Howmet Expansion Advances for Enterprise Zone Tax Refunds

Local aerospace and transportation suppliers should watch the $70 million, 200-job expansion as the state weighs designation.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Regional Economics

Wide view of a steel-clad industrial building and an empty graded lot on flat prairie under a clear pale sky, suggesting planned manufacturing growth. — Wichita Falls City Council voted Tuesday, November 3, to nominate Howmet Castings and Services, Inc. for Texas Enterprise Zone designation tied to a planned $70 million, 200-job expansion. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Wichita Falls City Council voted Tuesday, November 3, to nominate Howmet Castings and Services, Inc. for designation under the Texas Enterprise Zone Program, tied to a planned $70 million expansion adding about 100,000 square feet of manufacturing space. For local operators, the designation would make the company eligible for additional state incentives if the state approves it.

Why it matters

The expansion is a supplier-side signal for Wichita Falls businesses: Howmet manufactures components for the aerospace and transportation industries and has operated in the city for nearly five decades. The council's approval does not guarantee Howmet will receive incentives, so the outcome depends on state action.

Howmet plans a $70 million investment adding about 100,000 square feet of manufacturing space and roughly 200 full-time jobs, which would lift its local workforce to about 1,100 employees. The city previously approved an incentive package of up to $5.275 million in September.

The players

Howmet Aerospace

A large aerospace and transportation components manufacturer that has operated in Wichita Falls for nearly five decades and is planning this expansion.

Texas Enterprise Zone Program

A state program that offers sales and use tax refunds to qualifying businesses based on capital investment and job creation.

Wichita Falls City Council

The local governing body that approved the nomination resolution and the earlier incentive package for Howmet.

The details

The Texas Enterprise Zone Program lets qualifying businesses receive sales and use tax refunds based on capital investment and job creation. The council's resolution nominates Howmet Castings and Services, Inc. for that designation, and if the state approves it, the company could qualify for additional economic development incentives. The expansion site sits immediately west of Howmet's existing facility near Bacon Switch Road and Interstate 44.

September: City council approved an economic development incentive package of up to $5.275 million for Howmet.
Tuesday, November 3: Council approved the Enterprise Zone nomination resolution.
December 1: Deadline for Enterprise Zone program applications.

Market Landscape

Local incentive packages paired with state Enterprise Zone designations are a common way Texas cities compete to retain manufacturing capacity. The Howmet nomination follows that pattern, layering a city incentive package from September with a pending state tax-refund designation.

Operators in Wichita Falls's aerospace and transportation supply chain should track the expansion as a sign of added local demand and hiring. Businesses weighing site or incentive decisions should note that the city's approval does not guarantee the state designation or the incentives that follow.

The takeaway

Watch the December 1 Enterprise Zone application deadline and the state's decision, since the outcome determines whether Howmet's expansion incentives materialize. Operators with suppliers or customers tied to aerospace and transportation manufacturing should monitor the hiring and procurement signals that follow.