August 2023 was a busy month for new manufacturing plant announcements, with several industry giants revealing major projects across the U.S. The projects spanned various sectors, such as solar, biotech, aerospace, and transportation, encompassing billions in investments and creating thousands of jobs. Here are some of the highlights of the new manufacturing operations announced in August 2023.
• Maxeon Solar Technologies, a global solar company, will invest $1 billion to build its first U.S. factory in Albuquerque, New Mexico1. The factory will make advanced solar cells and panels for both utility and rooftop solar markets in the U.S. The factory will be one of the largest in the U.S. with a planned capacity of three gigawatts, which could be increased to 4.5 gigawatts later. The factory will create up to 1,800 jobs and produce millions of solar panels each year.
• First Solar, a leading U.S.-based energy technology company, will build its fifth American manufacturing facility at the Acadiana Regional Airport in Iberia Parish, Louisiana. The facility will make high-performance photovoltaic (PV) solar modules that are carbon-negative and use 100% U.S.-made components. The project will create more than 700 direct jobs with a total annual payroll of at least $40 million.
• PV Hardware (PVH), a Spanish solar tracker manufacturer with a global market share of nearly 10%, will establish its own factory in Texas, scheduled for operation by July 2023. This will be North America’s sole solar tracker owned facility, distinguishing PVH from competitors that often rely on sourcing agreements. By designing and producing their own products, PVH ensures adaptability to client needs and swift integration of solar advancements, fostering a new level of innovation.
• Nextracker, a leading provider of solar trackers and software solutions, and Asteelflash/USI, a global electronics component manufacturer, have launched a dedicated U.S. manufacturing line for Nextracker’s self-powered controller (SPC) and high voltage power supply. The line is located in a 197,000 square foot facility in Fremont, CA, and represents a multi-million-dollar joint investment in this first phase, creating new jobs and boosting local economic growth.
• Lingrove, a start-up that makes eco-friendly composite materials, has announced the opening of a new green manufacturing plant in San Rafael, California. The plant will produce ekoa®, a carbon-negative, clean-air, and high-performance product that can replace wood, plastics, and metals in interior applications. The plant will also create new jobs and double the company’s team size.
• ICL, a global specialty minerals company, has started the construction of a $400 million battery materials manufacturing plant in St. Louis, Missouri. The plant will produce lithium iron phosphate (LFP), a key component for energy storage and electric vehicle batteries. The plant is expected to create more than 150 jobs and be operational by 202512.
• Enzene Biosciences, a biotech company from India, will open its first U.S. facility on the Princeton West Innovation Campus in Hopewell, New Jersey. The plant will produce biosimilars, novel biologics, synthetic peptides, and phytopharmaceuticals for global pharmaceutical companies. The company will invest $400 million and create 300 jobs in the state.
• Wabash National Corporation (Wabash), a global leader in connected solutions for the transportation, logistics and distribution industries, held a ribbon cutting event today for its new dry van trailer manufacturing facility in Lafayette, Indiana. The facility features advanced manufacturing technology that improves the worker experience and the production process. The facility can produce an additional 10,000 dry van trailers annually, doubling the company’s capacity and efficiency.
• BioVeritas Corporation (BioVeritas), a company that produces clean label mold inhibitors from cultured microorganisms, has inaugurated a new production and packaging facility in Bryan, Texas. The facility will make food-grade customer samples of its products, which can replace petrochemicals in baked foods and animal feed. The facility covers 4,200 square feet and is an addition to BioVeritas’ market demonstration unit.
• Zilmet USA Corporation (Zilmet USA), a global expansion tank and heat exchanger manufacturer, will establish its first U.S. manufacturing operation in Georgetown County. The company’s $32.7 million investment will create approximately 50 new jobs.
• Northrop Grumman Corporation (Northrop Grumman), a global aerospace and defense technology company, has launched a Hypersonics Capability Center (HCC) in Elkton, Maryland. The HCC will make advanced propulsion solutions that can power hypersonic missiles beyond Mach 5. The HCC is the first U.S. facility designed specifically for large-scale manufacturing of air-breathing propulsion, which includes ramjet and scramjet propulsion.
• Siemens Mobility Corporation (Siemens Mobility), a leading provider of transportation and logistics solutions, has started the construction of a $220 million train manufacturing facility in Lexington, North Carolina. The facility will produce passenger coaches, locomotives and light rail vehicles for the U.S. market. The facility will create more than 500 new jobs and be operational by 2024.
• Lockheed Martin Corporation (Lockheed Martin), a global security and aerospace company, has opened a new facility that streamlines small satellite processing to enable high-rate delivery. The facility, located on the company’s Waterton campus, will house the company’s Space Development Agency (SDA) Tranche 1 Transport Layer satellites, among other smallsat programs and technology demonstrators. The facility features six scalable parallel assembly lines and is configurable to host different classifications of missions concurrently. The facility covers 20,000 square feet and can produce more than 180 satellites per year.
These are some of the most exciting new manufacturing operations announced in August 2023, representing the growth and innovation of the U.S. manufacturing sector. For more information on these and other industrial companies, you can visit IndustrySelect, a database that provides live access to data on 460,000 industrial companies and one million executives. IndustrySelect gives you up to 30 data points to help you identify and pre-qualify the best leads for your business. Click here to learn more or start your free demo account, loaded with 800 free sample profiles to get you started!
Source: https://www.industryselect.com/blog/new-us-manufacturing-plants-august-2023