It’s just business: manufacturing moves from American Woodmark, DTE Energy, PersonalHour, 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: PersonalHour, a company that sells exercise equipment, announced May 13 it would expand its Dublin, Ohio factory to include a dedicated pilates reformer frame facility. According to a company release, the $4 million expansion will reduce — but not eliminate — the company’s reliance on overseas contract manufacturing for its products and expects the plant to produce 40 reformer frames a day.

Expansion: Microporous will build a new battery separator factory in Danville, Virginia. In an April 30 announcement, the company said it had secured funding for the plant, which is expected to help support 65 gigawatt-hours of battery production a year, and plans to start construction this month. Local news site WFMY reports the company plans to hire 2,015 people at the location, including engineers, maintenance technicians, and quality control technicians.

Expansion: Gelatys, a U.S. gelato manufacturer, announced May 27 it would open a new gelato factory in Fort Myers, Florida. The $8 million plant is expected to yield a 30,000-square-foot factory run by 50 new employees. In a company statement, Gelatys said the factory would make the company’s gelato mini pops novelty gelato products.  

Partnership: DTE Energy announced May 27 it would invest $1.6 billion in a partnership with LG Energy Solution Vertech to set up a series of battery energy storage systems in Michigan. In a company statement, DTE Energy said the money would be good for eight battery-storage projects over a period of two years: The energy company expects to use the batteries to store electricity during excess generation periods and save them for peak demand hours.

Acquisition: MasterBrand, Inc. and American Woodmark Corporation announced May 28 the two cabinetry companies had completed their merger. In a joint statement, the companies said they expected to save $90 million on synergies within three years. Dave Banyard, CEO of MasterBrand, said the merger unites two companies with “complementary strengths.”