New U.S. Manufacturing Facilities From Eli Lilly, Caracol, Modine, and More
Key Highlights
- Caracol's new additive facility in Texas has the capacity to produce up to 100 large-format additive manufacturing systems annually.
- New Balance's $65 million expansion in Maine enhances domestic footwear production.
- Modine invests $100 million to expand data center cooling manufacturing across multiple U.S. sites.
- Eli Lilly's $6.5 billion Texas facility uses advanced digital manufacturing technologies.
- XNERGY's new 330,000 sq. ft. Arizona facility will produce next-generation air-cooled chillers for data centers
Caracol Opens New U.S. Headquarters in Austin
Who: Caracol, a large-format additive manufacturing (LFAM) company
Where: Austin, Texas
Details: Caracol has opened a new 10,000 sq. ft. U.S. headquarters and production center to expand its presence in North America. The facility consolidates assembly, R&D, application development, and customer support, with the capacity to produce up to 100 Heron AM (polymer) and Vipra AM (metal wire) systems annually.
The Austin site also includes an application development hub for joint projects with manufacturers, as well as spare parts and a field service team to provide faster customer support. Built to align with ISO 9001, EN 9100 (aerospace), and ISO 14001 (environmental) standards, the facility is designed to accelerate system delivery, enable local co-development, and support scaling of large-format AM solutions.
Caracol reports that the U.S. already accounts for about 40% of its global business, with demand rising in aerospace, transportation, energy, tooling, and design markets. The new headquarters is intended to meet that demand while supporting Caracol’s continued growth in both polymer and metal LFAM platforms.
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New Balance Expands Central Maine Footwear Factory
Who: New Balance, athletic footwear manufacturer
Where: Skowhegan, Maine
Details: New Balance has completed a $65 million expansion of its Central Maine factory, adding a 120,000 sq. ft. single-story building and renovating 20,000 sq. ft. of its existing 5-story facility. The project consolidates regional operations into a best-in-class manufacturing hub designed to integrate lean processes, new machinery, and automation, improving safety, ergonomics, and productivity.
The factory, which first opened in 1981, now employs 400 associates producing the company's MADE U.S. athletic footwear. Across its five New England facilities, New Balance employs about 1,200 workers, making it the only major athletic shoe brand that continues to manufacture in the United States.
The Skowhegan expansion strengthens New Balance's domestic supply chain and supports its goal of growing U.S.-based production. The company is also investing in robotics and automation to expand capacity and enhance quality in its MADE footwear line, which contains 70% or more domestic value.
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Modine Invests $100 Million to Expand U.S. Data Center Cooling Manufacturing
Who: Modine, thermal management technology manufacturer
Where: Dallas, TX; Grenada, MS; Franklin, WI; Jefferson City, MO
Details: Modine is investing $100 million over the next 12-18 months to expand U.S. manufacturing capacity for its Airedale by Modine data center cooling products, addressing surging demand from hyperscale and colocation customers.
The expansion includes a new facility in the Dallas area, growth at its Grenada, MS site, and the repurposing of facilities in Franklin, WI, and Jefferson City, MO. In Franklin, Modine recently leased a 153,000 sq. ft. plant and plans to employ 300 workers by March 2026, with hiring already underway for manufacturing operators, welders, assemblers, technicians, engineers, and logistics staff.
The investment will also boost engineering, product development, and testing capabilities while creating new jobs and retraining current employees. With this expansion, Modine projects its total data center revenue could approach $2 billion by 2028.
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Lilly to Build $6.5 Billion Pharmaceutical Facility in Texas
Who: Eli Lilly and Company, a pharmaceutical manufacturer
Where: Generation Park, Houston, Texas
Details: Eli Lilly is investing $6.5 billion to construct its next-generation facility for the domestic production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). The site, one of four new U.S. manufacturing facilities announced this year, will focus on producing small molecule medicines in therapeutic areas such as cardiometabolic health, oncology, immunology, and neuroscience. The plant is expected to be operational within five years.
The Houston facility will use advanced manufacturing technologies, including AI, machine learning, and digitally integrated systems, to streamline operations and ensure a reliable supply of high-quality medicines. It will also manufacture orforglipron, Lilly's first oral GLP-1 receptor agonist, pending regulatory approval.
Lilly estimates the project will create 615 high-wage manufacturing jobs in Houston, along with 4,000 construction jobs. The company selected Generation Park from more than 300 applications, citing workforce potential, utilities, transportation access, and a favorable business environment as key factors.
Earlier this year, Lilly announced plans to increase domestic medicine production by building four new manufacturing sites, with the company recently announcing a site in Virginia and plans to announce two other locations later this year.
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XNERGY to Construct Second Arizona Facility
Who: XNERGY, a manufacturer of thermal management solutions
Where: Mesa, Arizona
Details: Marking its fourth facility expansion in three years, XNERGY is constructing a new 330,000 sq. ft. facility solely dedicated to producing its next-generation air-cooled chiller for data center cooling, bringing the company's operational footprint to nearly 1,000,000 sq. ft. The chiller will integrate XNERGY's proprietary controls and AI with technology from Copeland for better efficiency and performance.
XNERGY currently already has a facility in Mesa for fabrication, referred to as Mesa 1. This new facility, called Mesa 2, will incorporate several dedicated assembly lines for optimal production times, state-of-the-art production systems, digital tracking for the entire manufacturing process, and a $10 million environmental testing chamber to replicate environmental conditions.
XNERGY has stated that its design of this facility was inspired by the automotive industry's strict quality control and efficiency standards. The company anticipates a capacity of 3,000 advanced air-cooled chillers annually.
XNERGY has stated that this facility will create 500 jobs in Mesa once it's operational.
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About the Author
Laura Davis
Editor-in-Chief, New Equipment Digest
Laura Davis is the editor in chief of New Equipment Digest (NED), a brand part of the Manufacturing Group at EndeavorB2B. NED covers all products, equipment, solutions, and technology related to the broad scope of manufacturing, from mops and buckets to robots and automation. Laura has been a manufacturing product writer for eight years, knowledgeable about the ins and outs of the industry, along with what readers are looking for when wanting to learn about the latest products on the market.