New Industrial, Manufacturing and Supply Chain Facility Projects Signal Sustained Capital Investment Across the Southeast in Q2 2026

Capital investment across the Southeast United States held strong through the second quarter of 2026, with new construction, facility expansion, equipment modernization, and plant renovation activity spanning automotive, food and beverage, aerospace, data centers, chemicals, pharmaceutical, and life sciences, and distribution and warehousing. Our research team tracked 375 new industrial, manufacturing, and supply chain facility projects across 11-states in the Southeast. States include: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The collective states continue to show momentum in site selection, plant expansion, and economic development activity.

More than $23.7 billion in capital investment was confirmed across 137 projects tracked this quarter, including 28 projects valued at over $100 million each. Leading the way is a $5 billion aerospace manufacturing facility in North Carolina and a $4 billion automotive plant expansion in Alabama.

The following are selected highlights on new industrial and manufacturing construction news across the Southeast region:

Southeast Manufacturing — By Project Category

Manufacturing/Production – 189 (50%)

Construction – 32 (9%)

Distribution – 30 (8%)

Transportation, Utilities & Data Centers – 30 (8%)

Southeast Manufacturing Activity – By Subsectors

Transportation Equipment – 38

Food & Beverage – 25

Chemicals – 20

Electronic & Electrical Equipment – 18

Fabricated Metal – 16

Industrial Machinery & Equipment – 10

Automotive and aerospace manufacturers led the Southeast manufacturing subsectors this quarter, strengthening the region's rise as a hub for transportation-equipment capital investment, followed by food and beverage processing and chemical manufacturing.

Southeast Manufacturing — By Project Location

Florida – 71

Georgia – 64

North Carolina – 53

Tennessee – 39

Virginia – 35

Alabama – 32

Kentucky – 30

Maryland – 17

South Carolina – 17

Mississippi – 14

West Virginia – 3

Florida, Georgia and North Carolina accounted for nearly half of all new Southeast industrial and manufacturing project activity tracked this quarter.  

Southeast Manufacturing — By Project Scope/Activity

Renovation – 149

New Construction – 136

Equipment Upgrade – 136

Expansion – 67

Relocation – 61

Southeast Manufacturing Equipment Categories in Demand

Across all 375 tracked Southeast industrial and manufacturing projects this quarter, project managers are procuring the following equipment:

●        88%: Lighting, HVAC Equipment

●        85%: Compressed Air Systems

●        83%: Mechanical Construction, Networking/Security Equipment

●        74%: Fire Protection Equipment

●        61%: Material Handling/Storage Equipment

●        56%: Lift Trucks

●        53%: Loading Dock Equipment

●        51%: Conveyors

●        47%: Floor Coatings

●        45%: Cranes and Hoists

Top Tracked Industrial & Manufacturing Projects in the Southeast

NORTH CAROLINA:

Aerospace company is planning to invest $5 billion in the construction of an 8 million sf manufacturing facility in North Carolina. This is the single largest capital investment tracked in the Southeast this quarter. A data center company is seeking approval for a large-scale data center campus with construction expected to start Fall 2026.

ALABAMA:

A car manufacturer is planning to invest $4 billion in the expansion of its automotive manufacturing facility in AL. An electronic component manufacturer, is planning a $500 million manufacturing and research facility.

VIRGINIA:

Data center developer is planning to invest $3 billion in the construction of a data center campus in VA. Battery component manufacturer has started construction on a $1.3 billion, 1 million sf facility.

FLORIDA:

A medical device manufacturer, is investing $1 billion in the construction of a distribution facility with construction underway.

SOUTH CAROLINA:

A refined metals company is planning to invest $1 billion in the renovation and equipment upgrade of an 800,000 sf manufacturing. Candy manufacturer is planning a $675 million processing and warehouse campus.

Largest Planned Project

The largest project tracked in the Southeast region this quarter is owned by JetZero, an aerospace manufacturer planning to invest $5 billion in the construction of an 8 million sf manufacturing facility in North Carolina.

About Industrial SalesLeads, Inc.

Since 1959, Industrial SalesLeads, based in Jacksonville, FL is a leader in delivering industrial capital project intelligence and prospecting services for sales and marketing teams to ensure a predictable and scalable pipeline. Our Industrial Market Intelligence, IMI identifies timely insights on companies planning significant capital investments such as new construction, expansion, relocation, equipment modernization and plant closings in industrial facilities. The Outsourced Prospecting Services, an extension to your sales team, is designed to drive growth with qualified meetings and appointments for your internal sales team. Visit us at salesleadsinc.com.

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