SUMNER COUNTY, Tenn. — A toothbrush company from Taiwan has chosen Middle Tennessee for its first factory in the United States, with state economic development officials announcing a $20.2 million project in Sumner County on Thursday.
Acumen plans a 90,000-square-foot plant that will open with 50 new jobs. The state says the company intends to add hundreds more positions as the operation grows, and production is slated to start in 2027.
The plant will turn out toothbrushes and other oral care goods for American shoppers. It will also ship product to customers in North, Central and South America, making the Tennessee site an export hub as well as a domestic supplier.
Acumen got its start in 1976 and marks its 50th year in 2026. It builds its own production machines and molds, and its automated lines in Taiwan, China and Vietnam can make about 500 million toothbrushes a year. Much of that work is done as a contract maker for well-known international oral care brands.
State officials tied the deal to a recruiting trip Gov. Bill Lee and Deputy Gov. Stuart C. McWhorter, who also leads the Department of Economic and Community Development, made to Asia in October 2025. Lee said in the announcement that foreign firms are drawn by the state business climate and work force, and he thanked the company for the 50 jobs.
Company chairman David Huang said in the release that Acumen wants the Tennessee plant to become its largest and most important toothbrush production center anywhere, and that meetings with the governor in Taiwan sped up the decision.
Taiwan has become a growing source of investment for the state. According to the department, nine companies from Taiwan already have more than 1,100 Tennesseans on their payrolls, and together they have spent close to $160 million on projects in the state.
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