KOB 4 got an exclusive look inside a new wind turbine factory in Belen Friday.

“And this company is a great example, we’re now poised to be the leader in the wind industry but a few years ago, they were laying off workers because we weren’t investing in them,” President Joe Biden said while visiting the Arcosa Wind Tower factory last August.

Back then, it was a long way off from up and running, but the factory celebrated a huge milestone Friday.

U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm made the trip from D.C. to see all the work being done for herself.

 “I mean, really New Mexico, you’ve got – I would say – a comparative advantage, because you’ve got lots of wind, you have lots of sun, and now you’ve got these incredible companies that are expanding here,” she said.

Granholm said the milestone marks a shift toward the return of domestic manufacturing.

“I’m a former governor of Michigan. and when I was governor, we just watched all of these factories overseas. and every governor was saying how do I keep these factories here when our economic competitors had industrial strategies that lured those factories overseas,” she said.

KOB 4 was able to walk through and see just how these massive towers are made. We also got a look at the on-site welding school where people “learn as they earn.”

Originally, Biden said the factory would bring 250 well-paying jobs to Belen.

Currently, the CEO said about 125 people are directly employed and there are plans to reach 200 total in the next six months.

He adds the factory is operating at about 60% capacity.