Building Blocks: Manufacturing Expansion Across the US

Supply chain disruptions, workforce issues and other challenges brought about by COVID continued to bedevil U.S. manufacturing in 2021. Nevertheless, the industry did not come to a standstill. Manufacturers announced a host of new facilities they plan to build across the United States, and several newly constructed factories threw open their doors by the end of the year. IndustryWeek outlined several of those plans in “US Manufacturing Rising,” which includes a special focus on new builds by manufacturers Peloton Interactive Inc. and First Solar Inc. Consider this slideshow a complement to the IndustryWeek feature. We showcase additional new manufacturing sites that either were announced or opened in 2021. The photo (or concept design) shown at the top of this page represents one of the biggest manufacturing investments announced in 2021. Specifically, in September, Ford Motor Co. announced BlueOval City and BlueOval SK Battery Park, two mega complexes planned for Tennessee and Kentucky to support the automaker’s electric vehicle growth plans. In partnership with SK Innovation, the manufacturing complexes represent an $11.4 billion investment, according to Ford. The concept design is of the Kentucky site.