Evonik has opened its active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturing facility in Lafayette, Indiana, following a US$100 million investment to upgrade and modernize the site over the next five years.

The company, which manufactures intermediates, active pharmaceutical ingredients, and excipients for the pharmaceutical industry, is investing US$100 million in the project, which will help secure more than 650 jobs at the facility while contributing to the local economy.

The Tippecanoe Labs site is one of the world's largest facilities for the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients and includes the industry's largest high-potency API operation. The investment will modernize large reactors and other critical systems to improve reliability, increase automation, and enhance ergonomics and efficiency.

The facility manufactures intermediates, active pharmaceutical ingredients, and excipients for the pharmaceutical industry. According to the company, the modernization will strengthen its ability to support increasingly complex drug substance manufacturing while expanding capabilities for U.S.-based contract development and manufacturing services.

In a recent quote, Guido Skudlarek, head of the Health Care business line, Evonik, said, “Strengthening our U.S. drug substance business is a strategic necessity. With demand surging, Tippecanoe plays a pivotal role in creating a more resilient and globally balanced asset footprint.”

Also, Daniel Fricker, head of the Drug Substance product line, Evonik Health Care, said, “API complexity continues to rise, and this investment empowers us to work with our customers on even more challenging molecules for critical indications, such as cancer and metabolic and cardiovascular diseases.”

Caterpillar investing $5 million in Indiana workforce training program. The construction equipment manufacturer says it will spend $100 million on workforce spending over the next five years.

Merrell Bros to spend $16.5 million to expand Indiana HQ, factory. The biosolids treatment factory will hire 35 new jobs through 2028.

Hanjung America Corp. to build first US plant in Huntington, Indiana. The South Korean company produces components used in battery systems, including those used by electric vehicles.