Taiwan-based electronics manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Technologies (Foxconn) closed the purchase of a new seven-story office building in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, it said will serve as its first North American headquarters.

The move comes nearly a year after Foxconn announced plans to spend $10 billion over the course of four years on construction of a massive manufacturing facility in the state. At the time, the governor of Wisconsin announced the plant would be the only LCD production facility not located in Asia.

Foxconn told Associated Press more than 500 people will work in the office, which is located 30 miles north of the site of the new factory. The office will also house an innovation centre where engineers will be able to develop new uses for the company’s display technology.

When plans to purchase the building were announced in February, Louis Woo, special assistant to Foxconn CEO Terry Gou, said in a statement the deal would “create significant high-value job opportunities and an extensive supply chain supporting our project in Wisconsin.” He added the innovation centre housed in the office would “play an instrumental role in our commitment to create a vibrant 8K and 5G ecosystem in the United States”.

Separately, the company launched a new international exchange programme with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to introduce engineering students to LCD fabrication technologies and processes.

Foxconn said the programme could eventually be expanded to other universities in the state and across the midwest.