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Li-Cycle’s co-founders and the Mayor of Gilbert at the Company’s Grand Opening Event for its new Arizona lithium-ion battery facility. (Photo: Business Wire)
Following a trend we’ve seen over the past several months, May’s new manufacturing plant announcements reveal rapid growth in the electric vehicle industry, with several new EV and battery technology plants in the works. As U.S. manufacturers continue to grapple with shortages of critical materials, more companies are stepping up to the plate across numerous industries, shortening the supply chain and investing billions in U.S. manufacturing.
Let’s explore some of the most exciting new manufacturing companies announced in May 2022.
Another big announcement in the EV industry rolled out of Georgia this month when Hyundai Motor Group announced plans to establish a massive $5.54 billion electric vehicle and battery manufacturing facility in Bryan County, Georgia. The new, state-of-the-art smart factory will bring 8,100 jobs to the region and will have an annual capacity of 300,000 units.
“We decided to build our first dedicated EV plant in the U.S. because America embraces change and drives innovation,” said Jaehoon (Jay) Chang, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company. “This new EV plant is the future of our business, and it will help us meet the growing demands of our U.S. customers who want leading edge design, safe, zero-emissions vehicles now and in the future.”
Hyundai expects to begin construction on the plan in 2023, with full production anticipated in the first half of 2025.
In more EV battery news, Stellantis and Samsung SDI announced a joint venture to establish a lithium-ion battery production plant in Kokomo, Indiana. With plans to begin production in 2025, the $2.5 billion facility will supply battery modules for vehicles produced at Stellantis’ assembly plants across North America. Samsung SDI will be applying its PRiMX technology for the production of battery cells at the Indiana plant.
“Just under one year ago, we committed to an aggressive electrification strategy anchored by five gigafactories between Europe and North America,” said Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis. “Today’s announcement further solidifies our global battery production footprint and demonstrates Stellantis’ drive toward a decarbonized future outlined in Dare Forward 2030.
The new venture is expected to create 1,400 new jobs in Kokomo and the surrounding area.
Meanwhile in Arizona, Li-Cycle Corp, a major lithium-ion battery recycler, broke ground on its new battery recycling facility in Gilbert, The new 140,000 square-foot facility is the first of its kind, using a proprietary technology to process full EV battery packs without dismantling them manually, and will be able to process the equivalent of batteries required for approximately 20,000 electric vehicles per year. This is Li-Cycle’s third facility in North America and will be able to process up to 10,000 tons of manufacturing scrap and end-of-life batteries per year. As the nation continues to struggle with shortages of critical materials, the new Li-Cycle plant will also serve to support the domestic battery supply chain.
Said Richard Storrie, Regional President, Americas of Li-Cycle. “This new state-of-the-art facility enhances our ability to serve the recycling needs of our customers, while significantly increasing our operational recycling capacity. We’re also creating an additional domestic source of critical metals to be transformed and supply lithium-ion battery production.”
Heading over to Washington State, next-generation battery materials company Sila, announced plans to establish a cutting-edge lithium-ion anode materials facility near Moses Lake. Utilizing its next-generation lithium-ion chemistry that ensures high energy density, the new plant will produce silicon-based anodes enough to power batteries in up to 100,000-500,000 electric vehicles and mobile phones annually.
Above: Operator Davonte Torres inspects the welding on a new water heater tank at the newly opened GE Appliances plant in Camden, South Carolina. The vertically integrated plant produces units starting from coils of steel into high-quality water heaters for homes across the U.S. (Photo: GE Appliances, a Haier company)
In South Carolina, GE Appliances officially opened its much-anticipated state-of-the-art water heater manufacturing plant in Camden this month. Representing an investment of $70 million and employing 140, the new plant will manufacture water heaters, starting from coils of steel and utilizing advanced systems for metal fabrication and welding.
“Investing in U.S. manufacturing is a winning strategy for GE Appliances bringing us even closer to our customers and enabling us to serve them better,” said Kevin Nolan, president and CEO for GE Appliances. “We’re doubling down on innovation in high-tech products, cutting-edge, advanced manufacturing, and creating American jobs.”
Earlier this month, Cook Medical officially opened its new manufacturing plant in Indianapolis. The new $15 million plant will produce medical devices, encompassing a 40,000 square foot facility and employing 100, with plans to eventually employ 200.
In California, Cleanroom Film and Bags, a division of CP Flexible Packaging, announced it has established a newly expanded solar-powered and ISO-certified cleanroom facility in Placentia. The new plant features ISO-certified cleanrooms for the production of sterile packaging, utilizing ten extrusion blown film lines.
Michael Hoffman, CEO of C-P Flexible Packaging, said, “CFB’s new state-of-the-art cleanroom facility raises the bar for cleanroom manufacturing. This new facility allows us to continue to meet the demand of our clients, stay at the forefront of cleanroom innovation and demonstrate our commitment to environmental responsibility.”
The plant also features 440 solar panels that generate a third of the facility’s energy, making it one of Orange County’s largest solar deployments.
In Minnesota, Bobcat Company announced plans this month to establish a new 225,000 square-foot assembly plant in Rogers. The new plant is expected to be fully operational by the fourth quarter of 2022 and will employ 100. This adds to a number of recent expansions for the company, including a $26 million expansion of its Litchfield, Minnesota plant and a $70 million expansion of a facility in North Carolina.
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