U.S. Heavy Manufacturing Caters to Battery, Automated System Needs

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The U.S. heavy-manufacturing sector is preparing for a swath of capital-spending project kickoffs in the coming months that will provide much-needed machinery and equipment to some of the fastest-growing markets, including those for storage batteries, power generation and automated systems. Industrial Info is tracking nearly $10 billion worth of capital-spending projects at heavy-manufacturing facilities across the U.S. that are set to kick off in first-quarter 2024.

Click on the image at right for a graph detailing the top 10 standard industrial classifications (SICs) for U.S. heavy-manufacturing capital-spending projects set to kick off from January through March, by total investment value.

The development of storage batteries across multiple industries--notably automotive and power-generation--is the top driver of the U.S. heavy-manufacturing sector, when evaluating by SIC, according to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Industrial Manufacturing Project Database. While much of the investment has been geared toward lithium-ion batteries, AEsir Technologies (Joplin, Missouri) plans to service the booming markets for data centers and 5G networks with a $90 million nickel-zinc battery-manufacturing plant in Rapid City, South Dakota. The first of a four-phase, roughly $300 million complex, the 150,000-square-foot plant is expected to produce about 1.2 million batteries per year.

The data center market traditionally has used lead-acid batteries, but AEsir says its nickel-zinc products will provide better backup power to prevent data loss or service interruption during power outages. Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI database can learn more from a detailed project report.

The U.S. aerospace market is accelerating, with more demand for parts and equipment coming in from large airplane manufacturers and their suppliers. It also is increasing demand for projects like The Marshall Group's (Cambridge, England) $50 million aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in Greensboro, North Carolina, which would include a new aircraft hangar with six MRO bays, and a paint shop bay. Operations at the facility are expected to begin in early 2025. Subscribers can learn more from Industrial Info's project report.

Marshall says the facility is geared specifically toward servicing Lockheed Martin Corporation's (NYSE:LMT) (Bethesda, Maryland) Hercules C-130 tactical transport aircraft. "As the ever-popular C-130 continues to prove itself as a dependable tactical airlift and aerial refueling platform which operates around the world, we are excited to be bringing our decades of knowledge and experience directly to the U.S. military services," said Ken Loy, president of Marshall's U.S. division, at a September groundbreaking ceremony.

The heavy-manufacturing sector also plays a critical role in providing the Power Industry with equipment for both fossil-fuel and renewable-based generation plants. General Electric (NYSE:GE) (Boston, Massachusetts) is preparing for $50 million in additions and $11 million in upgrades to its power-equipment plant in Schenectady, New York, to bolster its development of wind-turbine components and gas-turbine products, respectively. The former will help to improve the production of machine heads, hubs and drivetrains for GE's 6.1-158 onshore wind turbine models. Subscribers can read detailed reports on the wind-turbine and gas-turbine projects.

Power equipment also is needed in the Automotive Industry, where Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE:TM) (Toyota City, Japan) is preparing to kick off construction on a $69 million power converter-manufacturing plant in Pendergrass, Georgia, to service Toyota's electric hybrid vehicles. Toyota Industries Electric Systems North America, Incorporated, which manufactures parts for the automaker, says the converters will transmit power from a hybrid vehicle's high-voltage battery to lower-voltage devices within the same car, such as the navigation system, lights and windshield wipers. Subscribers can read more in Industrial Info's project report.

Automated systems are being increasingly adopted across the U.S. manufacturing sector, and Bosch Rexroth Corporation, a subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH (Gerlingen, Germany), is preparing to begin construction on a $58 million factory automation-system manufacturing plant in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company is relocating its operations from elsewhere in Charlotte to expand its operations by about 25%. The new facility will include a customer showroom, an innovation center, training facilities and collaboration spaces, according to Bosch. Subscribers can learn more from Industrial Info's project report.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Project Database can click here for a full list of detailed reports for projects mentioned in this article, and click here for a full list of related plant profiles.

Subscribers can click here for a full list of reports for heavy-manufacturing capital-spending projects that are set to kick off across the U.S. in first-quarter 2024.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) platform helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).