MITIGATING CHALLENGES IN MISSOURI
Low-voltage battery technologies company Clarios last week announced plans to expand two of its Missouri operations. A combined $390 million investment is set to be delivered to Clarios’ automotive battery manufacturing plant and its distribution center located in St. Joseph. According to the press release, the move will enable the manufacturer to mitigate tariff exposure and logistics costs, while increasing domestic battery production to meet rising demand. “We’re proud of our investments in St. Joseph and what it means to our workers and this community – and for the future we’re building together,” said Clarios U.S. Region President Marc Andraca. “We appreciate the leaders in St. Joseph and the State of Missouri for working with us to bring more jobs to the area. This is exactly the kind of collaboration that fuels growth for decades to come and we look forward to continuing this strong partnership.” The project is set to receive an estimated $5.6 million through the Missouri Works Program.
Photo courtesy of Ford Motor Company
FORD MOVES AWAY FROM EVS AND TOWARD ENERGY STORAGE
After Ford Motor Company announced plans to close Kentucky’s BlueOval SK Battery Park in December 2025, the new year brought confusion for the thousands of employees set to face layoffs. Come March 2026, reports show the company was stalling on the planned layoffs set for the month prior. By the end of April, Governor Andy Beshear announced Ford would now be investing $2 billion into the former Hardin County site as its operations pivot from EV batteries to manufacturing energy storage systems. Ford Energy, a subsidiary of Ford Motor Company, will be behind the updated facility’s conversion. “This is great news for Ford, great news for Hardin County and great news for all of Kentucky,” said Governor Beshear. “Ford has been a great employer and corporate partner in our state for more than a century, and our winning partnership will continue well into the future.” Ford is to assume all obligations under the original transaction and has committed to creating at least 2,100 full-time jobs at the Glendale site.
Photo courtesy of Novartis
OVER 700 LIFE SCIENCE JOBS SET FOR NORTH CAROLINA BY 2030
Less than a year after pharmaceutical manufacturer Novartis announced $231 million plans to expand its operational presence into Pathway Triangle in Morrisville, North Carolina, the company has returned with a fresh facility investment. Novartis will keep its capital focused on Morrisville, as it constructs a new 56,200-sq.-ft. active pharmaceutical ingredient production facility at the site. The $220 million plant will focus on manufacturing solid dosage tablets, capsules and RNA therapeutics, in line with Novartis’ strategy to enable end-to-end manufacturing in the U.S. for the company’s technology platforms. “Last year we committed to adding seven new facilities in the U.S., and today we finalize our plans to expand our U.S. manufacturing and R&D footprint in the U.S.,” said Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan. “By building a connected, end-to-end footprint, we are strengthening our ability to locally develop, produce and deliver medicines at scale, enabling timely access to innovation for patients in the U.S..” This investment follows the company’s February 2026 biomedical research center groundbreaking in San Diego, California, and the announcement of a new manufacturing site in Denton, Texas.
Reports compiled and written by Alexis Elmore
