AGP Executive Report

Factory Investments: Edwards Vacuum opened its $319 million Genesee County plant, the first operating tenant at STAMP. The factory will make pumps for semiconductor production and is expected to create about 600 jobs. Bracco also chose Sanford, N.C., for a $230 million contrast-media plant expected to create 200 jobs. Automotive Expansion: GM plans to invest more than $2 billion to retool its Lansing plant for hybrid production. Audi’s planned $4 billion Georgia factory—the automaker’s first U.S. plant—is expected to bring 4,500 jobs; Brose Sitech is adding a $29.5 million seating facility and 330 jobs at Scout’s South Carolina supplier park. Defense Manufacturing: Lockheed Martin is expanding its Alabama hypersonic-missile facility after winning a $694 million Air Force contract, tripling production space. Automation & Reshoring: North American robot orders climbed 24.8% year over year in Q3 to 10,989 units. Separately, a report says reshoring and foreign investment accounted for 247,000 U.S. manufacturing jobs in 2025.

Factory Investment: Audi plans a $4 billion Georgia plant, targeting 4,500 jobs and capacity for 200,000 vehicles a year by 2031. Doppelmayr has opened a new Salt Lake City manufacturing campus that nearly doubles its U.S. production space, with 130 jobs projected over the next decade. Domestic Supply Chains: Anduril and Qualcomm unveiled a rugged U.S.-assembled laptop, with more than 90% of component costs sourced from the U.S. and allied nations; final assembly and circuit-board fabrication are planned for Ohio. Manufacturing Pulse: Durable-goods orders climbed 1.8% in September, their strongest gain in five months, while core capital-goods orders rose 0.5%. Workforce and Capacity: Penn State DuBois won $39.9 million in federal funding to build a regional manufacturing hub, and a $34.9 million federal award will support a Southern Illinois fertilizer plant expansion. Reshoring: Reshoring and foreign investment accounted for 247,000 U.S. manufacturing jobs in 2025.

Factory Investments: Carrier will spend more than $600 million on its Fort Worth campus to expand U.S. manufacturing and engineering capacity. SteelFab is putting $30 million into its Columbia, South Carolina, facility, adding 100 jobs, while an Italian diagnostic-imaging company plans a $230 million first U.S. plant in Sanford, North Carolina. Automotive: Audi selected Georgia for its first U.S. factory, a planned $4 billion investment with 4,500 jobs and capacity for up to 200,000 vehicles a year. Semiconductors: A nearly $24 million federal grant will support the Texoma Semiconductor Tech Hub in Texas. Penn State DuBois also won $39.9 million to develop a regional manufacturing hub and training center. Industry Outlook: U.S. durable-goods orders rose 1.8% in September, beating expectations, as core capital-goods shipments also accelerated.

Auto Investment: Audi plans to spend about $4 billion on its first U.S. factory in Georgia, with capacity for 200,000 vehicles and roughly 4,500 jobs. Regional Manufacturing: Penn State received $39.9 million in federal funding to establish an advanced-manufacturing and workforce hub in DuBois focused on pressed materials; partners could contribute up to $150 million more. Factory Expansion: Carrier plans to invest more than $600 million in U.S. manufacturing and engineering, including a Fort Worth facility expected to create 1,500 jobs. SK hynix also secured permits to accelerate construction of its U.S. AI-memory plant. Supply-Chain Security: The Energy Department designated helium a critical material, highlighting efforts to secure supplies for chips and other industries. USDA selected a $116.9 million fertilizer project to boost domestic production. Industry Pulse: U.S. manufacturing activity expanded in October, while reports point to changing skill needs as factories add jobs.

Auto Investment: Audi will spend about $4 billion on its first U.S. factory, in Georgia, with capacity for up to 200,000 SUVs a year and 4,500 planned jobs. Construction is due to start in 2027, with production expected in the early 2030s. Workforce & Advanced Manufacturing: A $39.9 million federal grant will help turn Penn State DuBois into a manufacturing and training hub, backed by more than $160 million in private commitments. Separately, nearly $25 million in federal grants will support additive manufacturing projects and training for 2,000 workers in Virginia. Factory Expansion: Carrier plans to invest more than $600 million in U.S. manufacturing and engineering capacity, including a Fort Worth facility expected to bring 1,500 jobs. SK Hynix has also secured key permits to accelerate construction of its U.S. AI-memory plant, as Korean chip and battery suppliers expand operations. Sector Outlook: The U.S. manufacturing PMI topped expectations, signaling expansion, while a separate report says manufacturing jobs are rising as hiring needs change.

AI and Battery Supply Chains: SK Hynix has secured key utility permits for its Indiana AI-memory plant, while Samsung SDI will make battery systems at its Indiana facility for a new 1-gigawatt-hour U.S. storage contract. Big Factory Investments: Audi plans to invest $4 billion in its first U.S. plant, in Georgia, creating 4,500 jobs; Carrier is putting more than $600 million into expanding U.S. manufacturing and engineering capacity. Domestic Production Push: Federal support is backing new fertilizer capacity and a $150 million fuel-production effort under the Defense Production Act. Workforce Shift: U.S. manufacturing employment has risen by 72,000 since December, but new roles increasingly call for technical training as factories automate and grow more complex.

Automotive Investment: Audi plans to build its first U.S. factory at Georgia’s Middle Georgia Megasite, investing about $4 billion and creating 4,500 jobs. The plant is expected to produce up to 200,000 SUVs a year, with production targeted for 2031. Factory Expansion: SendCutSend is investing $63.2 million in a manufacturing facility in CenterPoint, while Hyundai Translead is expanding its Joliet, Illinois, operations. Industrial Capacity: Carrier’s $600 million Fort Worth-area manufacturing and engineering center is expected to bring 1,500 jobs; Bombardier also announced a $270 million U.S. expansion. Supply Chains: The USDA is targeting $1.3 billion for domestic fertilizer manufacturing, and the U.S. has designated helium a critical material for semiconductor supply chains. Steelmaking: U.S. Steel approved nearly $3 billion for a new hot-strip mill at Mon Valley Works.

Auto Manufacturing: Audi plans to invest $4.2 billion in its first U.S. factory, in Peach County, Georgia. The plant is expected to make 200,000 premium SUVs a year from 2031 and create about 4,500 jobs; site work is slated to start in 2027. Factory Expansion: Carrier plans to invest more than $600 million in a Fort Worth manufacturing and engineering center, with 1,500 jobs planned. Domestic Supply Chains: The USDA announced a major investment in U.S. fertilizer manufacturing, while the Energy Department designated helium a critical material, highlighting its importance to semiconductor production. Aerospace: Bombardier announced a $270 million U.S. expansion, adding to investment in domestic manufacturing capacity.

Factory Investment: Carrier’s planned $600 million Fort Worth manufacturing and engineering center is expected to bring 1,500 jobs to Texas, while federal funding is backing domestic fertilizer production, including $34.9 million for a Marissa plant. Supply Chain: The U.S. has designated helium a critical material as chip factories face supply risks. Factory Expansion: Bombardier plans a $270 million U.S. expansion, Iowa’s Accumold is growing its micro-molding capacity, and automation firm Formic raised $50 million to scale its manufacturing business. Industry Outlook: U.S. manufacturing activity expanded in October, according to the PMI, and Intel’s long-delayed Ohio chip project has reached a major construction milestone. Nippon Steel also plans to invest $3 billion in a U.S. steel plant.

Semiconductors: A Japan-backed GlobalFoundries plant in upstate New York will receive $10 billion in financing, with the U.S. and Japan sharing ownership; chip production is expected to begin in 2029. Trade: The administration will remove 50% tariffs from some Canadian goods, including refrigeration equipment, packaging and agricultural machinery, while imposing new duties on other products. Factory investment: Carrier plans to invest more than $600 million in Texas manufacturing and engineering, while Mitsubishi will spend $490 million expanding its Pooler, Georgia, turbine-parts plant, adding more than 220 jobs. Shipbuilding: HD Hyundai and Kiewit plan a Gulf Coast shipyard, with construction targeted for 2027 and up to 3,000 jobs when fully operational. Domestic production: The USDA is directing $1.3 billion toward fertilizer manufacturing, and the U.S. manufacturing PMI signaled sector expansion.

Power Equipment: Mitsubishi Power will invest $490 million to double production capacity at its Savannah turbine factory, adding more than 220 jobs as electricity demand surges. Pharmaceuticals: Eli Lilly has broken ground on a $5 billion manufacturing facility in Virginia. Steel: U.S. Steel approved nearly $3 billion for a new hot-strip mill at its Mon Valley Works, while Nippon Steel also plans a major U.S. Steel plant investment. Domestic Supply Chains: The administration is directing $1.3 billion toward U.S. fertilizer production, aiming to strengthen farm supply and reduce reliance on imports. Advanced Manufacturing: Carrier plans to spend $600 million on a Fort Worth plant, and Intel marked a construction milestone at its delayed Ohio chip project; production there is now targeted for 2030. Shipbuilding: HD Hyundai and Kiewit plan a U.S. joint venture to build next-generation ships.

Solar Manufacturing: Texas-based T1 Energy won a Commerce Department waiver to import up to 1.725 gigawatts of solar cells for its Wilmer module plant while its Texas cell factory is built. Steel Investment: Nippon Steel plans to spend about $3 billion modernizing U.S. Steel’s Mon Valley Works in Pennsylvania, replacing a nearly 90-year-old hot-rolling mill; the new facility is expected to open in 2029. Life Sciences: Eli Lilly broke ground on a $5 billion manufacturing site in Virginia, adding major domestic drug-production capacity. Defense Production: Fairbanks Morse Defense began a $60 million Pascagoula, Mississippi, expansion to double capacity for naval propulsion components, backed by Navy and Australian funding. Domestic Supply Chains: USDA selected eight fertilizer projects representing $1.34 billion in proposed investment across 16 states, including modular ammonia plants intended to bring production closer to farms. Shipbuilding: HD Hyundai and Kiewit plan a new U.S. shipyard, with construction targeted for 2027 and operations slated to begin in 2029.

Factory Investment: Carrier plans to invest more than $600 million in a Fort Worth manufacturing and engineering center, adding 1,500 jobs. Hyundai Translead is committing $600 million to its Illinois operations and plans to add 3,750 jobs. Shipbuilding: HD Hyundai and Kiewit plan a U.S. shipyard venture, with construction targeted for 2027 and operations slated to begin in 2029. Steelmaking: U.S. Steel’s board authorized nearly $3 billion for a new hot-strip mill at Mon Valley Works. Defense Production: The Pentagon and Lockheed Martin agreed on a 10-year framework to produce at least 850 F-35s, subject to congressional approval and funding. Factory Technology: New research finds pretrained AI can spot manufacturing defects using far fewer examples, potentially lowering inspection costs for smaller manufacturers.

Factory Investment: 3D Systems opened a U.S. industrial technology center to grow advanced manufacturing, while Simpson Strong-Tie plans to expand its Texas facility. Bayer is also planning a $2.2 billion Ohio drug plant, and Sibelco is weighing a major North Carolina investment tied to semiconductor production. Defense Production: Lockheed Martin will invest $300 million to expand U.S. missile production. Fairbanks Morse Defense has doubled capacity at its Pascagoula naval propulsion facility, and Fraser Shipyards’ new owner plans a $350 million expansion over five years. Domestic Supply Chains: Apple will commit up to $100 million to Pennsylvania supplier Perryman for U.S.-made iPhone titanium. A new report says America’s aluminum industry is rebounding, with stakes for jobs and supply security. Automotive: Tesla’s Semi has entered volume production ahead of its planned 2027 rollout, even as the company reported a 43% drop in third-quarter net profit.

Semiconductors: Intel has begun installing production tools at its Arizona Fab 62, targeting operations by late 2028, and reports progress on its Ohio complex and advanced chipmaking technology. Sibelco also plans a major North Carolina investment to support semiconductor manufacturing. Defense Production: Lockheed Martin will invest $300 million to expand missile manufacturing in Texas, while Amca won the Army’s first advanced-manufacturing award to restore production of hard-to-source missile parts. Fairbanks Morse Defense has doubled capacity at its Pascagoula facility. Domestic Supply Chains: Apple committed up to $100 million to Pennsylvania supplier Perryman for iPhone titanium, part of a broader push to expand U.S. sourcing. SendCutSend plans another U.S. factory, adding 309 jobs. Small Manufacturers: Iowa’s Plas-Tech Tooling won the SBA’s $1 million pitch competition, with plans to grow its CNC machining and tooling business.

Aerospace: The FAA certified Boeing’s long-delayed 737 Max 10, clearing the way for airlines to prepare the largest Max model for service and giving Boeing a boost as it works through a major backlog. Domestic Supply Chains: Apple committed up to $100 million to Houston-based Perryman Company for U.S.-made titanium for its iPhones, including material made with at least 80% recycled content. Defense Production: A new Florida lab backed by a $9 million investment will bring Northrop Grumman, Florida State University and the Air Force Research Laboratory together to develop faster, lower-cost methods for making munitions. Factory Investment: Bayer plans a $2.2 billion drug manufacturing site in Ohio, while Fairbanks Morse Defense has doubled capacity at its Pascagoula naval propulsion facility. Auto Industry: GM authorized a $20 billion multiyear stock buyback, drawing sharp criticism from UAW President Shawn Fain, who says the company should prioritize workers and underused plants. Materials: Hudbay Minerals and Mitsubishi approved construction of Arizona’s Copper World mine, targeting first production in 2029.