Carvana announces 200-job expansion at Plainfield site

Tempe, Arizona-based Carvana Co. plans to expand its operations in Plainfield and add an estimated 200 jobs to its local workforce, the company announced Tuesday morning.

The online used-car retailer has operated the Plainfield site since 2022, when it acquired Carmel-based Openlane’s physical auto auction business, ADESA, for $2.2 billion. That acquisition included 56 ADESA sites around the United States, including the one in Plainfield.

Carvana also operates an automotive inspection and reconditioning center in Greenfield that the company opened in 2018. Workers at that site process hundreds of cars a week—doing tasks such as body repairs, repainting and other work to get newly-acquired cars reconditioned and ready for resale.

Emily Knoll, Carvana’s senior director of inventory strategy, said the ADESA auction site in Plainfield auctions off 400 to 500 cars per week for the wholesale market, but it currently performs very little inspection and repair work at the site.

However, the company plans to add inspection and repair activities in Plainfield and has already begun hiring for what it expects to eventually be 200 new employees. The company will seek a mix of entry-level workers and skilled technicians, Knoll said.

Knoll said the existing Greenfield site will continue to operate as usual and that the expansion in Plainfield will be “a net addition of capacity—pure growth.”

Between its Plainfield and Greenfield locations, Knoll said Carvana currently has “several hundred” Indianapolis area employees. She declined to disclose the exact number.

In adding inspection and repair activities to its existing ADESA auction site, Carvana is creating what it is calling a Megasite.

Carvana began rolling out its Megasite concept in August, when it announced it was adding inspection and reconditioning capabilities to its existing ADESA auction site in Kansas City, Missouri.

Plainfield is the sixth location at which Carvana has announced its plans to establish a Megasite.

Founded in 2012, Carvana reported revenue of $10.8 billion and profit of $450 million in 2023. It reported 13,700 employees as of Dec. 31, 2023. The company is set to release 2024 financial results Wednesday.