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Manufacturing

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Mid-America Business Conditions Index reaches highest level since March 2025

The Creighton University Mid-America Business Conditions Index moved above growth neutral in March with its highest reading since March 2025. The index, an economic indicator for a nine-state region including Iowa, was 55.6, up from …

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Barn Town’s steady growth avoids missteps

About three years ago, Pete Faber bought land on Waukee’s west side with plans to build a production facility for his brewery, Barn Town, which had outgrown its space in a strip retail center along …

Billie Asmus

Made in Iowa Podcast: 4 takeaways from conversation with Repaint Studios’ Billie Asmus

Billie Asmus didn’t set out to build a national retail brand — she just wanted a better way to pause a painting project when her daughter woke up from a nap. Standing at her mudroom …

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Union describes pending Whirlpool layoffs as ‘systematic disassembly’ of Amana plant 

Five assembly lines with multiple shifts operated at Whirlpool’s manufacturing plant in Amana just five years ago, a union official said during a news conference today.

By this summer, the plant will operate one assembly …

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CONSTRUCTION UPDATE: ADR Axles

Footings and foundation are in place for ADR Axles’ new $14.3 million North American headquarters and production facility under construction in Perry. ADR, an Italian company that began operating in the U.S. about eight years …

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IEDA approves incentives for Vermeer expansion to Bondurant

Pella-based Vermeer Corp. plans to expand to Bondurant, where it will create 182 jobs and build a 300,000-square-foot production facility. The Iowa Economic Development Authority board on Friday approved incentives for the project through the…
3M site

Knoxville High School opens advanced manufacturing lab with 3M grant

Carter Loukota wanted to fix up the 1939 Pontiac sedan parked in the Knoxville High School shop class garage and take it to prom. He’s good with wiring and has considered becoming an electrician, so …

Whirlpool

Whirlpool laying off 341 workers from Amana plant

Whirlpool Corp. will lay off 341 workers from its plant in Amana on March 9, a move that is part of the company’s long-term plan to modernize the plant, the company said.

Additional jobs will …

LMT

Precision under pressure: Inside Iowa’s defense manufacturing powerhouse

When firearms manufacturer LMT Defense moved from Illinois to Eldridge, Iowa, five years ago, they brought more than just jobs — they brought a mission. The company has grown from 85 employees in a 30,000-square-foot …

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Pella Corp. opens wellness center for employees, families

Window and door manufacturer Pella Corp. opened its new Pella Corp. Wellness Center Tuesday on Washington Street in Pella. The health care facility, operated by Premise Health, will provide primary and preventive care for about …