Above: Congressman John Carter and Georgetown Mayor Josh Schroeder joined community leaders and GAF Energy leadership to celebrate the groundbreaking of the company’s new Timberline Solar™ Manufacturing Facility in Georgetown Texas. Once complete, it will be the largest solar roof manufacturing facility in the world (Photo courtesy of PR Newswire).
It might be the dog days of summer, but U.S. manufacturers have been hard at work, with multiple new plants swinging into operation. Spanning multiple states, representing millions in investments and thousands of jobs, August’s new plant announcements ran the gambit of industries, from EV chargers in Tennessee to biopharmaceutical tubing in South Carolina and tools in Wisconsin.
Let’s explore some of the most exciting new manufacturing companies announced in August 2022.
First up, it was a good month for the city of Lebanon, Tennessee, with two companies opening new plants in August. Thermo-Fisher Scientific officially opened its largest single-use technology manufacturing facility in Lebanon, just outside of Nashville. The new site represents a $105 million investment and encompasses 400,000 square-feet. In response to growing demand, Thermo-Fisher will be processing materials used in developing vaccines and breakthrough therapies, representing the company’s multi-year investment to expand its bioprocessing capabilities.
“Customers depend on our best-in-class technologies, services and expertise. This continued investment in bioprocessing manufacturing allows us to better serve them in delivering greater supply through scalable solutions,” said Daniella Cramp, senior vice president and president, bioproduction, Thermo Fisher Scientific. “As the largest single-use manufacturing site in Thermo Fisher’s network and one of the largest in the world, the Lebanon facility near Nashville enables customers to bring medicines to patients faster than ever before.”
Thermo-Fisher currently employs 300 workers in Lebanon and the new manufacturing facility will add another 1,400 jobs.
Also in Lebanon, Tritium DCFC opened its first U.S.-based EV fast charger manufacturing facility. Employing more than 500 over the next five years, the new facility will produce Tritium’s RTM and PKM150 fast chargers, which are advanced DC chargers used in the electric vehicle industry.
“The opening of our Tennessee factory is an important milestone for Tritium, for Tennessee and most importantly, for American drivers. As many as 35 million electric vehicles are expected to be in use by 2030 and those vehicles will require more powerful and convenient charging infrastructure,” said Tritium CEO Jane Hunter.
And the state of Tennessee received even more welcome news in August when nuclear fuel producer Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC) announced plans to establish a new manufacturing facility in Oak Ridge. Representing an investment of $17 million, the new plant will create 31 jobs over the next five years. Based in Seattle, USNC is a producer of micro reactors and nuclear power technologies.
“Our proximity to key players in the nuclear energy complex, as well as the exceptionally skilled workforce in the area, are important contributing factors in the success of our Pilot Fuel Manufacturing facility,” said Executive Vice President of the Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation Core Division Kurt Terrani
Milwaukee Tool opened a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility to much fanfare this month in West Bend, Wisconsin. Located near the company’s Brookfield, WI headquarters, the new West Bend facility encompasses 95,000 square feet and represents an investment of $55 million. Employing 150, the West Bend site will produce new, innovative hand tools for the electrical, power utility, plumbing and mechanical trades, including cutting pliers and screwdriver.
"This state-of-the-art facility, and the people who work here, will play a critical role in delivering the next wave of hand tool innovation to the industry," said Tim Albrecht, President of Hand Tools, Storage & PPE for Milwaukee Tool. "Wisconsin has been our company's home for nearly 100 years – we're thrilled to continue our growth here where we've been able to recruit some of the best talent in the country."
Meanwhile, in Ohio, OTC Industrial Technologies celebrated the opening of a new manufacturing facility outside of Cincinnati. The new site, built in response to heightened demand for OTC’s DIRECTAIR and CRS compressed air product line, represents the company’s second expansion in a year and will increase the company’s capacity by 200%.
“This new location will allow OTC to serve our customers with compressed air needs. Both DIRECTAIR and CRS product offerings are in high demand as they provide significant value to our customers,” said Adam Gibbs, President of Air Supply at OTC. “I am excited to open this new facility as it will allow us to further help our customers find success.”
DuPont celebrated the grand opening of its new manufacturing facility at its Cooper River site in South Carolina. Marking a key milestone in the company’s healthcare growth strategy, the new site will expand capacity for biopharmaceutical tubing extrusion. The new operation currently employs 25 and expects to add another 25 once fully operational by mid-2024.
“We’re committed to investing in our healthcare business, and this biopharma processing manufacturing investment at Cooper River is a key milestone in our growth strategy that will help us offer a highly reliable and sustainable product supply,” said DuPont Healthcare & Specialty Lubricants Global Business Director Eugenio Toccalino.
Meanwhile, cold-formed steel provider FORGE, officially opened its new manufacturing facility in Norcross, Georgia. A one-stop provider of cold-formed (CFS) prefabrication, FORGE will offer a range of CFS products, all fabricated and assembled at the facility.
"Our goal is to drastically change traditional building methods in the construction industry. We're not just manufacturing CFS panels and structures, FORGE is offering our clients end-to-end solutions all under one roof," said Ricky Wimberly, Co-Founder/Owner. "As a turn-key prefabrication firm, we offer everything from design and engineering services to metal stud manufacturing, StoPanels ® , load-bearing structures, logistics, and installation.”
In New Mexico, BlueHalo, announced a major expansion of its operations in Albuquerque, moving into an 83,000 square-foot state-of-the-art facility and hiring 70. The expansion will bring BlueHalo’s New Mexico footprint to roughly 163,000 square feet and will foster the continued development of the company’s advanced radio frequency systems, space-qualified electronics and systems and other electronic products.
This month, we saw two major announcements for the state of Texas. GAF Energy broke ground on a new solar roofing manufacturing facility in Georgetown. The new 450,000 square-foot facility will be the largest solar roof manufacturing plant, and will remain the only roofing system provide to integrate solar technology directly into traditional roofing processes. Read the full story here.
Meanwhile, PPG announced plans to expand adhesives and sealants production at its existing site in Temple, representing an investment of $9 million and the creation of 12 jobs.
And earlier in the month, advanced packaging provider Max Solutions officially opened its first manufacturing facility in Bristol, Pennsylvania. The new site encompasses 100,000 square feet and will produce the company’s line of folding cartons and labels. Bristol plans to open a second site in Concord, North Carolina, this year.
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