Ohio’s Solid Dose of Expansions
London-based Hikma Pharmaceuticals has announced plans to expand operations across two of its Ohio facilities, located in Bedford and Columbus. As part of the combined $267 million investment, the company will distribute $51 million to its Bedford site in order to expand its injectable pharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities, creating 300 new jobs. In Columbus, the remaining $216 million will enable Hikma to expand oral dose and nasal inhalation production while creating 50 new jobs. “We are pleased that a significant amount of the new U.S. investments we announced last June will be spent in Ohio to further expand Hikma’s capacity to develop and manufacture medicines that will help millions of American patients,” said Hikma US President and Chief R&D Officer Hafrun Fridriksdottir.
The new USA Rare Earth facility is set to complement current magnet production capacity at the company’s site in Stillwater, Oklahoma, which began operations in March 2026.
Photo: Getty Images
A Rare First in South Carolina
Oklahoma-based USA Rare Earth unveiled the selection of Blacksburg, South Carolina, as the future home for its first operations in the state. The rare earth and critical minerals mining and manufacturing company will invest $1.2 billion to construct a new production facility at Bailey Industrial Park, located in Cherokee County along I-85 halfway between Spartanburg and Charlotte. Operations, which are anticipated to launch in 2028, will focus on production of neodymium-iron-boron permanent magnets and refined rare earth metals. The facility will handle critical functions ranging from electrolysis, metallothermic reduction, strip casting and jet milling to dry pressing, sintering, heat treatment, machining and coating.
The new Green Fuels Operating refinery will run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, creating up to 80 direct jobs in the region.
Rendering courtesy of Green Fuels Operating
Old Assets Re(de)fine a New Era
At the site of a former Tosco Corporation refining complex in Stephens County, Oklahoma, Green Fuels Operating now plans to introduce clean-engineered fuel production. The company will invest $400 million to revamp the site in the city of Duncan to support production of refined products such as asphalt, naphtha, kerosene, diesel, gasoline and aviation fuel. “We’re bringing the refinery back to Oklahoma. I’m not talking about it, I’m not studying it, I’m not running the numbers one more time. We’re actually doing it,” said Green Fuels Operating CEO Derek Williamson. “America has spent 50 years losing refineries. We made a decision: We’re going to change that story.” Once operational, the facility will carry an initial production capacity of 30,000 barrels per day with the ability to scale to 50,000 barrels per day.
The TOYO project will be built out in phases over the next 20 months, creating about 400 direct jobs in the region.
Photo: Getty Images
Texas Simplifies Solar Production
Japan-based solar manufacturer TOYO plans to expand its U.S. production capacity with the construction of a 1.5-gigawatt heterojunction (HJT) solar cell facility in Texas. The company will co-locate the new $357 million plant at its current module site in the Houston region, introducing an integrated manufacturing hub. The combined activity will enable TOYO to achieve operational synergies, reduce localized logistics costs and shorten the production cycle from raw wafer to finished solar modules. “Expanding into domestic cell manufacturing is the natural next step in our commitment to creating an integrated onshore solar supply chain from polysilicon to panels,” said TOYO Chairman and CEO Takahiko Onozuka.
The Portsmouth campus expansion will create 150 new high-tech jobs.
Photo courtesy of Nestlé
Increased Radar Production Aims for Rhode Island
Leading defense contractor Raytheon is looking to accelerate Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) testing and boost Patriot GEM-T subcomponent production. To do so, the company has announced a $100 million expansion of its operations in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. “Expanding in Portsmouth allows us to scale production, advance LTAMDS testing and ensure the U.S. Army and our international partners receive these systems as quickly as possible,” said Raytheon Land & Air Defense Systems President Tom Laliberty. This increased capacity will enable the company to fulfill contracts with the U.S. Army and Poland for multiple LTAMDS radars, while meeting growing global demand for Patriot GEM-T subcomponents which are designed for intercepting airborne threats.
The Port of Mobile’s recent widening and deepening expansion, enabling a 50-foot shipping channel, established it as the deepest container port on the Gulf Coast.
Photo courtesy of the Alabama Port Authority
Exports Find More Space and Depth in Mobile
Construction has officially begun at Alabama’s Port of Mobile as Canada-based Ray-Mont Logistics makes room for its third U.S. facility and first on the Gulf Coast. Ray-Mont Logistics’ expansion comes amid an effort to increase exports of plastic resin packaging, forest products and other various goods through the port. The facility is strategically located on a site owned by the Alabama Export Railroad with access to the Port of Mobile’s 50-foot shipping channel. The company’s project is anticipated to add about 60,000 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units to the port’s annual export volume once its first phase is complete.
