If Hoosier Energy can't backstop the CANDU nuclear study financially the way AEP is backing the competing Sullivan County project, could our plant be a candidate industrial anchor buyer?

Hoosier Energy has no generation assets since retiring Merom, so the CANDU campus needs a creditworthy industrial offtaker before it moves past the study phase, worth a conversation with Hoosier Energy or the state before the field narrows.

Are we positioned to serve as a second-source supplier if Lockheed's sole-source concentration on the Columbia City sonobuoy line draws Navy or congressional scrutiny?

The Navy's full-rate production decision on the AN/SSQ-125B is expected in 2027-2028, and any single-point-of-failure concern raised before then is the window to position as backup capacity.

With AI-related job postings surging fastest in manufacturing-adjacent sales roles and Samsung SDI's New Carlisle chemistry pivot scrambling the regional battery supply chain, where are we most exposed to falling behind both trends?

Check whether any supplier agreements assumed NCA cathode demand from the original Samsung SDI plan, and start internal AI reskilling in sales and operations roles rather than competing for scarce outside hires.

With Amazon's $100,000 wage floor landing in Johnson County on a 2027-2028 timeline, are we prepared to lose CNC, welding and controls staff to that project?

The wage gap is close to double current Tier 1 and Tier 2 supplier pay in the region, so a retention plan or counter-offer needs to be in place well before Amazon's 2028 launch, not after the first resignation.

Manufacturing News TEG Daily

November 2, 2026 · Whitley · St. Joseph · Johnson · AES INDIANA

Indiana Nuclear MOU, Lockheed's $3.4B Sonobuoy Buy, and Amazon Greenwood Manufacturing Jobs at $100K

Indiana's CANDU nuclear MOU, Lockheed's $3.4B Columbia City buy, and Amazon Greenwood manufacturing jobs at $100K: what Indiana operators need to track.

Daniel BurkePublished every day

Indiana manufacturers got three separate developments this week on where capital, labor and power are headed, and the one with the fastest clock is Amazon Greenwood manufacturing jobs paying near $100,000 starting in 2027. The State of Indiana, Hoosier Energy and AtkinsRéalis signed a study agreement for a 6 gigawatt CANDU nuclear campus. Lockheed Martin closed a $3.4 billion acquisition that puts a Whitley County sonobuoy plant inside the world's largest defense contractor. And a new tech workforce report shows AI skill demand already climbing fastest in manufacturing-adjacent job postings, not software.

01Sullivan

AtkinsRéalis, Indiana and Hoosier Energy Sign MOU to Study 6 GW CANDU Nuclear Campus

AtkinsRéalis, the State of Indiana and Hoosier Energy signed a memorandum of understanding on October 19 to study a campus of up to eight CANDU reactors capable of delivering up to 6.0 gigawatts of baseload power. No site, financing plan, power buyer or construction schedule has been named, and the agreement leaves room for gas-fired bridge plants and reuse of retired coal sites.

For the huddle: If Hoosier Energy can't backstop this project financially the way AEP is backstopping the competing Sullivan County SMR deal, could our plant be a candidate industrial anchor buyer, and what would that commitment require of us?

Sources6 GW CANDU Nuclear Project: AtkinsRéalis, Indiana and Hoosier Signs MoU to Deliver Eight Reactors (constructionreviewonline.com)

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02Whitley

Lockheed Martin Completes $3.4B Ultra Maritime Acquisition, Adds Columbia City Sonobuoy Plant

Lockheed Martin completed its $3.4 billion acquisition of Ultra Maritime on November 2, giving the defense giant its first Indiana facility: the Columbia City plant that manufactures sonobuoys used to detect submarines. Senior Vice President Mark Kenny told the Northeast Indiana Defense Summit in Fort Wayne that production will continue as is while Lockheed expands into unmanned maritime systems.

For the huddle: Are we positioned to serve as a second-source or overflow supplier if Lockheed's sole-source concentration at Columbia City draws Navy or congressional scrutiny over single-point-of-failure risk?

SourcesLockheed Martin completes $3.4B acquisition of maritime defense company with Indiana presence (21alivenews.com)

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03Statewide

Indiana Tech Workforce Hits 124,098 as AI Demand Spills Into Manufacturing

CompTIA's State of the Tech Workforce 2026 report projects Indiana net tech employment of 124,098 in 2026, up 2.3 percent year over year, enough to land the state in the top 10 nationally. A companion TechPoint and Central Indiana Corporate Partnership survey found artificial intelligence and machine learning the most critical skills gap among Indiana employers, with AI-related job postings up 440 percent from 2023 to 2025.

For the huddle: Given AI-related postings are surging fastest in sales and manufacturing-adjacent roles rather than core IT, where in our own operation should we be building internal AI reskilling instead of competing for scarce, expensive external hires?

SourcesNew Report: Tech Demands Fuel Workforce Growth (buildingindiana.com)

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04St. Joseph

Studebaker Museum's 'Motor City, Indiana' Exhibit Sits Two Miles From a Stalled Samsung SDI Battery Plant

The Studebaker National Museum in South Bend opened "Motor City, Indiana," an exhibit running through January 31 that documents early auto manufacturers across South Bend, Mishawaka and Elkhart. A companion exhibit marks the 100th anniversary of the 840-acre Studebaker Proving Ground in New Carlisle, a site Navistar still operates as a fee-for-service test facility today.

For the huddle: If our supply chain assumed NCA cathode demand tied to Samsung SDI's original New Carlisle plan, have we confirmed whether that demand reversal toward LFP/ESS chemistry changes our order book?

SourcesMOTOR CITY, INDIANA (emueagles.com)

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05Johnson

Amazon's $100M Greenwood Plant Brings Amazon Greenwood Manufacturing Jobs at Nearly $100,000

Amazon is investing more than $100 million in a 585,000-square-foot advanced manufacturing plant at 1175 Collins Road in Greenwood, purchasing and equipping an existing building rather than building new. The project will create 300 skilled manufacturing and engineering positions by the end of 2028, and Amazon Greenwood manufacturing jobs will pay an average of nearly $100,000 a year for roles including CNC operators, welders, powder coating technicians and controls engineers.

For the huddle: With a $100,000 wage floor arriving in Johnson County on a 2027-2028 timeline, how exposed is our skilled-trades retention plan to a pay gap nearly double what we're currently offering CNC, welding and controls staff?

SourcesAmazon to invest $100 million in advanced manufacturing facility in Indiana (therobotreport.com)

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