build a new distribution center and optical laboratory here that will serve as its major hub for U.S. business. The company will invest as much as $27 million in the project, which is expected to create up to 223 full-time jobs, according to Kentucky state officials.

“I am pleased to welcome ABB Optical Group to Kentucky,” Governor Matt Bevin said in a statement released by his office. “The company has recognized the many advantages of locating in Kentucky, particularly in regard to logistics and an ability to better serve customers across the United States,” Gov. Bevin said. “ABB will be a great fit for the Northern Kentucky work force, and I look forward to following the company’s growth in the commonwealth.”

ABB plans to lease approximately 115,000 square feet of space in Florence, Ky. to expand its capacity and better serve customers across the U.S. The distribution center and Digital Eye Lab will serve as a major hub for the company’s entire U.S. distribution and lab footprint.

“To better serve our customers, we are expanding our footprint in the central part of the United States,” ABB Optical Group president Brad Weinbrum said in the statement. “We appreciate the efforts of the state of Kentucky and the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development to get us to this point. We look forward to growing our business, creating more jobs and supporting the local community for many years to come.”

The exact facility location and construction timeline have not been released, an ABB spokesperson told VMail.

Founded in 1989, ABB employs nearly 1,500 people across the U.S. and has five distribution centers located in New York, Massachusetts, Florida, Ohio and California. The company supplies nearly two-thirds of eyecare professionals across the country with brand name contact lenses, ophthalmic lenses, eyewear fabrication and more. Its revenue reached $1.2 billion in 2016.

Digital Eye Lab was ranked second in Vision Monday’s 2017 Top Labs Report, with estimated net sales of $60 million.