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According to IndustryNet’s roundup of major economic indicators for manufacturers in February, the latest trade data shows imports surged at the tail end of 2025, with a significant portion tied to data center infrastructure. In February, we are beginning to see the domestic response to that spike. Manufacturers across the country announced new plants, capacity expansions, and equipment upgrades that reflect growing demand for advanced infrastructure and connectivity, including facilities tied to high-performance computing, networking products, and expanded domestic hardware production.
February also brought major investments across diverse segments, including aerospace, defense, pharmaceuticals, solar module processing, aluminum smelting, and more. Spanning mutiple states and representing billions in investment, today, we’re exploring the latest new plants and expansions announced in the U.S. in February 2062.
Echodyne announced a 40 million dollar investment in a new 86,350 square foot manufacturing facility in Washington state to expand production capacity for its radar product lines. The company said the site will provide enough manufacturing and warehouse space to produce and ship more than 30,000 radars per year across product lines and is expected to support more than 200 employees at full capacity.
Said Eben Frankenberg, the CEO of EchodyneThe extraordinary performance of MESA radar stands in marked contrast to the purposeful simplicity of its design, making high-fidelity radar broadly accessible for defense and civilian safety and security applications.
Swarm Aero announced the opening of its Advanced Manufacturing Center at an 80,000 square foot facility in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The company said the site will accelerate development and deployment of its large uncrewed aerial vehicle platform and enable production of thousands of UAVs. Swarm Aero stated the Arkansas operations are expected to create hundreds of high skill aerospace jobs over the next decade.
Said Danny Goodman, CEO and Co-Founder, Swarm Aero. “Large UAVs are the future of armed conflict. When paired with our swarm command and control software, they can achieve major combat objectives by cooperating with superhuman dexterity while being several times cheaper than traditional aircraft.”
Prometheus Energetics announced a groundbreaking for a new solid rocket motor and energetics manufacturing campus in Indiana. Kratos and RAFAEL have jointly committed up to 175 million dollars in capital for the campus, including property, plant, equipment, workforce development, and technology transfer. Production is projected to begin in 2027 following construction and certification of manufacturing processes.
Said Dan Merenda, Chief Operating Officer of Prometheus Energetics. "[This] marks the moment when a known vulnerability in America's solid rocket motor supply chain begins to be closed. Prometheus was created to operate at production scale, delivering trusted, domestically produced energetics systems to meet urgent and long-term U.S. and allied defense needs.”
Pratt and Whitney announced a 200 million dollar investment to expand the capabilities and footprint of its Columbus, Georgia operations supporting commercial and military engine programs. The investment includes adding a seventh isothermal forging press at its Columbus Forge facility. The announcement also referenced a prior 81,000 square foot GTF MRO expansion that increased annual capacity by more than 25 percent.
Pratt & Whitney President Shane Eddy stated, "Since 2008, we have invested more than $1 billion to continue expanding the footprint and capabilities of our Columbus facility.”
Applied Optoelectronics held a groundbreaking for a new 210,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Sugar Land, Texas. The company committed to creating 500 local jobs related to automated production lines and said it plans to increase its investment in the facility and headquarters from 150 million dollars to potentially 300 million dollars.
“The commencement of construction on our new manufacturing facility in Sugar Land marks an important milestone for AOI,” stated Dr. Thompson Lin, AOI’s Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer. “We plan to increase our investment in this facility and our headquarters from $150 million to potentially $300 million by the end of next year
Apple announced an expansion of its Houston manufacturing operations, including bringing future production of Mac mini to the United States for the first time. The company said the Houston campus footprint will double and that it will open a 20,000 square foot Advanced Manufacturing Center later this year. The expanded operations are expected to create thousands of jobs.
Apple CEO Tim Cook commented, “Apple is deeply committed to the future of American manufacturing, and we’re proud to significantly expand our footprint in Houston with the production of Mac mini starting later this year.”
DCL America completed a second expansion of its Houston manufacturing footprint, bringing total space to approximately 60,000 square feet. The company manufactures emissions control systems, including catalytic silencers and advanced catalyst components, for applications such as gas compression and power generation tied to growing data center demand.
“Demand across our core markets continues to accelerate,” said General Manager of DCL America, Christopher Morein.
TERREPOWER announced an expansion of solar module processing at its 200,000 square foot facility in Sparta, Tennessee. The company said approximately 95,000 solar panels totaling 50 megawatts will be produced using its sustainable manufacturing process. The site has capacity to produce 300,000 solar modules per year and can scale to more than one million panels annually.
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AbbVie announced a 380 million dollar investment to build two new active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturing facilities at its North Chicago campus. The company said the facilities will integrate advanced manufacturing technologies and artificial intelligence to support next generation neuroscience and obesity medications.
"This is our largest opportunity to date and a tremendous success story," remarked Alexandra Harrison, president of TERREPOWER's Industrial Strategic Business Unit. "It highlights how we responsibly restore solar modules through sustainable manufacturing, and the value we deliver to developers, operators and end users."
Johnson and Johnson announced a more than 1 billion dollar investment in a next generation cell therapy manufacturing facility in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The project is expected to create more than 4,000 construction jobs and support more than 500 biomanufacturing jobs when fully operational.
Said Joaquin Duato, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Johnson & Johnson, “For 140 years, Johnson & Johnson has been a leading innovator in American healthcare, and we are honored to continue advancing that legacy in Pennsylvania.”
Tiny Cargo announced the opening of a new 1.5 million dollar manufacturing facility in Roanoke, Virginia. The site includes more than 2,000 square feet of specialized clean room space and will create six new high paying jobs across research and development, clean room manufacturing, and regulatory operations.
Said Joe Benevento, President and CEO of VIPC, "Tiny Cargo Company's grand opening of a new scale-up advanced manufacturing facility in Roanoke is a testament to both the opportunity and impact that can come to life in local communities when you combine talent and capital to unlock innovation, commercialization, and entrepreneurship."
Novartis announced plans to build a new radioligand therapy manufacturing site in Denton, Texas. Construction is scheduled to begin this year, with the site expected to become fully operational in 2028. The facility is expected to create jobs in bioengineering, advanced manufacturing, quality, and operations.
Source: Vas Narasimhan, CEO of Novartis stated, “RLT has the potential to revolutionize cancer care. The addition of our fifth RLT manufacturing site in the US strengthens our ability to meet growing demand, building the capabilities needed to deliver these next-generation treatments with the speed and precision they require.”
Filter King announced the opening of a new 44,000 square foot manufacturing and distribution facility in Dallas, Texas. The site expands production and logistics capacity for HVAC and furnace air filtration products, enabling 24 hour shipping to customers across Texas and surrounding states.
“This is a major step toward our next-day delivery goal. With our new footprint, we can now reach approximately 85% of the U.S. population with next-day service,” stated Rick Hoskins, Filter King Founder and CEO.
World Emblem announced the opening of a new 72,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Houston, Texas. The company said the factory will initially produce up to 500,000 emblems and patches per week and began operations with more than 150 employees, including 50 jobs reshored from Asia.
Randy Carr, CEO of World Emblem stated, "We are committed to continue growing our U.S. manufacturing base and reshoring more jobs to the U.S., which will help us further reduce tariff costs and improve supply chain efficiency in the face of rising geopolitical, trade, and economic disruptions.”
Smithfield Foods announced plans for a new state of the art processing facility in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, subject to permitting and regulatory approvals. The new facility will replace its existing plant and continue supporting thousands of jobs tied to agriculture and food production.
This highly automated facility will represent a major investment in Sioux Falls, the state of South Dakota and the future of American agriculture,” stated Shane Smith, president and CEO of Smithfield Foods.
Command Alkon announced the opening of its new corporate headquarters and Center of Hardware Excellence in Hilliard, Ohio. The facility serves as a hub for innovation, collaboration, and hardware development supporting customers across North America and globally.
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