Last week, manufacturers such as Blue Origin, Cleveland-Cliffs and others announced investments in facilities or advanced their expansions to meet the growing demand for their products.
Here are some of the major updates happening in the industry.
Blue origin
Blue Origin, maker of rocket engines, spacecraft and satellite systems, will invest more than 550 million dollars to establish a manufacturing campus in Hutto, Texas, Gov. Greg Abbot announced Thursday.
The 1.3 million square foot site, dubbed Park of the constellationswill be the central production facility for Blue Origin’s satellite and communications programs, according to a press release. More than 2,000 jobs are expected to be created.
Texas approved an $18.2 million deal-closing grant for the project, as well as a $10,000 incentive tied to hiring veterans.
Constellation Park will support the manufacturing of TeraWave and Quartz communications networks, as well as solar arrays, avionics, telecommunications and other satellite hardware, according to the release.
No construction schedule was disclosed.
Cleveland-Cliffs
Steel producer Cleveland-Cliffs updated U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Tuesday on the progress of a $200 million expansion at its Butler Works facility in Lyndora, Pennsylvania, which was partially funded by the Department of Energy.
The project, originally approved under the Biden administration in 2024, survived a review by the Trump administration earlier this year, the Pittsburgh Business Times reported in April. The project is on track to be ready in early 2028.
The expansion will increase grain-oriented electrical steel production volume by up to 25% and support growing demand for transformers as companies invest in power generation, grid upgrades and electrical infrastructure projects, according to a press release.
Cleveland-Cliffs plans to install new induction reheating furnaces and other infrastructure to improve production quality, reduce steel slab losses and reduce emissions from the hot rolling process.
The steel mill employs 1,200 union-backed workers at the facility, according to a statement. The DOE approved a $75 million grant for the expansion.
As part of the visit, Cleveland-Cliffs highlighted Butler as the only producer of grain-oriented electrical steel in the United States and its role in supporting the nation’s power grid. In addition to Wright, Assistant Secretary of Energy Audrey Robertson and Assistant Secretary of Commerce William Kimmitt attended.
PPG
PPG, a maker of paints, coatings and other products, said it will invest 70 million dollars to expand its aerospace transparencies operations in Huntsville, Alabama.
The expansion is part of a series of multi-year projects supporting the company’s efforts to increase production of aircraft cabin windows and passenger windows for the commercial, military and general aviation industries.
“This expansion increases our operational efficiency, provides room for future equipment investments and reinforces our long-term commitment to serve customers and invest in Huntsville,” Francois Buehlmann, PPG’s general manager of transparency and aviation, said in a statement Wednesday.
As part of the expansion, PPG plans to lease and equip a new 112,000-square-foot facility with production support functions, which will allow for additional manufacturing space at its existing aerospace transparencies facility.
It has operated in Huntsville for more than 55 years, according to the company. Details on job creation and incentives were not disclosed.
Accu-Precision
Accu-Precision, a maker of aerospace parts, sheet metal and assemblies, will invest over $68 million to build a manufacturing facility in Colorado Springs, Colo., Gov. Jared Polis and the state’s business and economic development group announced Tuesday.
The 110,000-square-foot facility will be built in three phases and cost more than $45 million, according to a news release. Up to 133 jobs are expected to be created, including technician, operator, engineer and supervisor roles.
Accu-Precision said it moved forward with the project to support new contracts from an undisclosed aerospace customer. The Littleton, Colo.-based company has 70 employees, all of whom live in the state.
The Colorado Economic Development Commission approved a job creation tax credit valued at $1.7 million over eight years. The project is also expected to qualify for El Paso County’s 1.23 percent sales tax exemption and the use of certain manufacturing machinery, according to the release.
Xingyu
China-based Xingyu Automotive Lighting Systems plans to invest $50 million to establish its first U.S. manufacturing facility in Landis, North Carolina, according to a recent Facebook post. Rowan Economic Development Council.
The site, once completed, will produce plastic injection molding for headlight and taillight components used by automakers. said the council. The project, located in the Landis Ridge Industrial Park, is expected to create 300 to 500 jobs over the next several years.
No incentives or square footage details were disclosed.
Re: Build
Precision manufacturer Re:Build will invest 20 million dollars to build an advanced facility in Rock Hill, South Carolina, tripling its production footprint in the area, the company said Tuesday.
The 130,000-square-foot facility, once completed, will increase Re:Build’s capacity and product mix to meet growing demand in the aerospace, defense, energy, robotics and other industries, according to a news release. It is expected to create 150 jobs by 2028.
Re: Build plans to equip the facility with a clean room for precision compound manufacturing, additional cold storage, and an enhanced quality lab. It also plans to add a vertical machine mill, a heat treatment furnace for heat processing and an expanded paint booth.
“By investing in these capabilities, we provide our customers with the capability, speed and consistency they need to move complex programs from development to production at full pace at an unmatched scale,” Miles Arnone, co-founder and CEO of Re:Build, said in a statement.
The South Carolina Department of Commerce approved a $100,000 grant for the project.
