Lockheed Martin says munitions manufacturing expansion will create 6,000 U.S. jobs

Lockheed Martin plans to create 6,000 jobs across the United States, including 2,000 in Texas, as it expands munitions production. A $300 million investment in its Grand Prairie operation forms part of a broader commitment to spend $8–9 billion through 2030.

The Texas project will add manufacturing space and equipment for automation, digital production and precision machining. Hadrian will supply a 24-machine automated cell, expected to be operational in early 2027 and run by Lockheed Martin’s production workforce.

Lockheed Martin did not give a hiring timetable or say how many of the new Texas jobs would be at Grand Prairie. Nearly 800 production employees currently work at the facility, which manufactured 250,000 parts in 2025.

The expansion will bring the site’s manufacturing footprint to more than 735,000 square feet. It includes 100,000 square feet of new space and 85,000 square feet of offices being converted for manufacturing.

More than 30 additional high-precision machines installed in recent months are already producing thousands of components each week. The company expects to have added nearly 100 advanced machines at Grand Prairie by the end of 2026.

“Lockheed Martin has brought together commercial speed and combat-proven performance because America needs both,” said Jim Taiclet, the company’s chairman, president and chief executive. “By combining advanced technology with the expertise of our American workforce, we’re transforming manufacturing to deliver critical munitions at speed and scale.”

Grand Prairie supplies components for Missiles and Fire Control programs, including PAC-3 MSE, THAAD, PrSM and JATM. Its output supports final-assembly sites including Camden, Arkansas, and Troy, Alabama.

Lockheed Martin’s wider investment commitment covers modernization or expansion of more than 20 U.S. facilities through 2030. The company is also working with GM Defense to apply automotive manufacturing expertise to defense production.

“This expansion is more than just a new facility; it is a stronger supply chain and a more resilient industrial base,” said Michael P. Duffey, Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment. “Today in Grand Prairie, American industry is answering the call to support our warfighters.”

The company said agreements for PAC-3 MSE, THAAD, PrSM and JATM provide greater certainty for investment in personnel, equipment and supply chains. Those arrangements, developed with Department of War leadership, are intended to support faster production and deliveries.

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US Army aspires to create Indo-Pacific manufacturing hub in Korea

In the Pacific, a single bolt can become a giant headache and the source of months of delay. The bolt that Col. Scott Carpenter held up Monday during the Association of the United States Army’s annual meeting belonged to a Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station turret, and it is back-ordered until February 2027.

At U.S. Army Materiel Support Command — Korea, the unit Carpenter commands, soldiers built the bolt through the drill-out process of subtractive manufacturing for a cost of $1.27, avoiding months of delay and saving more than $300 in the process.

As the Eighth Army in Korea builds out its logistics capability, it’s investing in advanced manufacturing with an eye to supplying spares, not only to local Army forces, but also to troops across the Pacific region.

“I want to be the advanced manufacturing center for INDOPACOM,” Carpenter said at an engagement with reporters at the AUSA meeting. “That’s my goal.”

Eighth Army officials spoke earlier this year about how establishing a Korea-based regional sustainment hub, or center for logistics, maintenance and supply, could cut down the burden and cost of long-distance sustainment. At a roundtable event Monday, Eighth Army Commander Lt. Gen. Joseph Hilber indicated the force was moving out to build that sustainment hub.

“Now, rather than taking equipment that might need a major overhaul and send it back to the United States, we’re looking at ways that we can overhaul it there in Korea and keep it in the fight longer. Keep it west of the [International Dateline] longer,” Hilber said. “That’s going to involve everything from some added manufacturing capabilities to additional repair capabilities that we’ve got in there in terms of being able to fabricate parts, being able to fabricate materials, and then being able to return that equipment back into the fight.”

The Eighth Army has already resourced maintenance support teams that cross service and regional boundaries, departing the Korean Peninsula to support the III Marine Expeditionary Force in Okinawa, Japan, and to Hawaii to support Army rotational units, Carpenter said.

Through additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, and subtractive manufacturing, or cutting a part out of a solid block of metal, the Eighth Army is manufacturing an increasing number of critical parts, Carpenter said. The materiel support command recently acquired a metal 3D printer and is now building out infrastructure to house it.

“But we think come January, February, the metal 3D printer [will be] in, and my goal is … I would like to get to a point where I can 3D print the bolt,” Carpenter said.

U.S. Army officers tour a South Korean navy shipyard to examine 3D printers used for their equipment on March 25, 2026. (Spc. Keli Luangrath/U.S. Army)

By next summer, he said, the Eighth Army is set to receive $3 million worth of advanced manufacturing machines, with some $10 million worth of additional machinery set to be requested in the Army’s fiscal 2028 budget.

“I’ll be able to print bumpers; I’ll be able to print doors,” Carpenter said. “These are not just desktop printers.”

Recently, he said, a Guam-based military unit requested an assembly that would have cost $36,000. The Korea-based team built it through subtractive manufacturing for $82.

Through a request system, Carpenter said, any joint forces member can now request a part and get routed to the Army’s logistics hub in Daegu, South Korea.

“If you’re the Marines operating in Okinawa and you need this bolt … I get this bolt back over to the Marine at a fraction of the cost, and a lot quicker than if they were to order through the supply system,” he said. “So again, we’re maintaining combat power inside the First Island Chain.”

Hilbert said some hurdles remained for the Eighth Army, including intellectual property restrictions with manufacturers; data-sharing to ensure the advanced manufacturing processes deliver components that are up to spec; and seamless connection into existing Army logistics systems not designed for these new modes of parts production.

“We’re continuing to work through those pieces to enable us to fix faster,” Hilbert said.

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US & Philippines to Create 4,000 Acre Manufacturing Zone

The manufacturing zone

The US State Department said in a statement that the hub is expected to serve as a purpose-built platform for allied manufacturing.

The currently conceptual site will serve as an “investment acceleration hub” where the specific industrial activities taking place will be shaped by market demand, host-country comparative advantages and the “evolving needs of the allied network”.

Situated within the Luzon Economic Corridor, the State Department said the Zone can leverage the Philippines’ geographic centrality in the Indo-Pacific as well as “its young and technically skilled workforce”.

This site, the first of its kind, is being designated by the Philippines as an Economic Security Zone, a new model for AI-native investment acceleration hubs being developed under the Pax Silica Initiative.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the administration will ask companies to put forward proposals to compete for a spot in building out the hub, giving priority to bids that will move critical minerals processing and manufacturing away from Chinese suppliers.

China and supply chains

Pax Silica is the Department of State’s effort on AI and supply chain security which spans advanced manufacturing and AI infrastructure with a goal to “reduce coercive dependencies”.

As the US ramps up manufacturing and production of these facilities in line with new technological developments, concerns have been raised about how dependent US supply chains and manufacturing is on China. 

Undersecretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg told the Wall Street Journal: “The current geography of the global supply chain is completely unsustainable.” 

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FANUC America Announces $90 Million Investment to Create Production-Ready Capacity for Robot Manufacturing in the U.S.

ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich., March 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — FANUC America, a global leader in robotics and automation systems, today announced plans for a $90 million investment to acquire property and construct a new 840,000 sq. ft. facility in Michigan providing production-ready space for the potential expansion of the company’s existing U.S.-based manufacturing capabilities for robots.

FANUC America, a global leader in robotics and automation systems, has announced plans for a $90 million investment to acquire property and construct a new 840,000 sq. ft. facility in Michigan, providing production-ready space for the potential expansion of the company’s existing U.S.-based manufacturing capabilities for robots.

Targeted for completion in late 2027, this strategic project is expected to add 225 jobs. This expands FANUC America’s engineering capacity and advanced manufacturing capabilities to support growing demand for automation solutions across North America, including physical AI, virtual commissioning and digital-twin technologies.

“This investment builds on FANUC America’s Michigan manufacturing footprint, which has included producing robots for paint application domestically for more than four decades,” said Mike Cicco, President and CEO, FANUC America. “By expanding its U.S. presence, FANUC America will strengthen domestic manufacturing, improve responsiveness to customer needs, and support industries that rely on automation to stay competitive.”

With this announcement, FANUC America will have invested nearly $300 million in multiple new facilities, increased the company’s footprint to 3 million sq. ft. and created more than 700 jobs in the United States since 2019.

“FANUC America is committed to supporting U.S. reindustrialization by delivering state-of-the-art automation technologies to customers and broadening access to advanced manufacturing workplace training services,” Cicco said. “The newly expanded FANUC Academy—opening in Auburn Hills, MI, later this year—will become the largest robotics and automation skills-development center in the United States, helping address the national manufacturing skills gap, rising demand for automation talent, the shift toward AI-enabled robotics and the country’s overall competitiveness.”

About FANUC America Corporation 
FANUC America Corporation, a subsidiary of FANUC CORPORATION in Japan, provides industry-leading CNC systems, robotics and ROBOMACHINEs. FANUC’s innovative technologies and proven expertise help manufacturers maximize efficiency and maintain a competitive edge.

FANUC America is headquartered at 3900 W. Hamlin Road, Rochester Hills, MI 48309, and has facilities throughout North and South America. For more information, please call: 888-FANUC-US (888-326-8287) or visit our website: www.fanucamerica.com . Also, connect with us on YouTube, X, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Media Contact:
[email protected]

SOURCE Fanuc America Corporation

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AbbVie to create 300 new jobs with $380m Illinois manufacturing investment

AbbVie has announced a $380m investment to build two new active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing facilities at its North Chicago campus, expanding U.S. production capacity for next-generation medicines and creating around 300 new jobs.

The new facilities will support production of AbbVie’s future neuroscience and obesity treatments, integrating advanced manufacturing technologies and artificial intelligence into API production processes. Construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2026, with both plants expected to be operational by 2029.

AbbVie CEO Robert A. Michael said the project reflects the company’s long-term commitment to U.S. manufacturing.

“This milestone demonstrates further progress against our $100bn commitment to U.S. R&D and capital investments over the next decade,” he said. “By strengthening our U.S. manufacturing capabilities, we are well-positioned to support our investment in innovation and enhance our ability to deliver next-generation medicines to patients.”

API manufacturing involves producing the active components responsible for a drug’s therapeutic effects, a complex multi-step process often outsourced globally. AbbVie has spent the past six months outlining plans to expand API capacity in the United States.

In September 2025, the company broke ground on a chemical synthesis facility intended to bring production of selected neuroscience, immunology and oncology APIs back from Europe and Asia to the U.S.

The latest investment is expected to support approximately 300 new roles in North Chicago, including engineers, scientists, manufacturing operators and laboratory technicians.

AbbVie employs around 29,000 people across the United States, including more than 6,000 at its domestic manufacturing sites and over 11,500 in Illinois. The North Chicago expansion reinforces the company’s long-standing presence in the state, where it is headquartered.

The investment also forms part of a wider U.S. manufacturing push. AbbVie recently announced plans to acquire a device manufacturing facility in Arizona and expand operations in Massachusetts, and said it is in talks with several states about additional projects expected to be announced in 2026.

AbbVie’s move reflects a wider trend across North American pharmaceutical manufacturing, where companies are investing in domestic API production to improve supply-chain resilience, meet regulatory expectations, and take advantage of government incentives.

As demand rises for obesity and neuroscience treatments, increased U.S. API capacity could play a key role in ensuring reliable supply while accelerating the adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies.

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