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U.S. manufacturers sprang into action this spring, announcing a wide range of new and expanded facilities. Spanning multiple states and representing billions in investment and thousands of jobs, April’s announcements revealed continued investment in the electronics, biotech, food, and auto industries.
Let’s explore some of the most exciting new manufacturing operations announced in March 2023.
Iconic toy manufacturer LEGO announced the groundbreaking of a new factory in Virginia, which will create 400 jobs. Representing an investment of $1 billion, the facility will manufacture LEGO bricks utilizing high-tech production equipment that ensures each of its LEGO bricks is made to the accuracy of 1/10th of a hair’s width. The carbon-neutral plant will feature a solar plant on-site and will cover an area of approximately 650,000 square feet. The factory is expected to start production in 2025. This is LEGO’s first facility in the United States and its second in the Americas.
Carsten Rasmussen, Chief Operations Officer of the LEGO Group said: “We are absolutely delighted to mark the beginning of construction here in Virginia. We are grateful for the fruitful collaboration we have had with all partners across the Commonwealth of Virginia who share and support our ambition to build this factory.
LEER Group has officially opened its new commercial aluminum cap manufacturing facility in Elkhart, Indiana. The new facility covers over 50,000 square feet and will produce aluminum caps for trucks. The facility will feature cutting-edge technology and equipment to enable the company to meet the growing demand for aluminum caps in the commercial truck industry.
Said Curt Cline, Vice President of Operations at JBPCO, “The facility will provide increased production capacity needed to accommodate significant growth, specifically in the Commercial and Fleet segments of our business. This facility opening couldn’t have come at a more opportune time - when lead times are extreme, it gives us the capacity to reduce delivery times to better meet the needs of our customers in today’s important Commercial segment.”
US LBM has announced the opening of a new truss manufacturing facility and building materials distribution yard in Central Florida. Encompassing 108,000 square feet, the facility will manufacture roof and floor trusses and provide building materials to professional builders and remodelers in the area. The new location will complement the existing US LBM operations in Florida and strengthen the company's presence in the Southeastern United States. This expansion is part of US LBM's ongoing growth strategy to enhance its product offerings and improve customer service in high-growth markets.
"Florida continues to be a strong market for construction and prefabricated structural components, and this new plant allows us to support builders in both the Tampa and Orlando markets," said US LBM President and CEO L.T. Gibson.
In more good news for Florida, Micross Components, a leading global provider of mission-critical microelectronic components and services, has celebrated the grand opening of its new flagship semiconductor and specialty electronics manufacturing facility in Apopka, Florida. The new 85,000 square foot. state-of-the-art facility will provide advanced capabilities for design, assembly, and testing of high-reliability electronic components and systems for the aerospace, defense, medical, and industrial markets. The new facility is part of Micross' strategic expansion plan to enhance its technical capabilities and increase its manufacturing capacity. The opening of the new facility will also bring new job opportunities to the local community.
Said Vincent Buffa, Chairman and CEO of Micross, "Micross' investment in Florida reinforces our commitment in expanding world-class semiconductor manufacturing capabilities onshore. The products and services Micross provide enable all of the industries critical to our national interests, including aerospace & defense, medical, energy, and transportation.
Edwards Vacuum, a leading manufacturer of vacuum and abatement solutions, has opened a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Chandler, Arizona, to serve the semiconductor industry. The facility will produce high-performance vacuum pumps and abatement systems used in semiconductor manufacturing processes. The new plant covers an area of 200,000 square feet and is expected to create over 500 new jobs in the local area. The new facility will support Edwards' growth strategy in the semiconductor market and strengthen its position as a leading provider of vacuum and abatement solutions.
Swift Prepared Foods has opened a new $200 million facility in Columbia, Missouri, in partnership with Principe Foods. The 325,000-square-foot facility will produce Italian meats and charcuterie for customers across the United States and around the world. The project created approximately an initial 100 new jobs, with plans to hire an additional 100-200 workers in the next year.
"We are very pleased to celebrate the opening of this state-of-the-art Italian meats facility in Columbia, Missouri," said Tom Lopez, President, Swift Prepared Foods. "This is the culmination of years of hard work and investment by our team and our partners in Missouri. We are grateful for the support we've received up to this point and look forward to the ongoing growth of this facility and the Principe Italia brand."
Industrial technology solutions company Motion Industries, Inc. has opened a new facility in Beverly, Massachusetts, to meet increasing customer demand. The 33,000 sq. ft. facility provides additional manufacturing and inventory space for Motion Industries, complementing two existing facilities in the area. The new facility will focus on motion control, robotics, machine vision, precision components, electro-mechanical assemblies, and automation systems. The facility features manufacturing lab benches and a quality control testing area. The facility is expected to create more job opportunities for experienced automation engineers, electro-mechanical assemblers, and quality technicians.
Randy Breaux, President of Motion, said, “We are excited about this investment and anticipate that it will enhance the customer experience even more. We believe it will also increase the employee experience—there is a lot of talent within Motion Ai, and this expansion will offer excellent opportunities for our employees.”
Meissner Corporation, a leading manufacturer of advanced microfiltration and single-use systems for the biopharmaceutical industry, has announced plans to establish a new manufacturing plant in Athens, Georgia. The New $250 million project is expected to create 1,700 new jobs over the next five years. The facility will manufacture filtration and single-use systems to serve the biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical industries.
“We are thrilled to embark on this important expansion and are excited to build our second U.S. manufacturing campus in Athens-Clarke County,” said Christopher Meissner, President of Meissner. “The State of Georgia, and Athens-Clarke County in particular, is an ideal location with an incredible talent pool and strong geographic position that allows us to serve clients on the East Coast and throughout the world.
Corning has opened a new manufacturing campus in Newton, North Carolina, dedicated to optical cable production, aimed at meeting the increasing demand for high-speed broadband. The campus features a state-of-the-art fiber optic cable manufacturing facility and will create add hundreds more jobs to Corning’s existing North Carolina workforce of 5,000 . According to Corning, the campus is expected to increase production capacity by 25% and support the broadband buildout in North America.
“With this new manufacturing campus, we’re creating local jobs, we’re helping our workforce build important skills, we’re cultivating our next generation of talent right here in North Carolina, and we’re thrilled to continue addressing demand for the fiber and cable that are so vital to moving the world forward,” said Corning Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Wendell P. Weeks.
Honda Alabama has invested $16 million to build a new customization facility in Lincoln, Alabama, to produce customized off-road vehicles for the company's customers. The new post-production option facility spans over 66,000 square feet and will allow for the manufacture of extra performance and function details, including bronze alloy wheels, fender flares, roof rails, cargo nets and trailer hitches. The customization facility will help Honda Alabama to meet growing demand for custom off-road vehicles in the U.S. market.
“Our customer-focused Honda accessories program represents an incredible effort by our highly engaged team of associates who believed in this new business area and had the drive to make it succeed,” said Susan McCormick, department head of accessory product planning at American Honda Motor Co.
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