Bechem, Germany’s oldest specialty lubricant manufacturer with over 190 years of expertise, announced the acquisition of CLC Lubricants, a U.S.-based producer of industrial oils, metalworking fluids, and cleaners, effective Aug. 8, 2025.

A press release said that the strategic move establishes Bechem’s first wholly owned production facility in the U.S., located in Geneva, Illinois. It said that CLC Lubricants is a small, privately held company with approximately 23-35 employees and estimated annual revenue between $4.6 million and $5.7 million. The company, which operates from a 27,000-sq-ft facility in Geneva, Illinois, has been in business since 1976.

CLC Lubricants was described as having nearly 50 years of experience and a strong market position, holding ISO 9001:2015 certification, and deep technological expertise. The acquisition enhances Bechem’s global presence and furthers expansion of its footprint in North America following the establishment of Bechem Lubrication Technology in 2014 and Bechem Mexico in 2017.

The CLC Lubricants brand and product portfolio will be retained and complemented by Bechem’s offerings, ensuring continuity for customers. “We are excited to welcome CLC Lubricants into the Bechem family,” said a Bechem spokesperson. “This acquisition strengthens our ability to serve our loyal and future customers with an expanded portfolio, including cleaners and additional domestically produced oils, backed by our shared values of service and innovation.

Governor JB Pritzker joined Manner Polymers, state officials and local leaders on August 28 to cut the ribbon on the company’s new $54 million, 108,000-sq-ft solar-powered manufacturing facility in Mount Vernon, Illinois.

A press release said that the new plant will expand the company’s annual production capacity by 80 million pounds. Its flexible PVC compounds are used for wire and cable, hose and tube, profile extrusion, and sheet products. The plant has a 15-acre solar field, along with additional roof-mounted solar panels, designed to generate nearly all of the electricity the facility requires for its operations. It will provide some 60 jobs.

Manner Polymers CEO Raj Bhargava said that the company’s vision was clear when the expansion project was announced in 2023. That was to “build the lowest cost, highest quality, most environmentally sustainable flexible PVC compounding plant in the world. Not only will we incorporate the most advanced manufacturing control systems available, but we will also produce substantially all the electricity that we use.”

As part of the incentive package, the state of Illinois provided $2.5 million in infrastructure for a new rail spur, which provides direct access to Southern Illinois’ network of rail.

Hitachi Energy has announced a landmark investment of over $1 billion to expand its power transformer manufacturing capacity for critical electrical grid infrastructure in the U.S.

A press release said that a centerpiece of this investment plan is the construction of a new facility in South Boston, Virginia. It will be strategically located by an existing Hitachi Energy plant that makes transformers, allowing seamless integration between transformer manufacturing and cable production, both central components in the push to modernize and expand America’s electric grid.

Hitachi—through its subsidiary Proterial Cable America (formerly Hitachi Cable America)—owns and operates a cable manufacturing plant in Manchester, New Hampshire. This facility produces copper and fiber optic communication cables for the U.S. market, and it is the only large-scale communications cable manufacturing plant that Hitachi owns in the United States.

JDR Cable Systems (JDR), part of the TFKable Group, has won a contract from Liverpool Bay CCS Limited to provide subsea power cables for the Liverpool Bay CO2 Transportation and Storage project.

A press release said that JDR will deliver approximately 100 km of 33 kV subsea cables to power repurposed offshore platforms in Liverpool Bay. The contract has four cables: a primary one linking the shore to the first offshore platform, and three infield cables connecting multiple additional platforms. These platforms will be essential for the injection of CO₂ into depleted offshore reservoirs, forming the backbone of the HyNet North West industrial decarbonization cluster.

The Liverpool Bay area, part of the Irish Sea between northeast Wales, Cheshire, Lancashire and Merseyside in northwest England, is a key location for offshore energy projects.

Kris-Tech Wire has completed a multi-year upgrade of its Houston, Texas facility. The U.S.-based copper wire manufacturer began operations at the Houston site in January 2022. Since then, the company has expanded the facility by 60,000 square feet and increased its presence in the Gulf Coast and Midwest regions.

A press release said that, as part of the upgrade, Kris-Tech expanded its sales and customer service teams based at the Houston location, increased storm stock and high-volume inventory and upgraded shipping capabilities. These improvements enable faster shipments, including critical materials for emergencies, with some deliveries occurring in as little as one to two days.

The warehouse carries Kris-Tech’s line of electrical utility and tracer wire products, as well as PV wire and cathodic protection cable. Custom orders continue to be produced at the company’s Rome, New York headquarters, but the Houston site can now ship key materials directly to sites within a day for certain requests.

Per the company, the Houston site’s location near Beltway 8 and I-45 allows for convenient customer pickups and rapid distribution to key regional markets. Founded in 1984, Kris-Tech manufactures wire products for the building, commercial, and utility sectors in the U.S.