Manufacturing output down in August; investments by Reckitt, Hitachi
Jeff Kinney and Sara Samora
Fri, September 18, 2026 at 12:36 PM GMT+3 5 min read
This story was originally published on Manufacturing Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Manufacturing Dive newsletter.
U.S. industrial production remained flat month over month in August, and manufacturing output decreased 0.3% after increasing for seven consecutive months, according to the Federal Reserve.
The output of durable manufacturing declined 0.5% in August, while the index for nondurable manufacturing was unchanged.
Capacity utilization was unchanged at 76.3%, or 3.1 percentage points below its average from 1972–2025, the Federal Reserve said.
New orders of metalworking machinery exceeded $500 million in July for the fifth consecutive month, totalling $605.8 million, the Association for Manufacturing Technology reported on Monday. This was an 8% decrease from June 2026 and a 55.2% increase year over year.
This is the second time since the trade group's statistical project began collecting data in 1998 that orders exceeded $500,000 dollars for five consecutive months, AMT said.
Manufacturing technology orders totaled $4.03 billion from January to July 2026, up 37.1% from the same period last year. The group attributed a decline in orders from June to July 2026 to investment reductions in several industries, especially by manufacturers of engines, turbines and other power transmission equipment.
Manufacturers in the forging and stamping sector increased orders to their highest level since December 2012, AMT reported. "From June to July 2026, the value of orders from contract machine shops declined by only 1.3%, and the number of units ordered increased by over 2%, indicating a growing need for additional manufacturing capacity," the trade group said.
Investments
This week saw several investment announcements from various manufacturers.
ArtiCast
Michigan-based die casting manufacturer ArtiCast Holdings announced it will invest $10.3 million to open a factory in a vacant facility formerly owned by Pace Industries. It has pledged to create 100 new jobs at the facility, according to a news release.
ArtiCast Jackson will manufacture components for the aerospace, defense, automotive, humanoid robots and other industries using high-pressure die-casting equipment. The opening will position the company closer to its customers in the Southeastern U.S., Erin Hoffmann, CEO and chairman of ArtiFlex Holdings, said in a statement.
Hitachi Energy
Hitachi Energy said it would spend $528 million to expand its transformer manufacturing facility in Gallman, Mississippi. The expanded facility will be close to and more than twice the size of the company's Crystal Springs plant. It will also double both the company's production capacity and its current workforce in the area by creating more than 700 jobs, per a news release.
According to the company, this will be its largest single investment in the U.S. to date and part of a $1.5 billion overall commitment to American manufacturing. Hitachi Energy has other expansion facility projects in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Tennessee.
Construction is expected to begin late this year, with transformer production at the facility beginning in 2029. The company said it will eventually phase out transformer production at the Crystal Springs facility.
Hovione
Portugal-based pharmaceutical contract manufacturer company Havione opened a new, 31,000-square-foot facility at its East Windsor campus in New Jersey, according to a news release. The opening completes a $100 million investment cycle in U.S.-based manufacturing.
The company said the new facility doubles its commercial spray-drying capacity and will employ about 80 workers. The facility will have two new spray dryers, allowing customers to "reduce technology transfer, facilitate scale-up and provide greater manufacturing continuity," Havione said.
It also noted plans to continue expanding the East Windsor campus over the next five to 10 years, including developing an adjacent property into a 125,000-square-foot manufacturing facility supporting additional laboratories, commercial-scale spray drying and drug product manufacturing.
Kibar Americas
Kiblar Americas, the wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary of Turkey-based aluminum manufacturer Assan Alüminyum, opened its aluminum production facility in Fairmont, West Virginia. The move was part of its ongoing efforts to expand into the U.S., according to a news release.
The company said it has begun production at the facility, which will manufacture aluminum products for the HVAC, packaging, automotive and industrial sectors. The total amount of the investment was not disclosed in the news release.
"The Fairmont investment is an important part of Assan Alüminyum Group's strategy to diversify its manufacturing footprint and build capabilities closer to customers in key markets," Göksal Güngör, managing director of Assan Alüminyum Group, said in a statement. "By combining our strong production, R&D, and sustainability capabilities in Europe with Kibar Americas' manufacturing presence in North America, we are strengthening our global platform and creating a more balanced and resilient foundation for future growth."
Reckitt
Reckitt, a United Kingdom-based health and hygiene company, announced it would spend up to $600 million at two U.S. facilities. The company said it plans to and integrate commercial and research and development capabilities into a campus in New Jersey, as well as expand its largest over-the-counter manufacturing facility in North Carolina.
The maker of Lysol said its New Jersey campus will include a "science and innovation center with best-in-class capabilities in disinfection, microbiology, surface care, laundry care and personal care." The company added that after the North Carolina plant's expansion is complete, it will be the largest OTC manufacturing facility in the U.S.
"These phased investments aim to fast-track innovation, sharpen responsiveness to evolving consumer needs, and strengthen supply resilience to ensure reliable access to essential healthcare products," Reckitt said.
WARN Act posts as of Sept. 18
Although the U.S. manufacturing industry added 16,000 jobs in August, many companies across the country have recently submitted Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notifications informing states of reducing their workforce.
As of Sept. 18, ready-to-eat meals manufacturer Wonder Group announced the most layoffs with 533. The company is closing two facilities in Parsippany, New Jersey, to consolidate its production, sister publication Restaurant Dive reported.
Sapporo's U.S. subsidiary is closing three plants in Escondido, California, laying off 212 people, according to the state's WARN report.
Unemployment insurance claims for the week of Sept. 12 increased about 0.3% compared to the same time last year, with 196,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday.
U.S. manufacturing layoff notices in September so far
Companies such as PepsiCo, Niagara Bottling, Wonder Group and Sapporo are shuttering plants, consolidating production or reducing headcount.
Recommended Reading
Yorumlar (0)
Giriş yaparak yorum yazabilirsin.
İlk yorumu sen yaz.