Lonza Group stock gains on new US manufacturing investment plan

Lonza Group stock reacts to a September 19, 2026 plan to build a new factory in Bend, Oregon to expand US spray drying capacity for complex drugs. The shares are trading below their 52-week high as investors weigh recent earnings and guidance.

Lonza CH0013841017 Forscher im Schutzanzug am Mikroskop dokumentarisch in Schwarz Weiss fotografiert, Illustration mit AI erstellt.

Lonza Group stock (ISIN CH0013841017) is in focus after the Swiss contract manufacturer confirmed plans on September 19, 2026 to build a new factory in Bend, Oregon, expanding its US spray drying capacity for complex drug formulations, according to Nutrition Industry Executive Magazine.

Factory plan in Oregon expands US footprint

The planned Bend, Oregon site will further strengthen Lonza’s manufacturing presence in the United States as it targets growing demand for advanced pharmaceutical ingredients, as reported on September 19, 2026 by Nutrition Industry Executive Magazine.

According to Swissinfo in a report dated September 19, 2026, the factory will focus on spray drying technologies used to improve the solubility and stability of complex drug molecules, supporting pharma customers that increasingly outsource these sophisticated processes.

Stock trades below recent highs

On September 19, 2026, Lonza Group shares on SIX Swiss Exchange traded below their 52-week high, indicating that while the Oregon investment is a positive strategic signal, investors are still balancing it against recent earnings trends and guidance; the exact price level and range reflect a market that prices in both growth opportunities and execution risks.

Closing price and investor takeaway

As of September 19, 2026, Lonza Group stock on SIX Swiss Exchange closed below its recent peak in Swiss francs, leaving a measurable gap to the 52-week high that investors will watch as the Bend, Oregon project advances and new capacity comes onstream.

Lonza Group stock key data

• Company: Lonza Group Ltd.
• ISIN: CH0013841017
• Ticker: LONN
• Trading venue: SIX Swiss Exchange
• Sector / Industry: Health Care / Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
• Index membership: SMI

More news and analyses on Lonza Group stock

Disclaimer…

en | CH0013841017 | LONZA GROUP | boerse | 70137323 | bgmi

Source link

Texas records suggest OCI is bringing Elite Solar to Mission Solar Energy manufacturing site

Mission Solar Energy’s solar panel manufacturing site in San Antonio, Texas, considered one of the longest-running panel assembly operations in the United States, may soon receive a boost from a global manufacturer.

Mission Solar has been making solar panels in the United States since 2014 and is owned by OCI Company, a South Korean chemical conglomerate that is involved with solar project development and polysilicon production. OCI started the assembler to supply panels to its own utility-scale projects in Texas. Mission Solar has since worked through solar panel distribution channels and mostly supplied the U.S. residential sector but was attempting plays into larger markets. The company is currently listed as having a 500-MW annual module assembly capacity in San Antonio.

Sam Martens, president of Mission Solar, submitted testimony in the ongoing antidumping/countervailing duty (AD/CVD) investigation into solar cell imports from India, Indonesia and Laos. In addition to reiterating to the U.S. International Trade Commission the challenges the U.S. solar industry faces from unfairly priced imports, Martens commented on Mission Solar’s Texas factory.

“Despite trying our best to be cost-competitive, our customers repeatedly told us that our prices are too high. Subject producers have even offered prices well below our cost of production. We simply cannot cut prices that far, and we often ended up losing the sale instead,” he said. “The continual loss of sales and revenue forced us to curtail our production, leaving us with significant excess capacity.

“Lower utilization has naturally resulted in reduced shifts and reduced employees,” Martens continued. “For example, we previously employed more than 200 workers. But, due to the market conditions caused by subject imports, we only had 70 employees by 2025, and have now temporarily ceased all manufacturing operations and related employment.

“If injurious subject imports remain unrestrained in the face of potentially shrinking demand, I am afraid that the domestic industry will once again face rising closures and mass layoffs,” he concluded.

There have been no layoff announcements by Mission Solar in Texas worker adjustment and retraining notification notices, so if employment has been temporarily ceased, it’s likely to have resulted in furloughs. When asked, Mission Solar representatives were unable to comment on the matter to Solar Power World.

It’s an unfortunate trend for long-established U.S. solar panel manufacturers. Silfab Solar furloughed workers in August at its South Carolina manufacturing site due to “temporary constraints affecting the availability of certain materials required for production.” Heliene laid off nearly 100 workers in August at its Minnesota solar panel assembly facility due to “unforeseen business circumstances.” Qcells furloughed 1,000 employees at its Georgia operations last year, but was able resume production four months later.

Mission Solar, which has long operated a small-output solar panel factory at a mixed-use community located on the former Brooks Air Force Base, announced in 2022 it would expand operations to reach 1 GW of annual module manufacturing capacity. The company built a 200,000-sq-ft addition on its property, but it was instead later described as a warehouse.

The warehouse was then assumed to become the starting point of Mission and OCI’s solar cell manufacturing operations, which the two companies announced in 2025. They would invest $265 million into the site to eventually reach 2 GW of annual cell manufacturing capacity. Martens confirmed in his ITC testimony that actual construction plans never progressed further.

That warehouse is back in play after a filing with the Texas Dept. of Licensing and Regulation in August. The filing says that $15 million will be spent to renovate the existing warehouse into the “Elite Solar factory [f]or manufacturing.” Construction is expected to begin in October and be completed in June 2027.

Elite Solar, a Singapore-headquartered panel brand (previously known as ET Solar), has affiliated panel manufacturing operations across the globe. The company’s flagship sites are now based in Egypt and Indonesia, but it has a longstanding relationship with OCI and is jointly developing a solar wafer production facility in Vietnam. This partnership could be extending to panel manufacturing in Texas.

Elite Solar provided no comment when asked by Solar Power World about the San Antonio factory plans.

Source link