A PRODUCTION BOOST IN BEREA
Astemo Americas, Inc. is placing $112 million toward increased hybrid electric vehicle motor capacity in central Kentucky, according to news released last week. The advanced mobility solutions manufacturer, a subsidiary of Hitachi, Honda Motor Company and JIC Capital’s Japan-based joint venture Astemo, will expand two facilities located in the city of Berea in Madison County. The move comes as part of a multi-year investment that is expected to bring 282 new jobs across Astemo Americas’ Kentucky operations, which includes electric-powertrain and engine-management systems production in Harrodsburg. The fresh investment will bring a combined additional 300,000 sq. ft. across the two Berea plants, which produce chassis and electric powertrain components. Once complete, 114 direct jobs will be created across both facilities. “For over four decades, Kentucky has been a cornerstone of our U.S. operations, beginning with the establishment of our first plant in Harrodsburg in 1985,” said Astemo Americas President and CEO Tim Clark. “Since then, we have expanded to three plants, making the state a core driver of our North American operations.”
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CHOBANI ARRIVES IN PENNSYLVANIA
Chobani plans to establish its first operations in Pennsylvania upon acquiring a Lehigh Valley site that formerly served as a Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) manufacturing plant. A $1.2 billion investment from the company will transform the current 1.5-million-sq.-ft. Allentown facility to support up to 10 production lines, as the company looks to manufacture innovative food and beverage products aside from its leading yogurt brand. With proximity to over 4,300 dairy farmers in the state, in addition to access to 40% of the U.S. population within 500 miles, Allentown’s location provides a prime advantage to meet market demand. “Pennsylvania is home to one of the highest number of family-owned farms in the country.” said Chobani Founder & CEO Hamdi Ulukaya. “When we walked into this factory, we knew it was a great fit for what we want to build for the future.” The new facility will be capable of processing 3 billion pounds of Pennsylvania-based dairy each year at full capacity, creating more than 900 direct jobs in the region. In addition to taking over KDP’s facility, Chobani is getting KDP’s full equity stake in Chobani, which KDP is selling back to the company for $800 million.
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PREPARED FOR THE FUTURE OF STEELMAKING
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has officially established the framework to finalize negotiations and implementation plans for Ohio-based steel producer Cleveland-Cliffs to upgrade its plant in Middletown. Located about 20 miles southwest of Dayton, the company’s Middletown Works facility currently produces about 3 million tons of raw steel per year. The combined $1 billion investment between Cleveland-Cliffs and the DOE at the Middletown Works facility will support upgrades to its blast furnace, advanced material handling infrastructure and AI-enable process control technologies. Integration of an advanced cogeneration facility will enable the company to capture and use blast furnace gas to create electricity and steam to be utilized on-site, improving the site’s energy efficiency and reducing reliance on externally supplied electricity. “Through our cooperation with President Trump’s Administration and the U.S. Department of Energy, we developed a project reliant on proven technology that improves operational efficiency and competitiveness,” said Cleveland-Cliffs Chairman and CEO Lourenco Goncalves. “The DOE’s support for this project is a testament to the importance of preserving the blast furnace route to produce automotive-exposed grade steels in the U.S., while advancing American energy dominance.
Reports compiled and written by Alexis Elmore
