Several major manufacturers announced U.S. facility investments in late September 2026, with Amazon, U.S. Steel, Pirelli, Eli Lilly, and auto parts suppliers Hansae and Toyotetsu all committing capital to new or expanded domestic operations. At the same time, Amy's Kitchen and other companies are closing facilities, reflecting a split in manufacturing capacity decisions playing out across industries.
TL;DR
- -U.S. Steel, Eli Lilly, Pirelli, Hansae, Toyotetsu, and Amazon announced new or expanded U.S. facilities in late September 2026.
- -Eli Lilly's $6.5 billion Houston groundbreaking is part of a larger $50 billion reshoring push and is the company's tenth U.S. manufacturing site announced since 2020.
- -Amy's Kitchen and other companies are closing facilities in the same period, with many submitting Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notifications as of September 25.
The Investments
U.S. Steel is adding a new facility that will include a line for quench and tempering, a two-stage heat-treatment process that improves steel strength and durability, along with finishing lines, warehousing, and storage. That project follows a separate $75 million investment U.S. Steel made last November, with construction already begun on a premium threadline at Fairfield as part of that earlier commitment.
Eli Lilly broke ground on a $6.5 billion facility in Houston focused on active pharmaceutical ingredients. The Houston project is part of a larger $50 billion reshoring push by the company and is expected to create more than 600 jobs for the area. David Ricks, Eli Lilly's chairman and CEO, said the investment will "change the game for tens of millions of people suffering from overweight, obesity and its consequences like diabetes." The Houston groundbreaking is the tenth U.S. manufacturing site Eli Lilly has announced since 2020. The company plans to produce active pharmaceutical ingredients at four other locations as well, including new sites in Richmond, Virginia; Huntsville, Alabama; and two in Lebanon, Indiana.
On the automotive supply side, Toyotetsu announced a U.S. expansion that includes upgrades to operational capacity, as well as investments in modern equipment and automation to remain competitive in the automotive industry. The project is expected to be completed in 2028. Hansae, a South Korea-based apparel manufacturer, announced a move to Michigan. The investment will go toward a 400,000-square-foot facility and create 102 jobs, according to a news release. Hansae plans to bring its final assembly activities and machining processes under one roof, while moving work done by suppliers in South Korea to Michigan. Pirelli also announced a U.S. facility investment, though available reporting limits the specific details to its inclusion in this broader wave of domestic commitments.
Closures Running Alongside the Expansion
Amy's Kitchen and others are shuttering facilities, a reminder that the current investment wave is not uniform across the sector. The companies closing operations were not individually detailed in available reporting, but their presence in the same news cycle underscores that domestic manufacturing capacity is being redistributed rather than simply expanded. Manufacturing Dive also reported that many companies have recently submitted Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notifications informing states of their reduction plans as of September 25.
What Manufacturers Should Watch
For manufacturers in steel-intensive supply chains, U.S. Steel's quench-and-tempering line expansion is worth tracking. Domestic specialty steel capacity affects lead times, sourcing options, and the feasibility of near-shoring fabrication work. One question worth examining is whether current supplier agreements account for new domestic capacity that could change pricing or availability over the next two to three years.
The Toyotetsu and Hansae announcements signal continued pressure on automotive and apparel supply chains to localize or regionalize. For manufacturers in those sectors, a supplier actively investing in U.S. automation and capacity may represent a more stable long-term partner. That is worth factoring into supplier qualification and risk reviews.
Eli Lilly's multi-site pharmaceutical manufacturing buildout, anchored by the Houston groundbreaking, points to a sustained reshoring of active pharmaceutical ingredient production. Manufacturers that supply packaging, logistics, or specialty materials into pharmaceutical production may see demand shifts as those sites come online.
The simultaneous closures at Amy's Kitchen and others are a useful counterpoint. Facility investment announcements describe intent and capital commitment, not guaranteed operating outcomes. When evaluating a supplier, customer, or competitor that has announced an expansion, ask whether the underlying demand, workforce, and supply-chain infrastructure support the planned capacity. A groundbreaking is a starting point, not a finished result.