Is our shop positioned to supply into the Army's MV-75 engine program before Rolls-Royce's 2028 production ramp locks in its vendor base?

Rolls-Royce's West Lafayette test facility now certifies the AE 1107F engine for the Army's MV-75 Cheyenne, a program that could need 1,000 to 2,000-plus engines starting in 2028, so suppliers who want in should make contact well before that vendor base locks in.

If Indiana's CANDU nuclear MOU and the competing Sullivan County SMR project both lean on interim gas plants, how exposed is our power cost forecast regardless of which one wins?

Both the AtkinsRéalis CANDU proposal and the AEP/X-energy Sullivan County SMR deal discuss building natural gas plants to bridge the gap before nuclear capacity arrives, and those gas plants typically get capitalized into the rate base years before any new generation comes online, so your five-year power cost forecast should assume that cost lands no matter which project moves forward.

Can our margins absorb Power Up Indiana's 25% wage-increase requirement to access the state's training match?

Power Up Indiana requires a 25% wage increase upon training completion to qualify for the $5,000-per-employee match, a step larger employers like Gaylor Electric and Cook Group can absorb more easily than tighter-margin mid-size fabricators, so check your own margin structure against that requirement before you count on the program.

Manufacturing News TEG Daily

October 21, 2026 · Marion · Tippecanoe · Porter · Allen

Rolls-Royce's $1B Indianapolis Campus, Indiana's Nuclear MOU for CANDU Reactors, and Cleveland-Cliffs' Burns Harbor Delay: What Indiana Manufacturers Need to Watch

Indiana's CANDU nuclear MOU, Rolls-Royce's $1B Indianapolis campus, and Cleveland-Cliffs' Burns Harbor delay: what Indiana manufacturers need to track.

Daniel BurkePublished every day

Rolls-Royce finished a decade-long, $1 billion rebuild of its Indianapolis engine campus in Marion County this fall, the State of Indiana signed a memorandum of understanding for up to 6 gigawatts of CANDU nuclear reactors, and Cleveland-Cliffs bought Indiana steel buyers another year of incumbent supply out of its Burns Harbor mill in Porter County. A defense contractor showcase lands in Fort Wayne's Allen County next week, and Governor Braun's workforce program is racing a 2028 cleanroom deadline it may not beat. Five stories, one question: where does your plant sit in the supply chain, the power market, and the labor pool two years from now?

01Marion · Tippecanoe

Rolls-Royce Completes $1 Billion Indianapolis Defense Engine Campus

Rolls-Royce marked the Aug. 27 completion of a $1 billion, decade-long rebuild of its Indianapolis manufacturing and test campus, the largest U.S. investment in company history.

For the huddle: If the West Lafayette test facility is the certification gateway for the Army's MV-75 engine, are we positioned now to bid into that supply chain before the 2028 production ramp locks in its vendor base?

SourcesHow Leaders Navigated Rolls-Royce’s $1B Transformation (buildingindiana.com)

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02Statewide

Indiana Signs Nuclear MOU for Up to 6 GW of CANDU Reactors

AtkinsRéalis, the State of Indiana, and Hoosier Energy signed a memorandum of understanding on Oct. 19 to study a campus of up to eight CANDU reactors capable of 6.0 gigawatts.

For the huddle: If both the CANDU and Sullivan County SMR proposals lean on interim gas plants getting capitalized into the rate base before any new generation comes online, how exposed is our power cost forecast over the next five years regardless of which project wins?

SourcesHoosier Energy to explore building 6-gigawatt nuclear project with AtkinsRéalis (constructionreviewonline.com)

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03Porter

Cleveland-Cliffs Delays Burns Harbor Reline, Posts Strongest Quarter in Three Years

Cleveland-Cliffs reported Q3 revenue of $5.6 billion, up 18.5% year over year, and net income of $165 million against a $234 million loss a year ago. CFO Celso Goncalves credited stronger automotive shipments and falling unit costs, and the company pushed the blast furnace reline at its Burns Harbor, Porter County plant from mid-2027 to April 2028 to capture the current pricing environment.

For the huddle: Have we locked in our 2027 flat-rolled contracts at current index-linked prices, and does our supply plan assume Dearborn's 2-million-ton idled capacity stays offline?

SourcesCleveland-Cliffs posts ‘strongest’ quarter in three years: CFO (manufacturingdive.com)

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04Allen

Sen. Banks' Fort Wayne Defense Summit Puts Contested Contracts on Stage

Sen. Jim Banks hosts his 5th annual Northeast Indiana Defense Summit Oct.

For the huddle: Could our shop supply into the Castelion or Saronic contract ecosystems being discussed at this summit, and do we know who at NSWC Crane to approach before those performance requirements get locked in?

SourcesSenator Jim Banks to Host Northeast Indiana Defense Summit in Fort Wayne October 27-28 (wowo.com)

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05Statewide

Gov. Braun's Power Up Indiana Workforce Push Faces a Funding and Timing Gap

At the Oct. 14-15 Indiana Workforce Summit in Indianapolis, Governor Braun and new IEDC President Mitch Frazier touted Power Up Indiana, which they say has engaged more than 30,000 Hoosier employers, alongside Secretary of Commerce Chuck Goodrich and the READI initiative.

For the huddle: Can our shop's margins actually absorb Power Up's 25% wage-step requirement to access the state match, or are we exactly the kind of mid-size fabricator this program's design excludes?

SourcesGov. Braun Champions Workforce Development, Job Training for Economic Growth (giant.fm)

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