Ultium Cells and Caterpillar each committed roughly $1 billion to U.S. manufacturing this week, with the GM-LG Energy Solution battery joint venture retooling its Spring Hill, Tennessee, plant and the heavy-equipment OEM breaking ground on a new Sanford, North Carolina, factory. Genentech and Avio USA added separate facility announcements of $750 million and $500 million respectively, rounding out one of the heavier investment weeks of the year for U.S. industrial construction.

What does Ultium Cells get for its $1 billion?

Ultium Cells will spend $1 billion retooling its Spring Hill facility to produce lithium manganese-rich (LMR) prismatic battery cells, the JV said Wednesday. The chemistry offers energy density 33% greater than lithium iron phosphate at a comparable cost, according to a news release. If the project holds its schedule, Ultium will become the first manufacturer to produce LMR prismatic cells commercially. GM said the Spring Hill location will continue making high-nickel batteries in parallel.

The work will create 500 jobs. Modifications begin later this year; completion is set for 2028.

GM and LG formed the joint venture in late 2019 and originally invested more than $2.3 billion in Spring Hill, their second facility, followed by a $275 million expansion in 2022. Ultium restarted battery cell output at its Warren, Ohio, plant in August after a seven-month shutdown tied to weaker consumer demand, Reuters reported.

Why is Caterpillar adding a North Carolina plant?

Caterpillar will invest about $1 billion on a new manufacturing facility in Sanford, North Carolina, the company said Wednesday. The site will produce compact track loaders and telehandlers for small contractors and growing businesses in construction, landscaping and agriculture. According to a Caterpillar news release, the factory will be "modern, technology-enabled," built around advanced manufacturing, automation, digital production systems and integrated logistics. The OEM disclosed no job count, construction timeline or incentive package.

What else broke ground this week?

• Genentech broke ground Monday on a $750 million expansion of its Hillsboro, Oregon, fill-finish facility, adding 211,000 square feet and doubling the existing site. Operations begin in 2031. The project will create 250 jobs in oncology, neurology and immunology drug delivery and ties into a $50 billion U.S. commitment from Genentech and parent Roche Group.
• Avio USA, a subsidiary of Italy's Avio, broke ground Tuesday on a $500 million solid rocket motor plant in Hurt, Virginia. The 900,000-square-foot facility will supply thousands of rocket motors per year to Lockheed Martin and Raytheon programs and add roughly 1,500 jobs in Southern Virginia. Construction ends late 2028; production begins early 2029. Virginia has signaled up to $97.7 million in incentives tied to investment and headcount milestones.

What to watch next

• Ultium's first commercial LMR prismatic cell output from Spring Hill, targeted for 2028
• Caterpillar's Sanford site footprint, headcount and incentive package, all undisclosed
• Spring Hill LMR line modifications, scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter
• Avio USA's first motor deliveries from Hurt, targeted for early 2029