In recent weeks, companies such as Amazon, U.S. Steel and Pirelli are making progress on their manufacturing facility investments, groundbreakings and expansions around the country.
At the same time, others are moving forward with layoffs to shore up costs due to market forces and other factors.
Here are some of the major updates happening across the sector.
Amazon
Amazon plans to invest more than $100 million in a robotics manufacturing facility in Greenwood, Indiana, creating 300 jobs, the e-commerce giant said Thursday.
The 585,000-square-foot factory will produce robots and equipment that power Amazon’s fulfillment centers across North America, according to a news release. Operations are set to begin by 2028.
The investment adds to Amazon’s growing robotics footprint. The company has manufactured more than 1 million robots at its Massachusetts facilities to date. They are deployed across more than 300 global facilities, assisting with customer order fulfillment.
The Greenwood factory will house advanced fabrication, robotic welding, automated powder coating and assembly under one roof — supported by Amazon Web Services, artificial intelligence systems and robotics, according to the release.
The move came less than a month after Amazon made a “multi-billion-dollar” commitment to build a robotics manufacturing facility in Austin, Texas, creating up to 500 jobs as part of the investment.
U.S. Steel Košice
Nippon Steel will invest 900 million euros ($1.02 billion) to add an electric arc furnace and air separation unit to its U.S. Steel operations in Slovakia, the Japan-based steelmaker announced Sept. 16.
The move underscores Nippon Steel’s plans to make Slovakia a key part of its global strategy and operations in Europe while advancing low-carbon steel production.
U.S. Steel Košice, a wholly-owned subsidiary of U.S. Steel under parent Nippon Steel, recently signed an agreement with the Slovak Government for up to 350 million euros in funding for the new equipment.
The electric arc furnace, which melts recycled scrap into steel, will produce up to 1.6 million metric tons per year and begin operations in 2030, according to a news release. The air separation unit is expected to start operations in 2029.
The investment came four months after Nippon Steel announced that U.S. Steel Košice will become a direct subsidiary effective Oct. 1, and undergo a name change to Nippon Steel Slovakia.
U.S. Steel
U.S. Steel on Monday broke ground on its $475 million quench and tempering facility in Fairfield, Alabama, adding capacity to the steelmaker’s tubular operations.
The new facility will include a line for quench and tempering — a two-stage heat-treatment process that improves steel strength and durability — as well as finishing lines, warehousing and storage, according to a news release.
The investment is expected to create 250 jobs and support construction through 2029.
In June, parent company Nippon Steel greenlit the project to improve U.S. Steel’s competitiveness in the oil country tubular goods market, which relies on steel pipes for onshore and offshore drilling and production.
Construction has already begun on a premium threadline at Fairfield as part of a separate $75 million investment U.S. Steel made last November.
Eli Lilly
Eli Lilly on Monday broke ground on a $6.5 billion factory in Houston that will produce active pharmaceutical ingredients, including orforglipron for the company’s first GLP-1 pill.
The project is part of a larger $50 billion reshoring push by the company and is expected to create more than 600 jobs for the area.
The investment will “change the game for tens of millions of people suffering from overweight, obesity and its consequences like diabetes,” David Ricks, Eli Lilly chairman and CEO, said in a statement.
It is the tenth U.S. manufacturing site announced by Eli Lilly since 2020. The company plans to produce active pharmaceutical ingredients at four other locations, including new sites in Richmond, Virginia; Huntsville, Alabama; and two in Lebanon, Indiana.
In addition to the factory, Eli Lilly said it will also provide $12.5 million to San Jacinto College to develop a training program and talent pipeline focused on advanced chemical synthesis manufacturing.
Pirelli
Formula 1 tire supplier Pirelli will spend $1.2 billion expanding its manufacturing facility in Rome, Georgia, creating 1,000 jobs in the region, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced Tuesday.
The expansion will take place in two phases: one focused on adding Pirelli robotics equipment, followed by a traditional manufacturing process that requires more hiring, according to a news release.
The investment will add “roughly five times more positions” to Pirelli’s current 234-person workforce, Kemp said in a statement. The company plans to do most of the hiring in 2029 and expects the facility to begin full operations by 2033.
Pirelli, headquartered in Italy, moved its U.S. headquarters to Georgia in 2002.
In addition to brands like Scorpion, P Zero and Cinturato, Pirelli is the sole tire supplier for the FIA Formula One World Championship through the 2028 season after extending its partnership in June. It also manufactures tires for motorcycles and bicycles.
Toyotetsu Mid America
Automotive parts supplier Toyotetsu Mid America plans to invest $41 million expanding and upgrading its Owensboro, Kentucky, operations, the Southern Economic Development Council announced Sept. 15.
The expansion includes upgrades to Toyotetsu’s operational capacity, as well as investments in modern equipment and automation to remain competitive in the automotive industry, according to a news release. It is expected to be completed in 2028.
Toyotetsu, a major supplier to Toyota, also plans to retain nearly 640 jobs as part of the investment.
In addition to Owensboro, the company has five facilities in North America, including Somerset, Kentucky; San Antonio, Texas; Simcoe, Ontario; and Guanajuato, Mexico.
Toyotetsu is a maker of stamped and welded automotive body parts and assemblies.
Hansae
Automotive parts supplier Hansae Mobility Co. plans to invest more than $93 million expanding its operations in Chesterfield Township, Michigan, the state’s economic development agency said Sept. 15.
The investment will go toward a 400,000-square-foot facility and create 102 jobs, according to a news release. Hansae plans to bring its final assembly activities and machining processes under one roof, while moving work done by suppliers in South Korea to Michigan.
The Michigan Economic Development Corporation has approved the project for a $625,000 performance-based grant. The state has also provided a workforce development proposal valued at $702,413, with approximately $582,000 from its Going Pro Talent Fund.
As part of the expansion, Hansae plans to relocate its Michigan operations to the Chesterfield Township facility, which more than doubles its footprint, according to a social media post from real estate firm Signature Associates, which assisted in the deal.
The company operates out of a 156,992-square-foot facility in Pontiac, Michigan.
Layoff notices as of Sept. 25
Although the U.S. manufacturing industry added 16,000 jobs in August, many companies across the country have recently submitted Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notifications informing states of their reduction plans as of Sept. 25.
Medical and surgical supplier Avid Medical announced 419 layoffs, which will begin Nov. 25, according to the company’s Sept. 16 WARN Act letter. Avid is closing its facility in Toano, Virginia, but a date was not disclosed on when the company will shutter the plant.
“The closure of the Avid Toano facility is part of a broader long-term strategy to create more resiliency in our surgical kitting network and was already under consideration well before the divestiture,” Owens & Minor spokesperson Emily Ballerene said in a Sept. 21 statement to Virginia Business.
Organic foods manufacturer Amy’s Kitchen is laying off 249 workers at two sites. The company is closing its Santa Rosa, California, facility, which will cut 200 workers, and the remainder will be laid off at its Pocatello, Idaho, location beginning Dec. 18. Organic Foods is shifting its operations to focus on its highest-growing categories and moving production to its Pocatello and Medford, Oregon, facilities.
Unemployment insurance claims for the week of Sept. 19 decreased about 9.5% compared to the same time last year, with 163,811, the Labor Department reported Thursday.
Adjusted unemployment insurance claims for the week of Sept. 12 increased to 198,000 from an initial estimate of 196,000.
Kentucky was the only state to have over 1,000 claims for the week of Sept. 12. The state reported an additional 1,041 layoffs in its manufacturing sector.
