Pegatron to Complete US Manufacturing Plant by End of March, Supplies Apple and Dell

Global manufacturing is entering a new phase, and Pegatron is placing a big bet on the United States. The Taiwan-based electronics manufacturer, known worldwide as a key supplier to Apple and Dell, has confirmed that its new US manufacturing plant will be completed by the end of March. This move marks a major step in reshaping global supply chains and reflects how electronics makers are responding to trade pressure, geopolitical risks, and customer demand for local production.

The announcement has caught the attention of investors, policymakers, and technology watchers. Pegatron is one of Apple’s most important assembly partners, alongside Foxconn and Wistron. Any shift in its production footprint signals broader changes in how and where the world’s most popular devices are made.

So why is this move happening now, and what does it mean for Apple, Dell, and the wider tech industry? Let us break it down in simple terms.

Pegatron Confirms US Plant Timeline and Strategy

Pegatron said the US manufacturing plant is expected to be completed by the end of March, with initial operations starting soon after. The facility is part of the company’s long-term plan to diversify production away from an over-reliance on Asia, especially China.

According to company executives, construction work is moving on schedule, and the plant will focus on advanced electronics assembly and system integration. While Pegatron has not disclosed the full list of products to be made at the site, it confirmed that the facility will support orders for major clients, including Apple and Dell.

Why does this timeline matter?
Because large electronics plants take months to test and scale. Completing the site by March allows Pegatron to align production with new product cycles later in the year.

The move was widely discussed online as a signal that global manufacturing is shifting faster than expected.

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Pegatron expects US plant construction to finish by end of March; Taiwan-US trade deal includes $250B investment

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That reaction highlights how investors see Pegatron’s decision as part of a bigger trend rather than a one-off move.

Why Pegatron Is Expanding Manufacturing in the US

The decision to build a US plant did not happen overnight. Several forces are pushing companies like Pegatron to rethink where they make products.

First, geopolitical tensions and trade policies have made companies cautious about concentrating production in one region. Tariffs, export controls, and policy uncertainty have raised costs and risks.

Second, major customers such as Apple and Dell are asking suppliers to localize parts of their supply chain. Producing closer to end markets reduces shipping delays and improves response times.

Third, US incentives and state-level support have made domestic manufacturing more attractive. Tax credits, infrastructure support, and workforce programs help offset higher labor costs.

In short, Pegatron is responding to both pressure and opportunity.

What Will the US Plant Produce for Apple and Dell

While Pegatron has not released a full product list, industry sources suggest the US plant will focus on final assembly, testing, and customization rather than full-scale component manufacturing.

For Apple, this could include limited production runs or specialized configurations of devices for the US market. For Dell, the plant may support enterprise hardware and custom systems that benefit from local assembly.

Why not move everything to the US?
Because full electronics manufacturing requires complex supplier networks. The US plant is meant to complement, not replace, existing facilities in Asia.

This hybrid model allows Pegatron to balance cost efficiency with flexibility and political resilience.

Impact on Apple’s and Dell’s Supply Chains

For Apple, Pegatron’s US expansion supports its broader goal of supply chain diversification. Apple has already increased production in India and Vietnam, and the addition of US capacity adds another layer of resilience.

Dell, which sells a large volume of systems to US businesses and government clients, benefits from local assembly that can meet compliance and delivery requirements more easily.

From a branding point of view, having products assembled in the US also carries symbolic value, especially at a time when governments are encouraging domestic manufacturing.

Does this mean more Apple products will be labeled as US assembled?
Possibly, but likely in limited volumes at first.

Pegatron operates factories across Taiwan, China, Southeast Asia, and now the United States. This global network allows it to shift production based on demand, costs, and policy changes.

The US plant is not Pegatron’s largest facility, but it is strategically important. It gives the company a direct presence in one of its biggest end markets and reduces exposure to sudden trade disruptions.

Executives have said the company will continue to invest in multiple regions rather than betting on a single country.

Market and Investor Reaction

Investors are watching Pegatron closely as supply chains evolve. The company’s move into the US is seen as a long-term investment rather than a short-term profit driver.

Analysts note that margins at the US plant may initially be lower due to higher costs. However, these costs could be offset by stable orders, lower logistics risk, and stronger client relationships.

Some market participants are using AI Stock tools to track how supply chain shifts may affect electronics manufacturers and their customers over time.

Economic and Policy Implications

Pegatron’s US plant also has wider economic implications. New manufacturing facilities create jobs, support local suppliers, and strengthen regional technology ecosystems.

Local governments often welcome such investments, especially when they involve high-skilled manufacturing rather than basic assembly.

At the same time, companies must navigate workforce training, regulatory compliance, and infrastructure challenges.

Is US manufacturing competitive with Asia?
Not on cost alone, but competitiveness improves when stability and speed matter more than price.

Technology Manufacturing and the Bigger Trend

Pegatron’s decision fits into a broader pattern across the tech industry. Semiconductor firms, device makers, and component suppliers are all spreading production across regions.

This trend is driven by risk management rather than pure economics. Companies want to ensure they can deliver products even if one region faces disruption.

Investors studying these changes often rely on AI Stock research to analyze long-term shifts in capital spending and manufacturing strategy.

What Comes Next After March

Once the US plant is completed by the end of March, Pegatron will likely spend several months ramping up operations. Initial output may be modest, with volumes increasing as processes stabilize.

Future expansion will depend on customer demand, policy support, and overall market conditions. Pegatron has said it will review capacity regularly and adjust plans as needed.

For Apple and Dell, the plant provides an option rather than a guarantee of large-scale US production.

Risks and Challenges Ahead

Despite the optimism, challenges remain. Labor availability, cost control, and supply chain coordination will test Pegatron’s execution.

US manufacturing also faces competition from other regions offering lower costs and faster scaling.

Still, most analysts agree that having a US base is a strategic advantage, even if it is not the cheapest option.

Traders and institutions monitoring these risks are increasingly using modern trading tools to react quickly to news about supply chains and capital investment.

Long-Term Outlook for Pegatron

In the long run, Pegatron’s diversified footprint could make it more resilient than competitors tied too closely to one region. The US plant adds flexibility and strengthens ties with key customers.

As technology products become more complex and politically sensitive, suppliers that can adapt quickly may gain an edge.

Some investors are already applying AI stock analysis to Pegatron and similar firms to model how regional production affects earnings stability.

Conclusion

The confirmation that Pegatron will complete its US manufacturing plant by the end of March marks an important milestone for the global electronics supply chain. As a major supplier to Apple and Dell, Pegatron’s move reflects a deeper shift toward diversified and resilient production.

While the US plant will not replace Asia-based manufacturing, it adds a critical layer of flexibility at a time when stability matters as much as cost. For investors, policymakers, and technology partners, Pegatron’s expansion offers a clear signal. The future of manufacturing will be global, balanced, and increasingly close to the customer.

Disclaimer

The content shared by Meyka AI PTY LTD is solely for research and informational purposes. Meyka is not a financial advisory service, and the information provided should not be considered investment or trading advice.

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Trump said tariffs would bring factories ‘roaring back.’ So why are manufacturing jobs on the decline?

Just before President Trump announced his sweeping tariffs on “Liberation Day” last spring, the White House celebrated February’s gain of 10,000 manufacturing jobs, noting that more than 100,000 positions in the sector had been shed in the final year of the Biden administration.

“Manufacturing is Roaring Back,” the White House website declared.

But such gains were short-lived. Manufacturing jobs began to slide again in May and haven’t stopped declining. 72,000 manufacturing positions have been lost since April’s tariffs announcement, including 8,000 roles in December alone.

What gives?

“What we’re seeing is certainly a continuation of trends that began before the Trump administration,” Gordon Hanson, an economist and professor in urban policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, told Yahoo Finance. “But the tariffs haven’t helped.”

Indeed, millions of manufacturing jobs have disappeared from the US since 1979 amid a combination of “powerful” trends, Hanson said, including automation, “the continuing effects of the China trade, and the fact that the US has not done a lot of the things you need to do to restore manufacturing prowess.”

Tariffs are hardly the solution to those problems, Hanson said — though Trump insists otherwise. He vowed in April that jobs and factories would “come roaring back into our country” as levies on imports boosted locally produced goods.

While tariffs do reduce import competition, they can also increase the cost of key components for domestic manufacturers. Take US electric vehicle plants that rely on batteries made with rare earth elements imported from overseas, for instance. Some parts simply aren’t made in the United States.

Read more: What are rare earth minerals, and why are they important?

As for sectors that had already largely left the US, like apparel and textile manufacturing, “a lot of those industries are just substantially gone,” Hanson said, meaning there aren’t many existing factories where production could be ramped up and hires could be made.

Do you have a story about navigating the job market? Reach out to Emma Ockerman here.

Manufacturing is hardly the only industry to add few workers these days: Job growth remains paltry across the board, and what hiring does exist is largely being driven by the healthcare and social assistance sectors.

President Trump tours the assembly line at the Ford River Rouge Complex on Jan. 13 in Dearborn, Mich. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) · Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images

Then there’s the uncertainty caused by the administration’s whipsawing tariff policies, which can lead employers to pull back on hiring as they await greater clarity.

“If Trump just picked a number — whatever it was, 10% or 15% to 20% — we might all say it’s bad, I’d say it’s bad, I think most economists would say it’s bad,” Dean Baker, senior economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, said. “But the worst thing is there’s no certainty about it.”

Story Continues

Trump’s tariff threats against several European nations as he sought control of Greenland, for example, appeared and abated within a matter of days, injecting some volatility into the stock market in the process.

Read more: How Trump’s tariffs affect your money

With rates “constantly changing, what becomes very difficult for businesses is to plan,” Baker added. “I think you’ve had a lot of businesses curtail investment plans because they just don’t know whether the plans will make sense.”

Manufacturing job losses could also be more severe than they appear in preliminary data. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said in December that federal statistics may have overstated job growth by “about 60,000” per month.

It’s “too early to say with any certainty” that these manufacturing jobs would be around if not for the tariffs, Baker noted, but there’s also “zero evidence” that they came charging back.

To be sure, the Biden administration also claimed a renaissance in manufacturing jobs, but that was after massive job destruction in 2020. Though employment in the sector eventually jumped above pre-pandemic levels, the growth was uneven regionally and lagged growth in other sectors, the Economic Innovation Group said in a 2024 analysis. Still, spending on manufacturing construction boomed following the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure bill, 2022 CHIPS Act, and 2022 inflation reduction bill.

That spending declined in 2025.

But, tariffs or no tariffs, a manufacturing employment boom would be difficult to construct.

As a country develops, manufacturing might first rise as a share of employment, but “in every single industrial economy” it declines steadily after a certain point, Robert Lawrence, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and professor of international trade and investment at the Harvard Kennedy School, said.

“It doesn’t matter if you have a trade deficit or a trade surplus,” Lawrence said.

Consumers use the money they save on cheaper goods and spend it on services, where there’s more employment growth. That’s what’s happened in the US, where payroll gains for 2025 were concentrated in services like healthcare, food services, and social assistance.

“I think this is deep,” Lawrence said. “We’ve tried industrial policy, we’ve tried trade protection — even before Trump’s initiatives and Liberation Day tariffs — and we haven’t seen much recovery at all. If anything, it continues to decline.”

Emma Ockerman is a reporter covering the economy and labor for Yahoo Finance. You can reach her at emma.ockerman@yahooinc.com.

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US solar manufacturing momentum affected by shifting tax credits

The U.S. solar manufacturing and supply chain and the industry at large saw major gains in 2025, but they face an uncertain market heading into 2026.

According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, the U.S. can now produce “every major component of the solar supply chain” with growth across multiple categories. This included a 300% increase in solar cells and a 37% increase in solar module production, bumping capacity beyond 60 gigawatts, between the end of 2024 and late 2025.

Despite those gains, some experts say the industry is still far from supplying what the domestic market requires. And the crosswinds of sunsetting tax credits, increased eligibility thresholds and tariffs create a difficult environment for business decisions.

“You’ve seen pretty distinct growth and investment, particularly on the module side. You’ve seen more of it on the cell manufacturing side in the last five years, thanks to tax credits. But we still have a long way to go as an industry in terms of reshoring the rest of that sector,” said Scott Moskowitz, vice president of market strategy and public affairs at manufacturer Qcells.   

President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act is among the top uncertainties that could slow momentum. 

OBBBA accelerates the phase-out of the Investment Tax Credit for solar projects started after 2027 and increases content requirements for the Domestic Content Bonus. While the bill maintains the Section 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit for solar manufacturers, it also sets new exclusions to businesses with connections to Foreign Entities of Concern.

On the other hand, Trump’s widely publicized tariffs introduce a level of market protection that may shield companies from international competition.

Experts say these conflicting political decisions are causing collateral damage to the solar industry.

“Unfortunately [OBBBA] got caught up in an ideological back and forth. People started to pick on technologies that they felt had been favored — the solar, the wind,” said Mike Carr, executive director of the Solar Energy Manufacturers for America Coalition.

The road to reshoring

Until recently, support for U.S. solar manufacturing has been largely bipartisan, supported by trade policy and tax credits. “We are on our fourth straight presidential administration of relatively, I wouldn’t call it consistent, but generally support of using trade policy as a tool to support manufacturers,” said Moskowitz.

Trump’s first administration offered the first of such beneficial conditions via the Section 201 safeguard, imposed in 2018. This allowed the U.S. to enact temporary tariffs on a wide range of products when imports surged.

In response, Qcells made its first investment in the U.S. with the opening of a $200 million solar panel manufacturing facility in Dalton, Georgia. The facility was the largest of its kind in the Western Hemisphere at the time. 

“It was really the kind of market protection that they felt like they had been lacking for a long time,” said Carr. “And it was enough to kind of begin to really think about what a reshoring effort could look like.”  

Under President Joe Biden, the Inflation Reduction Act established the Section 45X tax credit and expanded and extended the ITC, offering 30% credit for solar projects through 2032.

Martin Pochtaruk, CEO of solar panel manufacturer Heliene, said the credits and resultant market growth directly helped his company secure a $150 million investment for its new Rogers, Minnesota manufacturing line in 2024. 

However, the accelerated phase-out of the ITC and modification of 45X under OBBBA threatens the momentum of such crucial efforts to grow production capabilities. 

“We took a pretty substantial hit to manufacturing when they prematurely phased out the ITC for solar, and importantly, from our perspective, the domestic content incentive that went with it,” said Carr. “It reintroduced uncertainty into a fairly certain equation.” 

A three-legged stool approach

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, manufacturers are more eager than ever to localize their production networks. 

“We learned a lot as an economy during the pandemic, when supply chains were tested,” said Moskowitz. “We learned that no industry, and particularly a critical industry like energy, wants to be dependent on imported products if they don’t have to be.”

Business leaders say reversing certain tax credits while advancing tariffs has created a precarious situation.

“Tariffs are not a particularly nimble approach. It takes time for them to be effective. There’s a lot of lobbying against them,” said Carr. “And they’re often time-limited, even in their implementation. Even the [Section] 201 tariffs that started in 2018 were due to expire by 2021, right? That’s not the kind of time frame that allows for scale investments.” 

Those provisions, which enabled Qcell’s $200 million investment, were ultimately extended for four years, but the shifting policy landscape remains challenging.

ording to Carr, reshoring U.S. solar manufacturing demands a three-legged stool approach: tariffs for market protection, supply-side policies to enable multibillion-dollar investments and a domestic content incentive.

Chopping off one leg — by accelerating the sunset of a domestic content incentive that stimulated demand for American-made parts — forces the industry to rely on shifting tariffs and supply-side policy. 

Limits of the current domestic supply chain

Still, there’s no denying that domestic solar manufacturing is on the rise. Corning’s newest hub in Michigan, which aspires to “grab up to 15% of the U.S. market for wafers” — in addition to Nextpower’s Tennessee expansion — proves that both upstream and downstream production is in demand.

But while each individual part of the solar manufacturing sector exists in the U.S., there is not enough to meet all of the current domestic demand, said Moskowitz. 

Pochtaruk echoed the idea, saying the U.S. may have successfully reshored the entire solar supply chain, but “it’s far from supplying what the market requires.”

“Corning’s amazing factory is 1769269922 in place, but it’s just starting up,” said Pochtaruk. He added that the market will still require imports to supplement production.

Corning has not confirmed the plant’s size, though some analysts approximate a 2.5GW capacity. 

Experts agree that policy stability would help with growth, especially when it comes to justifying major investments that might take up to 10 years to amortize, said Pochtaruk.

Referring to Corning’s Michigan factory, he said, “What was the investment? $900 million? You invest that for a long, long time. It’s not just one four-year cycle.” Corning ultimately increased its investment to $1.5 billion, further extending the amortization timeline. 

“This market takes a long time to develop, and it takes a while to build a new factory and for the sales channels to develop,” said Carr. “The biggest thing that has been tough for this industry is the on-again, off-again nature of policy support around it.”

With demand for power skyrocketing and solar widely considered the cheapest form of energy, Carr said the question isn’t whether solar-powered electricity will be in demand or desired, but how much the U.S. will contribute to its production.

“It’s going to continue to be used in our economy. It is, to a certain extent, an inevitability. What’s not inevitable is that we make it,” said Carr. “Do you want to allow reshoring? Or are you comfortable with these kinds of products being made by a sometimes hostile power, or at the very least a trade competitor? We’ve heard from policymakers on both sides of the aisle a resounding ‘no.’”

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U.S. missile manufacturing fails to match wartime tempo

United States missile manufacturing is failing to keep pace with the tempo of modern warfare, raising concerns about how quickly the military can replace precision weapons in a high-intensity conflict. To examine where the bottlenecks lie and how they affect readiness, Defence Blog sought comment from John Borrego, Senior Vice President of Aerospace and Defense at Machina Labs, who has held senior technical and leadership roles at Northrop Grumman, SpaceX, Rocketdyne, and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

In responses provided to Defence Blog, Borrego said manufacturing speed should be measured not by machine output alone, but by how quickly the United States can turn a validated military requirement into fielded weapons at scale.

“In modern missile and advanced weapons production, manufacturing speed means the ability to translate design intent into flight-ready components, iterate quickly, and surge output without months or years of retooling,” Borrego said. “Manufacturing speed isn’t just about how fast machines operate, it’s about how quickly we can turn a validated military need into field-ready firepower.”

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Borrego defined the concept as “time-to-fielded-firepower,” describing it as the full timeline from identifying a requirement or replacing combat losses to delivering qualified, accepted weapons in volume. According to him, this timeline is increasingly out of sync with the pace of modern conflict.

“This matters for readiness because today’s threat environment evolves on operational, not industrial, timelines,” Borrego said. “Adversaries iterate weapons, tactics, and countermeasures faster than legacy defense manufacturing can traditionally respond. If production takes years to adapt, even technically superior systems arrive too late to matter.”

Borrego said manufacturing speed depends on four interconnected timelines that determine whether factories can respond to wartime demand.

The first is “design to producible,” which measures how quickly a concept becomes a buildable and testable design using model-based systems and controlled interfaces. The second is “qualify to ship,” covering how fast materials, processes, suppliers, and first articles can be certified without restarting qualification for every batch. The third is “cycle to throughput,” which reflects how efficiently a factory converts raw inputs into quality-assured hardware. The final clock is “ramp to surge,” or how rapidly output can double or triple without compromising safety, quality, or cost.

According to Borrego, most U.S. defense factories struggle to keep these clocks aligned, especially when demand rises suddenly.

Borrego said the most serious bottlenecks are structural, with tooling at the top of the list. Traditional tooling, he noted, can take years to design and qualify, making rapid scale-up or design changes difficult.

“Most legacy manufacturing processes were built for stable, predictable production,” he said. “When requirements shift, the entire system slows down. By removing tooling from the critical path and digitizing production, surge capacity can scale through machines and software, not timelines.”

He also identified persistent constraints in energetics, including propellants, explosives, cast-cure capacity, and strict handling requirements. Seeker and guidance electronics remain limited by microelectronics, radiation-hardened components, specialized sensors, and secure supply chains. Motors, casings, and specialty materials are constrained by long-lead forgings, castings, composites, and integrated structures.

Single-source sub-tier suppliers present another risk, Borrego said, because many have fragile capacity and no business case for maintaining surge readiness.

Testing infrastructure also delays output, particularly in thermal vacuum testing, vibration testing, ordnance trials, non-destructive testing, metrology, and calibration. Workforce shortages add to the problem, with a limited number of cleared and experienced manufacturing engineers, inspectors, NDT technicians, and energetic handlers, and critical knowledge often concentrated in only a few individuals.

Borrego said an agile, multi-process manufacturing model could change how the U.S. responds to rapid demand spikes or prolonged high-intensity conflict by allowing factories to shift production without waiting for new tooling or facility redesigns.

“In a real surge or drawn-out fight, the challenge isn’t knowing what to build,” he said. “Most factories are locked into doing one thing, one way, and changing that can take months or even years. An agile, multi-process manufacturing model removes that constraint.”

Under this approach, production would rely on modular cells capable of machining, forming, additive manufacturing where appropriate, hybrid layup, assembly, and inspection, all connected by a digital thread. Reconfigurable tooling, reusable fixtures, programmable robotic paths, and parameterized workholding would reduce changeover times and dependence on long-lead hard tools.

Borrego said qualification would also need to be standardized across sites using pre-qualified materials, standardized inspection plans, digital acceptance records, in-line monitoring, and model-based design definitions. This would allow distributed production instead of reliance on a single factory.

Borrego’s warning echoes findings from U.S. government assessments. A 2023 wargame conducted for the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition concluded that, in a conflict with China, the United States would expend its stock of advanced missiles and bombs in less than a month and run out of some critical weapons in a matter of days.

According to Borrego, agile manufacturing is the only way to close that gap without relying on stockpiles that cannot be replenished in time.

“In a prolonged or high-intensity conflict, the central question becomes: can the U.S. sustain both precision and volume?” he said. “Agile, multi-process manufacturing makes this achievable, by building manufacturing depth, not just relying on unreplenishable stockpile depth.”

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Tariff threats prompted pharma production boom last year: report

While the threat of U.S. import tariffs prompted a surge in drug production last year, that output is slated to slow across multiple geographies in 2026. And, even as the biopharma industry enters the new year with greater certainty around the U.S.’ trade policy, the risk of another “tariff flare-up” looms large.

That’s the macro situation according to financial services firm Atradius, which noted in a new industry trend report (PDF) that global pharmaceutical production leapt 9.1% in 2025, mainly on the back of “front-loading activity in anticipation of US tariffs.” 

In 2026, however, output growth is expected to slow to 1.6% as a move toward “retrenchment” results in a slowdown of production growth in the first half of the year, the report predicts.

Nevertheless, a rebound could be not too far behind, with Atradius reckoning that global drug production will eke out 3.7% growth in 2027. That general trend holds true when looking at Atradius’ predictions for the growth of pharmaceutical sales and investments around the world in 2027, too.

As for 2025, the financial services company logged 9.7% growth in global pharmaceutical sales and 5.2% growth in overall industry investment. Atradius expects momentum in those areas will slow to 1.6% and 2.7% in 2026, respectively. 

The Trump administration’s persistent threat of pharmaceutical import tariffs was the driving force behind last year’s manufacturing surge, the experts say.

Still, the overall impact of U.S. trade duties has been “limited,” according to Atradius, which pointed to the exemptions Big Pharma companies have won through White House drug pricing deals as well as country- and region-specific agreements capping U.S. import tariff rates. Furthermore, generic drugs have largely been excluded from President Donald Trump’s trade negotiations, sparing the medicines that make up the bulk of the American public’s prescriptions from supply and price disruptions.

The industry isn’t out of the woods yet, with the report cautioning that “the downside risk of another tariff flare-up remains.”

Earlier this week, following an intensification of Trump’s rhetoric around a potential U.S. acquisition of Greenland, concerns were raised that the threat of new 10% taxes on select European countries that showed military support for the autonomous Danish territory might scupper the U.S.-EU trade deal reached last summer. Under that accord, which still needs to be ratified by European lawmakers, most European exports, including pharmaceuticals, will have tariffs capped at 15%.

Trump ultimately backed down on the threat after reaching the “framework of a future deal” on his Greenland ambitions during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week. Still, the uncertainty his comments cast on previously secured agreements lends credence to Atradius’ “tariff flare-up” warning.

Overall, Atradius suggested industrial policy will play an increasingly large role across the pharmaceutical industry in the coming years, buoyed by government efforts around the globe to reduce reliance on imports and incentivize strategic stockpiling and domestic manufacturing.

“Supply networks of pharmaceuticals and medical devices will become more fragmented due to geopolitical tensions,” the firm predicted.
 

Mapping 2025’s production output
 

In the U.S., pharmaceutical manufacturing output is expected to “decelerate” to 0.9% this year—a marked departure from the 5.2% increase charted in 2025, according to Atradius’ report. The outlook forecasts a 2.5% rebound in U.S. pharmaceutical output growth in 2027.

The report again pointed to industry-won tariff exemptions as a relief for drugmakers in the near term, while caveating that “uncertainty remains, as Washington has repeatedly announced its intention to target medicine imports.”

Aside from the most-favored-nation drug pricing deals that have won many large pharma companies exemptions from tariffs, efforts by the FDA to ease the build-out of new production facilities in the U.S. could also bolster the country’s pharmaceutical output, Atradius said.

At the same time, “high production costs could still make it more cost-effective for pharmaceuticals to be manufactured elsewhere,” the report reads.

Perhaps most striking in Atradius’ report was the 21.6% growth in pharmaceutical output that the U.K. and the EU charted in 2025, again attributed to “front-loading triggered by massive U.S. tariff threats.” In Ireland—a country with a wealth of large pharma manufacturing outposts—production output surged a whopping 41.3% in 2025, according to Atradius. The country is predicted to experience a sharp turn in the other direction this year, with Atradius forecasting a 6.4% output decline.

This year, the U.K. and the EU’s combined output is tipped to “contract temporarily” by 3.7%, by Atradius’ reckoning.

While the EU has presently secured a 15% tariff rate cap, the U.K. has dodged U.S. import duties altogether in part by agreeing to raise the net prices its National Health Service pays for innovative medicines by 25%.

While those agreements blunt the impact of tariffs in Europe, Atradius acknowledged that shifting manufacturing to the U.S.—a key part of Trump’s trade agenda—is both expensive and complex, posing challenges for smaller companies with fewer resources.

Unlike Europe and the U.S., China’s pharmaceutical output is expected to continue growing in 2026. Atradius estimates that the country’s drug production will increase 6.6% this year versus 3.6% growth in 2025. 

China’s exposure to U.S. tariffs is “limited,” and, while the country accounts for some 40% of the world’s active pharmaceutical ingredient output, those drug building blocks aren’t targeted by U.S. tariffs, Atradius noted. 

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US Administration Plans Cuts to Key Industrial Grants Impacting Rust Belt Manufacturing | Ukraine news

The central thrust of the United States’ economic policy under the “America First” banner is to revitalize domestic manufacturing. However, the Trump administration plans to cut one of the key programs that funds the largest industries, including a city at the heart of the Rust Belt – the hometown of Vice President JD Vance.

A $500 million grant from the Biden administration was designated for the Cleveland-Cliffs steel company in Middletown, Ohio, to modernize aging blast furnaces; another $75 million was allocated for a similar project in Pennsylvania.

New furnaces powered by hydrogen, natural gas, and electricity – rather than coal – were meant to extend the plant’s life and secure the company’s future.

But these grants, which were to create more than 100 permanent jobs and 1,200 construction jobs just in Middletown, according to internal administration documents obtained by CNN, are slated to be canceled.

Representatives from the Department of Government Efficiency participated in deciding which programs to keep and which to cut, according to two people familiar with the situation.

“An unelected billionaire who made his fortune on government contracts should not be able to unilaterally stop these programs.”

– Marcy Kaptur

Energy Department spokesperson Ben Ditterich stated that “no final decisions have yet been made” regarding funding, and that “several plans are being considered.”

The Energy Department froze billions of dollars in grant programs during the Biden administration for months, reviewing them and determining which to cut. The $6.3 billion program that financed equipment modernization for Cleveland-Cliffs and other large companies could be cut by nearly half according to internal CNN documents.

Experts warn that such cuts could have a chilling effect on American industry amid a tariff war led by Trump that is undermining markets and supply chains.

“The entire point of OCED and the $6.3 billion grant programs is to invest in companies and industries that have not received funding for decades – steel and cement.”

– a former DOE employee

Samira Fazili, Deputy Director of the National Economic Council under the Biden administration, notes that reductions could deal a serious blow to the United States’ core industries, especially given the economic uncertainty caused by tariffs.

She emphasizes that instead of cutting public investments, strategic investments should be undertaken to preserve manufacturing and strengthen the country’s competitiveness.

Ultimately, experts call for a measured approach: carefully chosen government investments can preserve jobs and the United States’ industrial capacity, particularly in regions tied to essential industries.

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Meyer Burger equipment purchase enables Solestial US manufacturing shift

Solestial, a US-based space solar manufacturer, has acquired solar manufacturing equipment from Meyer Burger to strengthen domestic manufacturing operations in the US. The acquisition enables Solestial to process its silicon solar technology from wafer to cell in house. Equipment was acquired from Meyer Burger’s Hohenstein-Ernstthal facility in Germany, where Solestial’s wafers had previously been processed. Solestial has stated that it plans to shift limited solar cell manufacturing activities from Germany to the US. The Solestial has confirmed that its 30,000 square foot US facility is operational and commissioned for production. The move follows the disruption of a prior manufacturing partnership after Meyer Burger’s German subsidiaries filed for insolvency in May 2025. Recently, Solestial has partnered with NASA Glenn Research Center to advance ultrathin silicon solar array performance through technical testing.

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CPKC investing US$800 million in American manufacturing with Tier 4 locomotives

CALGARY, AB, Jan. 21, 2026 /CNW/ – Canadian Pacific Kansas City (TSX: CP) (NYSE: CP) (CPKC) this year is continuing the renewal of its locomotive fleet with the world’s two leading locomotive manufactures as part of an ongoing multi-year US$800 million investment in American industry.

Tier 4 locomotive (CNW Group/CPKC)

Having completed the purchase of 100 Wabtec Tier 4 locomotives built in Texas in 2025, today CPKC said it will add 30 additional Tier 4 locomotives from Progress Rail in 2026 to be built in Indiana. This year, CPKC also expects delivery of 70 more Texas-built Tier 4 units from Wabtec.

“Our purchase of additional new Tier 4 locomotives, proudly made in the USA, continues CPKC’s commitment to renew our locomotive fleet through a more than US$800 million investment in American manufacturing capacity,” said Mark Redd, CPKC Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “We are investing in our road locomotive fleet for growth and to maintain our industry-leading service for our customers and the North American economy, powered by a fleet with improved reliability and fuel efficiency.”

In January, CPKC expects to receive the first two of 70 Wabtec Evolution Series ET44AC Tier 4 locomotives being built this year for CPKC at the company’s manufacturing facility in Dallas, Texas.

In the second half of 2026, CPKC expects to take delivery of 30 new EMD® SD70ACe-T4 Tier 4 freight locomotives to be manufactured at Progress Rail’s facility in Muncie, Indiana. These locomotives are part of an order for 65 new Tier 4 locomotives to be built by Progress Rail.

These locomotive investments continue CPKC’s locomotive renewal program and are part of CPKC’s previously announced multi-year capital plan.

About CPKC

With its global headquarters in Calgary, Alta., Canada, CPKC is the first and only single-line transnational railway linking Canada, the United States and México, with unrivaled access to major ports from Vancouver to Atlantic Canada to the Gulf Coast to Lázaro Cárdenas, México. Stretching approximately 20,000 route miles and employing 20,000 railroaders, CPKC provides North American customers unparalleled rail service and network reach to key markets across the continent. CPKC is growing with its customers, offering a suite of freight transportation services, logistics solutions and supply chain expertise. Visit cpkcr.com to learn more about the rail advantages of CPKC. CP-IR

CPKC Logo (CNW Group/CPKC) Cision

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EOS invests $3m in United States manufacturing and logistics expansion

EOS has invested 3 million USD into the expansion of its US manufacturing and logistics capacity.

The company has consolidated its North American warehouse and logistics capability at its Pflugerville, Texas, campus into a new 40,000 square foot facility in Belton, Texas, which has enabled the manufacturing space in Pflugerville to be increased.

EOS says the reconfiguration of existing facilities and the opening of the new warehouse demonstrate its commitment to strengthening its U.S. manufacturing capacity. The assembly of its EOS M 290-1, EOS M 290-2, and EOS M 400-4 systems will receive a boost, while EOS has also created more space for a dedicated powder handling area and an in-house machine shop. It is expected that EOS will now be better equipped to meet increasing customer demand and reduce delivery times. The company has also created ten new jobs at the Pflugerville production site, including operations, quality assurance, engineering, and machine commissioning functions.

“Our Texas expansion enables us to scale North American metal AM assembly with both precision and consistency,” said Kent Firestone, SVP of Operations, EOS North America. “From optimising our production areas to onboarding new team members, every step has been carefully designed to accelerate turnaround times while maintaining the quality and reliability our customers expect from EOS.”   

“This expansion demonstrates our continued commitment to support the resurgence of American manufacturing,” added Glynn Fletcher, president of EOS North America. “This manufacturing facility is not just an investment in our own infrastructure; it is also about standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the U.S. manufacturing community to provide products and services for a superior customer experience. It demonstrates our dedication to the growing U.S. markets where our technology is in greatest demand. We fully understand the criticality that AM plays in the future of domestic manufacturing, and this expansion ensures EOS will continue to play a leading role for years to come.” 

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