Flex Leases 152K SF Building In North Austin Suburb

One of the world’s largest contract manufacturers has expanded its Austin-area operation.

Flex has leased the entire 152,000-square-foot Building 1 in the four-building Settlers Grove industrial park, at 2200 Chisholm Trail, in Round Rock, the Austin Business Journal reported.

The deal brings Flex’s Austin-area footprint to more than 1.3 million square feet. Its headquarters is at 12455 Research Boulevard in North Austin, where it occupies about 860,000 square feet across several buildings. Flex leases another 47,000 square feet at 12501 Research Boulevard, 144,000 square feet at Springbrook Corporate Center in Pflugerville and 117,000 square feet at Prologis Metric Center in North Austin.

Settlers Grove, a $38 million development spanning 631,000 square feet, was spearheaded by Link Logistics Real Estate LLC. The complex, just north of Austin, is 56 percent pre-leased, according to CoStar data.

Flex, founded in Silicon Valley in 1969 and co-headquartered in Singapore, operates across 30 countries and various industries, including automotive, healthcare and consumer electronics. Despite its extensive reach, Flex keeps its client roster confidential, although sources suggest it’s involved with Apple’s Austin operations.

With its increasing presence in Round Rock, Flex adds a prominent name to the city’s industrial landscape, highlighting the region’s attractiveness for major corporations. Currently ranking sixth among Austin’s largest manufacturers, Flex employs over 3,000 individuals locally, according to recent data from the Austin Business Journal.

The arrival of Flex sheds light on the burgeoning industrial scene in the northern suburbs. Mississippi-based EastGroup Properties is developing a $10 million warehouse spec complex in Round Rock, and it recently filed plans to build a 600,000-square-foot industrial facility in nearby Leander.

Leander City Council also recently greenlit Albuquerque-based Titan Development’s $84 million proposal to build up to 1.3 million square feet of industrial space on 115 acres.

—Quinn Donoghue