Advanced Manufacturing continues to grow
If you’re wondering what advanced manufacturing looks like in Northeast Indiana, keep an eye on Huntington.
In April 2026, Hanjung America broke ground on its first U.S.-based manufacturing operation at Riverfork West Industrial Park. The new facility is expected to manufacture components for Energy Storage Systems, or ESS — the technology used to help store, manage, cool, and protect large-scale battery and power systems.
That may sound technical, but the idea is simple: as electric vehicles, renewable energy, data centers, utilities, and large power users continue to grow, the systems behind them need to be safer, smarter, and more reliable. Hanjung America’s Huntington facility will help make that possible.
And for students, job seekers, and families across Northeast Indiana, the project points to something even bigger: advanced manufacturing careers are growing right here at home.
A new kind of manufacturing opportunity
Hanjung America is a subsidiary of South Korea-based Hanjung NCS, a company with experience in automotive components, energy storage systems, electric vehicles, sensors, controllers, and related technologies.
In Huntington, the company plans to manufacture high-performance ESS components that support the electric vehicle battery supply chain and the broader energy storage market. That includes technologies connected to cooling systems and fire-suppression systems — two critical parts of making large energy storage systems safer and more effective.
The facility is expected to begin operations in June 2027. State announcements say the project will start with roughly 300 jobs and could grow to more than 440 jobs in the coming years, with average wages above $28 per hour.
That matters because these are not just jobs on an assembly line. They represent the direction manufacturing is going: cleaner technology, precision systems, advanced materials, quality control, automation, electronics, logistics, safety, maintenance, and engineering support.
Why our region is a natural fit
Hanjung America is not arriving in an empty field. It is joining a county with a strong manufacturing identity.
Huntington County is already home to major employers such as Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, Teijin/CSP, Novae, Incipio Devices, Onward Manufacturing Company, and many others. Together, these companies show the range of what manufacturing looks like today: commercial vehicle systems, advanced composites, trailers and equipment, medical devices, consumer products, metal fabrication, and industrial production.
Hanjung adds another major name to that list — and another example of how Northeast Indiana is connected to national and global supply chains.
Its new facility also strengthens Indiana’s growing role in the electric vehicle and energy storage economy. The components made in Huntington will support major battery manufacturing operations in Kokomo, tying one Northeast Indiana community to one of the state’s largest advanced manufacturing growth sectors.
What kinds of careers could this create?
When people hear “manufacturing,” they sometimes picture one narrow kind of job. But modern manufacturing includes many different career paths.
A facility like Hanjung America’s could involve work in production, assembly, quality inspection, maintenance, logistics, safety, electrical systems, mechanical systems, automation, materials handling, process improvement, engineering, supervision, and operations management.
Some roles may require a high school diploma and employer-provided training. Others may call for a certificate, apprenticeship, associate degree, or four-year degree. The important point is that there are many ways in.
If you like working with your hands, solving problems, using technology, fixing equipment, reading blueprints, operating machines, testing products, or improving how systems work, advanced manufacturing may offer a career path worth exploring.
How students can prepare now
Students interested in careers like these can start building useful skills before graduation.
Classes in manufacturing, robotics, welding, machining, CAD, electronics, construction trades, engineering, computer science, math, and physics can all help. Career and Technical Education programs can also introduce students to the tools, safety practices, and problem-solving skills employers need.
Just as important, students can look for plant tours, job shadows, internships, work-based learning opportunities, and conversations with people already working in the field. Seeing the work up close can make the future feel more real.
The future is being built here
Hanjung America’s Huntington groundbreaking is an important economic development story. It brings a new global manufacturer to Huntington County, strengthens Indiana’s energy storage and electric vehicle supply chain, and adds hundreds of projected jobs.
But it is also a career story.
It shows students and adults that advanced manufacturing is not something far away. It is happening in Huntington. It is happening across Northeast Indiana. And it is creating opportunities for people who want to build, fix, design, test, move, improve, and make things that matter.
The future of manufacturing is being built here — and there is room for more people to be part of it.
Governor Mike Braun was on hand to welcome Hanjung’s new facility to Huntington. He explained why Indiana is attractive to advanced manufacturing companies.