It’s just business: manufacturing moves from 3M, JST Power Equipment, York Space Systems, and more

The business of manufacturing never stops. Industrial companies merge, invest and strategically expand to keep competitive, even under adverse business conditions. Read on for more details on five such expansions and acquisitions made by industrial and manufacturing companies.

Expansion: XPEL, a protective film and coating manufacturer, announced May 19 that it would spend $110 million to expand its operations in San Antonio, Texas and purchase a factory in China. Without providing a more-detailed funding breakdown, the company said in a statement the San Antonio deal will purchase a building in which XPEL is already a tenant, allowing it to scale its existing operations there. The location in China will be used to serve the company’s Chinese customers, the company said.

Acquisition: York Space Systems announced May 19 it had agreed to acquire Solestial for an unspecified price. The deal unites York’s national defense and space equipment company with Solestial’s silicon solar cells, designed for use in space. In a statement, York CEO Dirk Wallinger noted his company prefers to invest in U.S.-based manufacturers, while Solestial CTO Mike Lajczok noted the deal will give Solestial more flexibility.

Partnership: Evoloh Inc., an electrolytic stack for hydrogen production manufacturer, announced May 19 it had reached an agreement to deploy its S440 hydrogen-production system at one of 3M Co.’s factories. According to Evoloh, their company will operate the system under a pilot program to examine how the system functions in a live industrial environment. In a company statement, Evoloh’s CEO said the agreement demonstrates the maturity of hydrogen energy applications; 3M’s VP of New Growth Ventures said the partnership unites 3M’s material science with Evoloh’s hydrogen tech.

Expansion: JST Power Equipment, an electrical infrastructure manufacturer, opened a new Virginia transformer manufacturing factory, according to a May 19 company announcement. According to a company statement, the facility will specialize in liquid-filled, pad-mounted single- and three-phase transformers in a variety of sizes. The company anticipates production capacity to reach 150 units in 2026 before scaling to 1,000 units next year.

Expansion: Core Technology Molding Corp. held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new Whitsett, North Carolina facility May 20, local news site WXII12 reported. The plastic-injection molding company’s latest location is 100,000 square feet and will produce high-precision injection-molded parts for automotive, pharmaceutical and medical device industries.