If our facility sits on AES Indiana's system rather than I&M's or NIPSCO's, what should we budget for in January?

Budget for the Phase 2 rate increase to take effect in January regardless of the March 2027 rehearing outcome, since AES Indiana customers have no comparable rate-relief timeline from this directive.

Should we engage now on Plymouth's infrastructure cost-sharing terms, or wait for an IEDC designation?

Engage now. Once a state Innovation Development District designation is in place, the cost-sharing framework for roads, utilities, and school funding will already be set, and operators who didn't help shape it will have to live with it.

Are we positioned to supply into the Crane hypersonics and microelectronics cluster, or competing against it for workers?

Check both. The cluster is pulling skilled trades and engineering talent from the same Daviess County labor pool your plant draws from, so know whether you're a supplier candidate or a competitor for hires before Kratos and ACMI finish staffing up.

What does Delta Faucet's and AkzoNobel's automation ratio tell us about our own expansion plans?

Both companies grew output faster than headcount, Warsaw added 30% capacity on 10% more staff, so plan your next capacity expansion around automated equipment rather than assuming proportional hiring.

Manufacturing News TEG Daily

October 31, 2026 · Decatur · Marshall · Daviess · Kosciusko · NIPSCO · AES INDIANA · DUKE INDIANA · IM AEP

Braun Fast-Tracks $116.5M in Indiana Utility Rate Relief, ITAMCO Presses Plymouth on Annexation Terms, and Kratos Expands at Crane

Braun fast-tracks $116.5M in Indiana utility rate relief, ITAMCO presses Plymouth annexation terms, and Kratos adds a 3D printer near Crane.

Daniel BurkePublished every day

Governor Mike Braun on Oct. 30 directed the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to speed its review of rate-cutting filings from Indiana Michigan Power and NIPSCO, putting $116.5 million in Indiana utility rate relief on the table for 2027 while AES Indiana ratepayers in central and southern Indiana wait on a rehearing that won't happen until March. Five developments below affect plants in Marshall, Kosciusko, Decatur, and Daviess counties today, covering power costs, capital allocation, workforce competition, and supply chain positioning.

01Statewide

Braun Fast-Tracks $116.5M in Indiana Utility Rate Relief from I&M and NIPSCO

Governor Mike Braun on Oct. 30 formally directed the IURC to expedite review of rate-reducing filings from Fort Wayne-based Indiana Michigan Power and Merrillville-based NIPSCO.

For the huddle: If our facility sits on AES Indiana's system rather than I&M's or NIPSCO's, are we budgeting for the January Phase 2 hike to hit before any rehearing relief arrives, creating a multi-month cost gap versus peers in northern Indiana?

SourcesBraun directs Indiana utility regulators to expedite rate-reduction filings (21alivenews.com)

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02Decatur

Delta Faucet Marks 70 Years at Greensburg Without New Capital Announced

Delta Faucet is using National Manufacturing Month to spotlight more than 70 years of continuous production at its original Greensburg plant in Decatur County, which now employs about 350 of the company's roughly 900 Indiana workers. Site Director Scott Wesseler pointed to specialty finishing work like champagne bronze, and the company framed the anniversary as a recruiting story.

For the huddle: Given Masco's company-wide capex discipline and no new investment tied to this announcement, are we overestimating near-term hiring opportunity at Greensburg versus a more automation-driven, flatter headcount outlook?

SourcesDelta Faucet Company celebrates more than 70 years of manufacturing in the Hoosier state - WISH-TV (yahoo.com)

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03Marshall

ITAMCO's Neidig Demands Written Cost Terms Before Plymouth Annexation Proceeds

ITAMCO President Gary Neidig published an Oct. 31 letter demanding written answers on the company's pending request to annex roughly 900 acres into the City of Plymouth in Marshall County.

For the huddle: If we're drawing from the same CTE and skilled-trades pipeline that Plymouth's innovation district is being built around, should we engage now on infrastructure cost-sharing terms before an IEDC designation locks in a framework we didn't help shape?

SourcesITAMCO letter from Gary Neidig (giant.fm)

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04Daviess

Kratos Adds a Giant Metal 3D Printer at Its Odon Hypersonics Plant Near Crane

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions purchased an AMCM M 8K large-format metal 3D printer from EOS, announced Oct. 27, for installation at its $50 million Indiana Payload Integration Facility in Odon, Daviess County, near Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane.

For the huddle: As the NSWC Crane corridor builds out hypersonics and microelectronics side by side, are we positioned to supply components into that cluster, or are we competing against it for the same local STEM workforce?

SourcesKratos Buys an AMCM M 8K to Increase Its AM Capacity in Indiana (3dprint.com)

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05Kosciusko

AkzoNobel Completes $60M Powder Coatings Expansion, Warsaw Output Up 30%

AkzoNobel announced Oct. 29 the completion of a $60 million investment across three Powder Coatings sites in North America: Warsaw, Indiana; Reading, Pennsylvania; and Monterrey, Mexico.

For the huddle: With Warsaw's output up 30% on only 10% more headcount, what does that automation ratio tell us about our own hiring assumptions the next time we plan a comparable capacity expansion?

SourcesAkzoNobel pumps $60 million into North American manufacturing expansion (indianchemicalnews.com)

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