Two employees at a Pittsburgh manufacturing site

Build the Future of Advanced Manufacturing in Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh region is for the makers, the creators, the innovators. Our manufacturing story is one of invention and reinvention. Pittsburgh manufacturing has roots in a culture of creating materials that built the world. While today’s advanced manufacturing companies continue to contribute in the same way, our expertise in advanced materials, engineering, smart factories and R&D has made Pittsburgh a future-focused laboratory for industries like next-generation metals, advanced materials, additive manufacturing, coatings and chemicals.  

Pittsburgh’s legacy in manufacturing is evolving. The U.S. Economic Development Administration recently awarded the region a $62.7M federal Build Back Better Regional Challenge grant. As part of that grant, the Pittsburgh region will accelerate the commercialization of robotics technologies in manufacturing and other industries.

Top manufacturing companies in Pennsylvania are based in the Pittsburgh area, including Coherent, Eos Energy Enterprises, U.S. Steel and Wabtec. Manufacturing firms choose the Pittsburgh region due to its proximity to customers and suppliers. Whether you’re a tenured powerhouse company or a new business, Pittsburgh offers high-quality infrastructure as well as access to a deep talent pool, making it an ideal location for those who want to be part of the future of advanced manufacturing.

2,800+

manufacturing companies

91,100+

employment

$8.5B

capital investment
(2012-22)

 

r&d ECOSYSTEM

Heinz Innovation Center in Pittsburgh, PA

Kraft Heinz Innovation Center

Located in the northern suburb of Warrendale, the Kraft Heinz Company has a 43,000 SF facility where it focuses on research and development and quality assurance for its food products.

Group of workers at PPG Research & Development Center in Pittsburgh, PA

PPG Research & Development Center

Located in the Allison Park suburb of Pittsburgh, the PPG Research & Development Center is the company’s primary research and development facility for paint and coatings. The facility creates and tests sealants, adhesives and pretreatment solutions for everything from cars and trucks to consumer electronics and heavy machinery.

Exterior view of Shell Polymers Innovation Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Shell Polymers Innovation Center

The Shell Polymers Innovation Center in Beaver County is an 85,000 SF facility with analytical and testing labs and an applications hall for polymers research. The facility includes three different employee teams: laboratory and analytical staff, a technical services team and a technology team.

An interior view of the U.S. Steel Research & Technology Center in Pittsburgh, PA

U.S. Steel Research & Technology Center

At U.S. Steel’s Research & Technology Center in Munhall, the company tests and creates new batches of steel at a smaller scale. Academic scientists, leading steel industry experts and U.S. Steel’s customers work together to apply advanced technology to drive product development and production.

 

PITTSBURGH’S Manufacturing TALENT

Two employees in advanced manufacturing at work

2,600+

engineering grads (2021-2022)

370+

trade program grads (2021-2022)

2.16

location quotient for materials manufacturing employment

Workforce Training Centers

Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC)’s West Hills Center
The West Hills Center is a premier training facility for skilled and technical trades careers. It houses CCAC’s advanced manufacturing and automation degrees with its signature Mechatronics lab, robotics, and mechanical and electrical trainers.

Community College of Beaver County (CCBC)’s Shell Center for Process Technology
CCBC designed the Process Technology Associate in Applied Science program to prepare students for high-demand careers as process technicians or to further their education towards a four-year degree in engineering or management. 

Westmoreland County Community College’s Advanced Technology Center
The center provides hands-on learning opportunities for Westmoreland County Community College students and incumbent workers in high-demand, technically oriented careers in manufacturing, energy and other industry sectors

Key Investments

Apr 2016 Schoolhouse Electric

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50 New Jobs
$7,000,000 Capital Investment

Schoolhouse Electric and Supply Co. of Portland, Ore., plans a $7 million renovation that would bring 50 jobs to Pittsburgh over three years. Founded in 2003, Schoolhouse manufactures light fixtures and home accessories.

Apr 2016 Schoolhouse Electric

Jun 2016 Royal Dutch Shell

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600 New Jobs
$6,000,000,000 Capital Investment

Final investment decision made to proceed with developing ethane cracker in Potter Township.

Jun 2016 Royal Dutch Shell

Jan 2017 Dura-Bond Industries

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100 New Jobs

Dura-Bond Industries purchased equipment from U.S. Steel’s idled McKeesport plant and is leasing the 317,000 SF plant from the Regional Industrial Development Corp. and hopes to begin producing tubular products primarily for the energy industry within six to nine months.

Jan 2017 Dura-Bond Industries

Feb 2017 Boeing

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60 New Jobs
$2,700,000 Capital Investment

Located in Fayette Business Park, Boeing is adding on an additional 60,000 SF. Boeing is a global leader providing command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, reconnaissance and combat systems for the United States military and our allies.

Feb 2017 Boeing

Nov 2017 Perryman Co.

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50 New Jobs
$50,000,000 Capital Investment

Perryman will invest $50 million in two new furnaces at its California, Pa., plant, citing strong demand from the aerospace industry. The furnaces will be installed late 2018 and will create about 50 new jobs once they are fully operational in mid-2019. The furnaces will also produce titanium for customers in the medical industry and manufacturers that use the high-strength, lightweight metal to 3-D print parts and components.

Nov 2017 Perryman Co.

Mar 2018 Elliott Group

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150 New Jobs

Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corp. approved a purchase and sale agreement with the Elliott Group for $600,000 for the 13.8-acre Jeanette Glass property. The company proposes to build a cryogenic pump test stand on the former glass plant property. The company employs about 875 people at its U.S. headquarters along Route 130 in Jeannette.

Mar 2018 Elliott Group

Apr 2018 EQS (Ellwood Quality Steels)

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25 New Jobs
$60,000,000 Capital Investment

A $60 million expansion project by EQS — a supplier of engineered, heavy metal components to customers all over the world — broke ground on a 110,000 SF facility that initially to add 25 jobs to the 700 that already exist in the company’s New Castle, Ellwood City and Wilmington Township locations.

Apr 2018 EQS (Ellwood Quality Steels)

Oct 2018 Niagara Bottling

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50 New Jobs
$64,000,000 Capital Investment

Niagara Bottling, a maker of private label bottled water, said it will open a 456,000 SF manufacturing facility at the Findlay Industrial Park for regional distribution. The $64 million project is expected to create more than 50 jobs.

Oct 2018 Niagara Bottling

Dec 2018 General Carbide

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100 New Jobs
$14,000,000 Capital Investment

General Carbide added 100 new jobs in a major expansion over 18 months. The $14 million expansion will add 60,000 SF to the company’s main plant in Hempfield’s Carbon neighborhood. The majority of jobs created in the expansion will be for machinists, but there will be positions in the lab and engineering departments as well as some for general laborers.

Dec 2018 General Carbide

Feb 2019 Shell Polymers Innovation Center

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60 New Jobs
$70,000,000 Capital Investment

The Shell Polymers Innovation Center, will also include a Center of Expertise for polyethylene as well as labs and an application hall. The facility will be about 85,000 SF. Once operational, the facility will employ 60 people broken up into three specific teams: laboratory and analytical staff, a technical services team and a technology team.

Feb 2019 Shell Polymers Innovation Center

Oct 2019 Wabtec

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80 New Jobs

This rail products firm opened its new headquarters on the Northside for its 170 employees and plans to have about 250 people there over the next few years.

Oct 2019 Wabtec

Nov 2019 Forms + Surfaces, Inc.

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115 New Jobs
$15,650,000 Capital Investment

Forms + Surfaces, Inc., a manufacturer of architectural products, will expand its operations in Allegheny County, supporting the combined creation and retention of 346 full-time jobs. The company has pledged to invest $15.65 million into the project, and has committed to create at least 115 new, full-time jobs and retain 231 existing jobs over the next three years.

Nov 2019 Forms + Surfaces, Inc.

Nov 2019 GE Renewables

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100 New Jobs

GE Renewable Energy plans to expand its Speers workforce by 50% over the next year. A division of Paris-based General Electric, GE Renewable plans to add 100 or more employees at the Mon Valley plant, an electrical equipment manufacturer, by the end of 2020. About 200 are currently employed at the site. The expansion is the result of a consolidation of switchgear operations by the company.

Nov 2019 GE Renewables

Jan 2020 Hemp Synergistics

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30 New Jobs
$1,500,000 Capital Investment

Officially launched in October 2019, closed a $1.5 million seed round and plans to build out a Zelienople headquarters with the funding. The company will lease 18,700 SF at Jackson’s Pointe Commerce Park to establish both office and manufacturing space that will open in February.

Jan 2020 Hemp Synergistics

Feb 2020 Ameri-Precision Metals

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100 New Jobs

Ameri-Precision Metals Inc. announced Tuesday that it has begun work on a 250,000 SF facility on Curry Avenue, where the two-year-old company will produce cold-rolled and heat-treated high carbon steel strips.

Feb 2020 Ameri-Precision Metals

Sep 2020 Thar Process

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100 New Jobs

Thar Process grew at a rate of 463.4% between 2017 and 2019 and increased revenue from $4.1 million in 2017 to $23.1 million in 2019.

Sep 2020 Thar Process

Oct 2020 Ellwood Specialty Steel

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$4,000,000 Capital Investment

Ellwood Specialty Steel Group broke ground on a $4 million distribution facility in New Wilmington. The 20,000 SF expansion is expected to be complete in April/May 2021.

Oct 2020 Ellwood Specialty Steel

Nov 2020 Braskem

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20 New Jobs
$10,000,000 Capital Investment

Braskem completed a $10 million expansion of its U.S. Innovation and Technology Center, operating the full space of the building which it owns.

Nov 2020 Braskem

Dec 2020 Intervala

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140 New Jobs
$2,250,000 Capital Investment

RIDC has received a $2.25 million loan from the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority to help with a possible expansion of Intervala’s footprint from 136,500 SF to about 220,000 SF at RIDC Westmoreland.

Dec 2020 Intervala

Mar 2021 FilterBuy

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120 New Jobs
$2,150,000 Capital Investment

FilterBuy has entered a long-term lease for 137,000 SF of production and distribution space in New Kensington.

Mar 2021 FilterBuy

Apr 2021 Tenaris

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250 New Jobs
$15,000,000 Capital Investment

Tenaris invested $11 million at its Koppel melt shop for facility expansions in September 2020 and has increased that amount to $15 million to upgrade the facility’s steel bar size capabilities, add new cranes, revamp existing cranes and add a new production management system.

Apr 2021 Tenaris

Apr 2021 Stoelzle Glass

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15 New Jobs
$50,000,000 Capital Investment

Stoelzle will invest $50,000,000 over the next four years in upgraded technology and employee training at the plant.

Apr 2021 Stoelzle Glass

May 2021 Innovative Electronics

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220 New Jobs
$5,000,000 Capital Investment

Aragra Technologies is planning to construct a 50,000 SF building at Starpointe that will eventually employ as many as 220 workers. Innovative Electronics, a subsidiary of Aragra, will move to the new manufacturing plant.

May 2021 Innovative Electronics

Jul 2021 Evoqua

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10 New Jobs
$10,000,000 Capital Investment

Evoqua Water Technologies will establish a new “sustainability and innovation hub” at Tech Forge in Lawrenceville. The company will be leasing nearly 18,000 SF at the tech-flex building.

*Xylem Inc. acquired Evoqua Water Technologies Corp. in May 2023.

Jul 2021 Evoqua

Sep 2021 Quality Support LLC

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10 New Jobs
$1,440,000 Capital Investment

Quality Support LLC will build a new manufacturing plant and consolidate operations in a $1.44 million dollar project. The company will construct a 10,000 SF cut room steel building and renovate four buildings.

Sep 2021 Quality Support LLC

Oct 2021 Trulieve

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800 New Jobs

Trulieve plans to develop a new 508,000 SF processing facility in McKeesport. The company purchased the land from RIDC for $10.37 million dollars, and the new operation is expected to employ 800 people.

Oct 2021 Trulieve

Apr 2022 Bunting Architectural Metals

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80 New Jobs
$16,800,000 Capital Investment

Bunting Architectural Metals has purchased a 333,980 SF facility on 24.3 acres of land in New Castle, which will create 79 new jobs. Bunting will invest $16.8 million into the project over the next four years.

Apr 2022 Bunting Architectural Metals

Jun 2022 BCI Steel

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120 New Jobs
$5,000,000 Capital Investment

BCI Steel Co. is partnering with global solar company Nextracker to manufacture solar energy equipment at a former Bethlehem Steel facility in Leetsdale. The project will create upwards of 120 jobs over three phases.

Jun 2022 BCI Steel

Jul 2022 Perryman Co.

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$200,000,000 Capital Investment

Perryman Co. plans to install open forge die press at a plant in California Technology Park and additional furnaces to increase titanium melting capacity by over 60%.

Jul 2022 Perryman Co.

Oct 2022 Allegheny Distilling

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$4,000,000 Capital Investment

Allegheny Distilling will open a new facility in Upper St. Clair, which will be renovated to support large-scale distilling technology.

Oct 2022 Allegheny Distilling

May 2023 Re:Build Manufacturing

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300 New Jobs
$81,000,000 Capital Investment

Re:Build Manufacturing announced it is opening a 175,000 SF manufacturing hub that will be a future-forward facility for fabrication, manufacturing, and integration and assembly projects in high-growth, innovation-driven industries that include energy, life sciences, robotics, aerospace and more.

May 2023 Re:Build Manufacturing

Sep 2023 Eos Energy Enterprises, Inc.

×
700 New Jobs

Eos is receiving a $398.6M federal loan to support the expansion of its groundbreaking long-duration battery technology that’s developed and manufactured here in the region.

Sep 2023 Eos Energy Enterprises, Inc.

EcoSystem Support

Advanced Robotics Manufacturing (ARM) Institute located in Pittsburgh, PA

The Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute

The ARM Institute, an independent nonprofit founded by Carnegie Mellon University, accelerates the development and adoption of innovative robotics technologies. Its network of industry, academia and government partners strives to make robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomy more accessible to both large and small manufacturers.

Worker holding an iPad while analyzing a robot

Catalyst Connection

Part of the Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center Network, this private, not-for-profit group offers events, webinars, workshops, conferences and other opportunities to the region’s manufacturing community. From navigating supply chain challenges to accessing grants, its goal is to help manufacturers respond to changing markets, new technology and the competitive pressures of the global economy.

Researcher wearing a lab coat working in a laboratory

National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) – Pittsburgh

NETL focuses on applied research for the clean production and use of domestic energy resources, helping to reduce the carbon emissions of manufacturers. This facility is one of only five American facilities supporting the Department of Energy with transformative science and technology solutions.

An engineering student holding a manufacturing piece at the Swanson School of Engineering,

University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering

The Swanson School of Engineering has attracted $6M in grants over the last decade. It’s also home to the ANSYS Additive Manufacturing Research Lab, which provides access to several machines and services to Pitt faculty and research partners. The lab develops advanced tools for customers in this era of additive manufacturing, with a focus on metal, polymer and composite materials. 

Global Connections

Startup Genome logo

Startup Genome, a global leader in ecosystem research, spotlights the Pittsburgh startup ecosystem as part of its network of 290+ ecosystems worldwide. Pittsburgh is ranked 23rd nationally and 31st globally in the top emerging ecosystems, with its advanced manufacturing/robotics, life sciences and space tech sectors recognized.  Pittsburgh has also notably experienced 42.6% growth in ecosystem value, per Startup Genome.

 

MANUFACTURING COMPANY SUCCESS STORIES

Re:Build Manufacturing office building in Pittsburgh

Re:Build Manufacturing

Re:Build Manufacturing is opening a 175,000 SF manufacturing hub that will be a future-forward facility for fabrication, manufacturing, and integration and assembly projects in high-growth, innovation-driven industries that include energy, life sciences, robotics, aerospace and more.

Shell Polymers Monaca complex, a top Pittsburgh manufacturing company

Shell

Shell Polymers Monaca is a petrochemical complex in Beaver County that produces polyethylene pellets used to create products that we see and use every day. The complex is the largest “from-the-ground-up” facility investment in the Pittsburgh region in a generation and the first major U.S. project of its type to be built outside the Gulf Coast region in 20 years​.

Group employees at BCI Nextracker, an advanced manufacturing company in Pittsburgh, PA

BCI Nextracker

Occupying a former steel plant in the Pittsburgh region, BCI Steel Co. and Nextracker Inc. joined forces to produce solar tracker equipment for large-scale solar power plants. The components they are creating for the solar industry will combat climate change, increase energy independence and bring back manufacturing jobs from overseas.

Group of Krystal Biotech employees wearing lab coats and masks in Pittsburgh, PA

Krystal Biotech

Krystal Biotech is a gene therapy company that uses its proprietary Skin TARgeted Delivery (STAR-D) platform to develop and commercialize treatments for rare dermatological diseases. Most notably, Krystal developed the first and only FDA-approved drug to treat dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa.

 

 

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Mike Henderson
Senior Director, Business Investment