In November, a number of new plants were announced across the U.S., representing industries as diverse as biotech and auto parts to packaging and thermoplastics.
Today, we’re going to bring you a roundup of the month’s headlines, including the latest in expansions and plant openings in the U.S.
Recent Manufacturing Headlines
Manufacturing activity in the U.S. posted a contractionary reading for the second straight month in October, according to the Institute for Supply Management.
However, October’s reading was a half percent higher than September’s 47.8%, suggesting a more hopeful trend.
Manufacturing output all but stalled in October, according to the Federal Reserve, though declines in manufacturing output were largely due the auto sector, which was hit with a major GM strike, now resolved.
Durable goods orders continue on a decline, while hiring in the sector has decidedly slowed.
Progress in recent trade talks between China and the U.S. have left many manufacturers hopeful that a “phase one” trade deal and tariff rollback will coalesce, though uncertainty continues to surround the issue.
Despite the recent slowdown, U.S. manufacturers continue to break ground on new facilities. Here are just a few announced over the month.
New Plants and Expansions Announced in the U.S.: November 2019
Automatic Transmissions in Texas
November started off with some welcome news for the Lone Star State when a subsidiary of Aisin AW Co., broke ground on a new plant in Cibolo for the manufacture of automatic vehicle transmissions.
The new facility is slated to start production in 2021, with plans to hire 900 employees.
Transmissions produced at the plant will be supplied to Toyota for its Tundra line manufactured in San Antonio.
Texas also was chosen by Lawrenceville, GA-based United Soft Plastics as the location for a new production facility.
USP announced on Nov. 1st, that it planned to open a new 20,000 square foot manufacturing plant in Houston, based on increased demand for thermoplastic elastomer materials.
Related: These 4 Technologies Will Revolutionize U.S. Plastics Manufacturing
Biotech in Minnesota
Meanwhile, earlier in the month Bio-Techne Corp made a big announcement in Minnesota, unveiling plans to invest $50 million for a new manufacturing facility in St. Paul.
Life sciences company Bio-Techne focuses on reagents and custom manufacturing for the biotech industry and plans to use the new facility to produce recombinant proteins used in cell and gene therapies.
Chuck Kummeth, President and CEO of Bio-Techne, commented in a press release, "The recent success of cell and gene therapies is very exciting. This investment solidifies our commitment to supporting the future of these new modalities by finding innovative and reliable ways to help companies gain access to scalable quantities and a reliable supply of high-quality, GMP-grade growth factors and cytokines for their manufacturing processes."
Initially, the new St. Paul facility will employ 20, with 100 new jobs expected to be created within the next five years.
New biotech facilities continue to crop up across the U.S., with biotech appearing regularly in previous new plant announcements reported by MNI.
Just last month, TriPham Services announced it would be building a new contract development and manufacturing organization for injectable pharmaceuticals and biologics in Morrisville, NC.
We also saw the establishment of a Paragon Bioservices 150,000 square-foot manufacturing facility near Baltimore and the opening of Bluebird Bio’s new cutting-edge gene and cell therapy manufacturing plant in Durham.
Marshmallows in Pennsylvania:
Next up, the Keystone State got some sweet news when Stuffed Puffs announced plans to establish a new factory in Lehigh Valley, as consumer demand for the company’s chocolate-filled marshmallows continues to soar.
Interestingly, Stuffed Puffs was not a product invented by a major food processor but was dreamed up by a college freshman in 2008, who sought to produce a better s’more with the chocolate/marshmallow combination. The company’s founder went on to experiment in his kitchen, later securing funding to produce the unusual treat.
As reported by The Morning Call, the final version of Stuffed Puffs launched just six months ago, but is already expecting sales to hit $18 million in 2020.
The new facility opened to much fanfare on November 19th and included a guest appearance by EDM music producer DJ Marshmello (Photo Credit: The Morning Call).
Biosensors in New Mexico
Meanwhile, medical device manufacturing continues to trend up, and this month New Mexico received the happy news that medical device manufacturer BioDirection Inc has opened a new facility in Albuquerque.
Boston-based BioDirection, which produces medical devices for the diagnosis and management of traumatic brain injuries is preparing for the final launch of its “Tbit” System, a biosensor device which essentially monitors for various biomarkers following head or body trauma.
According to IndustrySelect’s database of U.S. manufacturers, there are currently 11,458 medical device companies in the U.S. 1.2% of these companies have reported sales growth, while 5.4% have reported employment growth.
Related: 5 Trends Disrupting the U.S. Medical Device Industry
Packaging in Connecticut
Heading over to New England, Amgraph Packaging recently announced plans to increase capacity into a second plant in Watertown. Amgraph provides flexible, environmentally-friendly packaging for the pharmaceutical, food and cosmetics industry.
The company has an existing facility in the town of Sprague.
The new plant will broaden its packaging capabilities, and will include adhesive, laminating, offset lithography, slitting and finishing.
The investment includes the installation of a Windmoeller & Hoelscher 10-color flexopress. Said Mike Drap, VP of Sales and Marketing, in a press release “This new press gives us increased manufacturing capabilities and more packaging options to provide our customers.”
SUVs in Alabama
The state of Alabama appeared in our October announcement of new plants when Germany-based ID Plastics reported plans to break ground on its first U.S. facility in Auburn, representing a $9.8 million investment.
This month, Alabama appears in the news again, now that Hyundai announced it would be expanding its production line at its Montgomery manufacturing facility as the company begins production of a new utility vehicle.
The big Hyundai expansion represents a $410 million investment and is expected to create 200 jobs.
This news follows several additional announcements made in Alabama earlier in the year.
In August, auto supplier Motus Integrated Technologies broke ground on a new manufacturing plant in Gasden, while Aerojet Rocketdyne opened its new rocket propulsion facility in Huntsville over the summer.
Your Top Resource for Industrial Information
IndustryNet is an industrial marketplace that provides detailed information on 400,000 U.S. manufacturers and suppliers of more than 10,000 parts and services.
Request quotes, get in contact with key personnel or simply see where providers are located. IndustryNet is powered by MNI, compiler and publisher of U.S. industrial data since 1912.
All data is analyzed and compiled by MNI’s expert researchers so you can be sure you're getting accurate information. IndustryNet also offers marketing solutions to improve visibility for industrial buyers. Learn more about IndustryNet's marketing solutions.
