It's just business: manufacturing moves from Blue Origin, Hanwha Defense, American Plastic Toys 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.

Partnership: Hanwha Defense, USA and UNION Technologies announced March 5 the two companies would cooperate to scale production of 155mm ammunition. In a joint statement, Hanwha Defense said its ammunition-production capabilities would be enhanced by cooperation with Union’s software product enabling robotics and a “factories-as-a-stockpile” model. Hanwha Defense USA executive VP Jeff Janey said in a statement his company is “committed to strengthening the defense manufacturing base” and said the partnership would support production scalability.

Expansion: Edgar’s Bakery announced it would invest $13.1 million to build a new production and distribution center in Pelham, Alabama. According to local news source WBRC 6, the expansion is expected to create 50 new jobs producing baked goods for Edgar’s Bakery locations across the state. Local officials approved tax abatements to support the project.

Expansion: Serviacero USA, the United-States arm of the Mexican steelmaker, has purchased land at Gulf Inland Logistics Park of Houston, Texas as a prelude to building its first U.S. manufacturing site there. Neither the cost for the site nor the planned factory was disclosed, but Serviacero USA leadership said in a statement the location and its connection to rail lines would help it serve U.S. customers more efficiently.

Expansion: Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’ commercial spaceflight project, plans to expand its Rocket Park campus on Merritt Island, Florida. According to local news sources, the company has filed permits to build “Project Horizon,” an 800,000-square-foot facility to build commercial space launch vehicles near its existing Final Assembly building. According to Spectrum News 13, costs on the permit application estimate the facility will cost $7.9 million. Spectrum reporter Greg Pallone noted the company is also currently building a rocket-parts manufacturing facility in Titusville.

Acquisition: Gracious Living, a Toronto, Ontario-based manufacturer of resin products, announced March 10 its manufacturing arm, Amara Industries, had closed its acquisition of American Plastic Toys, Inc., including its toy molds, trademarks and digital assets. The price for the acquisition was not listed. In a statement, Co-President of Gracious Living Vince Orlando said American Plastic Toys’ molds would be folded into his company’s operations and continue to provide that company’s plastic toys for toddlers through 6-year-olds.