If a county near us pushes toward Nuclear Ready Tier 3 status, should we be lining up now to supply the pressure vessels, forgings, or heat exchangers that SMR developers will need?

Developers like First American Nuclear and Indiana Michigan Power will need to source those components domestically, and a Tier 3 badge nearby is worth tracking as an early indicator of where that procurement will open up.

With Kratos, SK Hynix, and other large capital projects expanding across Indiana while the PJM capacity price increase climbs toward $329 per megawatt-day, what should we actually be watching?

Check whether your facility sits on the PJM or MISO side of the grid. PJM-connected plants should expect this capacity price increase to show up in demand costs before any new supply comes online.

Do we have a workforce pipeline story as sharp as LaGrange's tie to Hyundai Transys?

If your manufacturing day or career fair can't point to a named, dollar-and-jobs-specific local employer win, you're still selling manufacturing in the abstract instead of showing students a real job.

Manufacturing News TEG Daily

October 15, 2026 · Daviess · IM AEP

Indiana Nuclear-Ready Program Opens as PJM Capacity Price Increase Hits Indiana Manufacturers

Indiana's nuclear-ready program opens as the PJM capacity price increase hits Indiana manufacturers, plus Kratos, SK Hynix, and workforce news to track.

Daniel BurkePublished every day

Indiana opened applications this month for its new Advanced Nuclear Ready Communities program, a three-tier designation any county, city, or township in the state can pursue to signal readiness for small modular reactor development. The push lands at the same time PJM's 2026/27 capacity price hit $329.17 per megawatt-day, up from $28.92 two years ago. That PJM capacity price increase is the exact cost pressure Indiana manufacturers sitting on the PJM side of the grid will feel in their demand costs long before any new nuclear supply comes online.

01Statewide

Indiana Opens Applications for Advanced Nuclear Ready Communities Program

The Indiana Office of Energy Development is now accepting applications under a program Gov. Mike Braun announced in July: counties, cities, and townships can apply for Nuclear Aware, Nuclear Prepared, or Nuclear Ready designation based on workforce readiness, site preparation, and formal agreements with developers.

For the huddle: If a nearby county or township reaches Tier 3 'Nuclear Ready' status, are we positioned to bid into the SMR supply chain (pressure vessels, heat exchangers, specialty forgings) that FANCO, I&M, and BWX Technologies will need to source domestically?

SourcesApplications Open for Indiana's Advanced Nuclear Ready Communities Program (buildingindiana.com)

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02Daviess

Kratos Breaks Ground on Radar and Hypersonics Facilities in Odon

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions broke ground on new AN/SPY-1 radar and Helios hypersonics test facilities in Odon, Daviess County, supporting Department of War modernization work tied to Naval Support Activity Crane. The buildout follows the $50 million Indiana Payload Integration Facility the company finished ahead of schedule in July.

For the huddle: With Kratos, Prometheus (its RAFAEL joint venture on solid rocket motors), and NSWC Crane all clustering in the same Daviess/Martin County corridor, do we have the precision-machining or propulsion-component capacity to bid into that supply chain before it locks in with out-of-state vendors?

SourcesKratos Breaks Ground on New AN/SPY-1 Radar and Helios Hypersonics Testing Facilities in Indiana (simplywall.st)

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03Statewide

SK Hynix Ties New U.S. NAND Fab to China Equipment Approval

SK Hynix is reportedly seeking U.S. Commerce Department approval to send additional chipmaking tools to its Solidigm NAND facility in Dalian, China, as a condition for funding a new NAND plant in the United States, according to Reuters. The unfinished Dalian space, called Mod B, has sat partially equipped since the 2023 memory downturn and uses tools from Lam Research, Applied Materials, and KLA.

For the huddle: Does the outcome of SK Hynix's China equipment negotiation change the funding timeline or scope of its West Lafayette HBM packaging plant, and should we be tracking that filing as a leading indicator for our own supply commitments?

SourcesEXCLUSIVE: SK Hynix conditions new US factory on more US chip equipment exports to China, sources say (trendforce.com)

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04Statewide

Husted's Ohio Roundtable Tackles the PJM Capacity Price Increase Behind Indiana's Power Costs

U.S. Sen. Jon Husted hosted a roundtable in Columbus with Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, state regulators, and Ohio manufacturing leaders on the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act, Senate Bill 5653.

For the huddle: If data-center cost-responsibility rules like the 20 MW threshold in S. 5653 become a federal floor, does that relieve or worsen the capacity-price pressure we're already seeing pass through on our PJM-connected accounts?

SourcesHusted hosts Ohio roundtable on federal permitting reform (wowo.com)

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05Statewide

LaGrange's Manufacturing Day Offers a Workforce Pipeline Lesson for Indiana

The LaGrange Development Authority in Troup County, Georgia hosted its fourth annual Manufacturing Day at West Georgia Tech, pairing students from four school districts with 28 industry partners, Georgia AIM's mobile manufacturing studio, and the Be Pro Be Proud trade initiative. LDA Director of Workforce Development Kelley Bush said the event exists to counter old stereotypes about manufacturing work and point students toward what she called the community's highest-paying jobs.

For the huddle: Do our own regional manufacturing-day or workforce-pipeline events have a comparable anchor employer win to point to, and are we tracking which students actually convert to applications the way LaGrange is now being pushed to do?

SourcesMANUFACTURING DAYS: Companies host local students at their sites (lagrangenews.com)

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