As we head into the second quarter of 2019, U.S. manufacturing growth appears to have stalled slightly, with the Labor Department reporting a decline in manufacturing jobs in March, and the Federal Reserve reporting a easing in manufacturing output.
Related: U.S. industrial output climbs, but manufacturing sputters
A number of factors are impacting the nation’s industrial sector at the moment, including uncertainty over import tariffs and difficulty finding skilled labor.
Yet, despite all of this, U.S. manufacturing has grown at a record pace over the past few years, with the ISM index showing that the U.S. manufacturing sector has grown for 37 straight months.
Recent reports by MNI find states with manufacturing sectors that have been in decline for decades are now bouncing back, including Rhode Island and New Jersey. New plants and expansions are being announced every day, including number of foreign companies with new manufacturing ventures in the United States.
From Baltimore, Maryland to Shelbyville, Indiana, here are just a few of the major manufacturer announcements made in April.
Makin Metal Powders to make metal powders in Pennsylvania
UK-based Makin Metal Powders announced April 15th that it will be establishing its first U.S. manufacturing facility in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania. The new 75,000 square-foot facility aims to hire 40 workers at the 75,000 square-foot facility and represents a $9 million investment.
Makin Metal Powders produces copper, bronze, and tin powders for various industrial uses.
From Russia, with love (and aluminum)
When the U.S. lifted sanctions against Russian company Rusal in January, the aluminum giant wasted little time in benefiting from improved relations with the United States, announcing just yesterday that it has plans to invest in an aluminum rolling mill in Kentucky, as reported by Bloomberg April 15th.
United Co. Rusal, announced it will source the new mill’s aluminum from existing plants in Siberia, and will supply the finished product to the U.S. auto industry. Aluminum has been much in demand in recent years as the auto industry relies heavily on the lightweight metal for the production of electric vehicles.
Rusal will invest $200 million in the new mill, which is currently held by Braidy Industries Co.
Related: Where U.S. Aluminum Foundries are Thriving
As quoted by Bloomberg, Braidy CEO Craig Bouchard stated in response to cri
ticism of the partnership with the Russian monolith: “I’m not a politician, it’s all about the business, and I have 10,000 families in Appalachia riding on my shoulders, and anyone that can help me rebuild Appalachia is my friend.”
Bouchard went onto describe the difficulty of sourcing aluminum –especially low-carbon aluminum (China-sourced high-carbon aluminum is far more polluting) at the scale Rusal can provide.
“I can’t get 200,000 tons from any other producer, there’s not one guy in Canada, the Middle East, Japan or the U.S. that can supply that amount of slab to us, it just doesn’t exist.”
Metal cap maker seals the deal in Virgina
Polycap LLC, a Toronto-based manufacturer of specialty caps and closures for the food processing, pharmaceutical, and medical device industries announced it would be establishing a $7.7 million factory in Lebanon, Virginia. This will be Polycap’s first U.S. venture and is expected to bring 48 jobs to the town.
Baltimore bets big with new Paraogon biotech facility
In March, IndustryNet reported on the new biotech facility slated to take shape in North Carolina, and this month another major biotech announcement was made, this time in Baltimore.
Paragon Bioservices, a biologics contract development and manufacturing organization, announced it would be establishing a 150,000 square-foot manufacturing facility near Baltimore, where it will focus on manufacturing therapeutics.
As reported by the Baltimore Business Journal, Paragon has had a long history in Baltimore, having sprung from one of the city’s start-up incubators thirty years ago. Since then, the company has emerged as among the state’s fastest-growing, ranking #8 on the Journal’s list of the region’s 50 fastest-growing private companies in 2018. The company grew from 225 employees to 400 in the past year and by the end of 2019 expects to employ 500 local workers.
Maryland, along with many other east coast states, has emerged in recent years as a top destination for biologics and pharmaceutical manufacturers. Read more about growth in Maryland industry in our post Maryland/DC Manufacturing Job Growth Accelerates.
New venture brings meatless to the Midwest
The Indianapolis Business Journal reported this month that Greenleaf Foods, SPC has unveiled plans to break ground on a 230,000 square-foot manufacturing facility in Shelbyville. The new plant will focus on producing vegetarian burgers, sausages, hot dogs and other items and is slated to start production in 2021. The company is investing $310 million and plans to hire 460 people.
As reported by the IBJ, Greenleaf is a subsidiary of Maple Leaf Foods Inc., based in Ontario.
Bus manufacturer rolls into major NYC contract
Canadian company New Flyer, one of North America’s largest transit manufacturers with subsidiaries in the United State was recently awarded a $95 million contract to supply the New York City Transit Authority with buses, and the town of Jamestown, NY stands to benefit.
Jamestown is home to a New Flyer plant, housed in a former grocery store, and since it was established there roughly three years ago, the facility had hired 70 employees. With the new contract in place, the Jamestown plant is likely to see increased hiring, given its proximity to the Big Apple.
Finding domestic suppliers
As U.S. manufacturing grows and changes, IndustryNet continually updates information on over 400,000 U.S. manufacturers and suppliers of more than 10,000 products and services. IndustryNet lists suppliers across a range of industries, producing everything from steel and aluminum to air compressors, conveyor belts and printed circuit boards.
Visitors can set up a free user account, build custom lists of potential suppliers, send quote requests, download catalogs, view company photo and video libraries, and more.
IndustryNet is also a direct path for U.S manufacturers to increase their visibility among domestic industrial procurers. Learn more about IndustryNet's marketing solutions.
