Today's Manufacturing Pulse
Stellantis to pour $1.08B into next‑gen EV line at Mulhouse plant
President Emmanuel Macron announced Stellantis will invest more than €1 billion (about $1.08 billion) in a next‑generation electric‑vehicle production line at its Mulhouse facility, slated to start in 2029 as part of France’s push to electrify two‑thirds of new cars by 2030.
Also developing:
By the numbers: TIEA Connectors raises $8M Series A
Haddy Demonstrates Agile LFAM Production with LPUSV Maritime Project
Haddy Manufacturing used its large‑format additive manufacturing (LFAM) process to 3D‑print the hull of HavocAI’s low‑profile unmanned surface vehicle (LPUSV) in just nine days, moving the vessel from concept to sea trial at unprecedented speed. The hull combines recycled polycarbonate with carbon‑fiber reinforcement, delivering a functional, testable platform without the months‑long lead times of traditional shipbuilding. Haddy’s microfactory model enables localized, on‑demand production of maritime components worldwide. The project showcases how advanced manufacturing can accelerate iteration cycles and reduce costs for defense, logistics and commercial marine applications.
ACCM Celeritas™ SF1600 Delivers Zero-Skew for PCIe 7, 224 Gbps and Beyond
Advanced Chip & Circuit Materials (ACCM) launched Celeritas SF1600, a laminate and prepreg that eliminates fiber‑weave skew, a root cause of timing errors in 224 Gbps PAM4 and higher data rates. The material delivers zero‑skew performance, a low dielectric constant of 2.80,...
CEA-Leti, CEA-List and PSMC Collaborate to Integrate RISC-V and MicroLED Silicon Photonics Into 3D Stacking and Interposer for...
CEA‑Leti, CEA‑List and Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC) announced a partnership to embed CEA‑List’s RISC‑V processor IP and CEA‑Leti’s microLED silicon‑photonic chiplets into PSMC’s 3D‑stacking and interposer platform. The integration replaces traditional copper interconnects with short‑reach, high‑bandwidth optical links, delivering...
Ford Recalls Nearly 255K SUVs for Camera Image Processing Module Errors
Ford Motor Co. is recalling about 255,000 SUVs—including 2025 Explorers, Lincoln Aviators, 2022‑2025 Navigators and 2024‑2025 Nautilus models—after a software flaw can overload image‑processing module A, causing intermittent loss of the rear‑view camera and several advanced driver‑assist systems. The defect is...
UBTech Offers $18 Million Salary to Lure Chief Scientist for Humanoid Robot Push
Shenzhen‑based UBTech Robotics announced a maximum salary of 124 million yuan ($18 million) for a new chief scientist of embodied intelligence. The move highlights intensifying competition for AI talent as Chinese firms race to dominate humanoid robot production for factories and services.
AI Design Tools and 3D‑Printing Propel $13 Trillion Construction Market
HiveASMBLD is completing a 1,700‑sq‑ft 3D‑printed duplex in Houston’s East End while AI‑enhanced BIM platforms are disrupting a $13 trillion industry. The projects showcase how large‑language models and robotic printers are cutting design cycles and construction labor costs.
Intel Boosts Fab 9 and Fab 11X Spending with $500M CHIPS Act Grant and Billions of Internal Capital
Intel announced a major increase in capital spending for its Fab 9 and Fab 11X facilities, tapping a $500 million CHIPS Act grant and billions of internal cash. The move underpins a push to scale advanced chip packaging, a business the...
Foxconn Q1 Revenue Jumps 30% on AI Demand, Flags Middle East Volatility
Foxconn posted a 29.7% year‑on‑year revenue increase to T$2.13 trillion ($66.6 bn) in Q1 2026, powered by surging AI‑related orders. The company cautioned that volatile Middle‑East geopolitics could pressure future growth.
Packaging Shift Lets Amazon, Google Embrace Intel Foundry
Pat’s Law of Something: All major vendors and suppliers are always in talks and testing. I do think this will move forward, though. Packaging is an easier commitment than wafers as it doesn’t force a redesign. Not easy but just...
China's Ag‑Tech Firms Deploy Data‑Driven Greenhouses to 40+ Countries
Lisente Agricultural Technology shipped steel frames for data‑enabled greenhouses to Uzbekistan, marking its 270th project across more than 40 nations. The push leverages AI‑driven irrigation, temperature control and real‑time monitoring, signaling a new wave of Chinese big‑data agriculture abroad.
Swiss Researchers Develop Matrix First Concept for 3D Printed Continuous Fiber Ceramic Structures
Swiss researchers at SUPSI and Spain’s Reinforce3D have unveiled "Matrix First," a manufacturing method that designs internal channels within 3D‑printed ceramic parts for continuous carbon‑fiber reinforcement. The workflow combines laser powder‑bed fusion of a polyamide precursor, ceramic conversion, and simultaneous...
Komatsu D175AX-10 Dozer Debuts at ConExpo
Komatsu unveiled its next‑generation D175AX‑10 dozer at ConExpo 2026, replacing the D155AX‑8 with a completely new frame, powertrain and cab. The machine delivers up to 26% more horsepower, 25% higher material‑moving capacity and 15% better fuel efficiency while tightening the turning...
Hesitation From Port Authorities Slows Automation in Southern California
Port authorities in Southern California are stalling approvals for terminal automation, even though the ILWU‑PMA agreement has guaranteed automation rights since 2008. The region’s two largest gateways, handling about 40% of U.S. container traffic, face land constraints that make automation...
MODEX 2026: Rockwell Automation to Highlight End-to-End Autonomous Operations Platform
Rockwell Automation will unveil its end‑to‑end autonomous operations platform at MODEX 2026 in Atlanta, the first time the company presents a fully connected production logistics solution on the Material Handling Industry stage. The platform ties digital‑twin simulation, orchestration software, OTTO...
What the 6th Edition of UL 9540A Means for Battery Storage Safety Certification
The UL Standards Council released the 6th Edition of UL 9540A on March 13, 2026, introducing mandatory large‑scale fire testing for battery energy storage systems. The new edition requires proof that a thermal‑runaway event in one BESS will not propagate to adjacent units,...
Metal Tariff Adjustments Aren’t a Win for Packaging, Trade Groups Say
The Trump administration revised Section 232 metal tariffs, keeping a 50% rate on products made almost entirely of aluminum, steel or copper while lowering the levy to 25% for derivative items substantially composed of those metals. Items containing 15% or less...
Triumph Foods to Begin $30 Million Expansion of Pork Processing Plant
Triumph Foods announced a $30 million expansion of its St. Joseph, Missouri pork processing plant, adding cold‑storage and shipping capacity along with new equipment. The upgrade is designed to support higher production volumes and modernize the facility. Triumph, the city’s second‑largest...
South 8 Technologies Lands $9.2M California Grant to Scale LiGas Electrolyte Production in San Diego
South 8 Technologies secured a $9.2 million grant from California’s PowerForward Battery Manufacturing program to expand its LiGas® liquefied‑gas electrolyte production in San Diego. The funding will enable the startup to reach an annual electrolyte capacity of 100 MWh and produce 2 MWh of battery cells,...
How Rare Earth Elements Power Modern Electric Lawn Equipment: From Motors to Manufacturing
Electric lawn tools have shifted from noisy gas engines to quiet, battery‑powered devices thanks to rare‑earth permanent magnets and phosphor‑based displays. Neodymium‑praseodymium (NdFeB) magnets provide high torque in compact motors, while dysprosium and terbium preserve magnetic strength at high temperatures....
Advanced Carbons Council 2026 Report Maps Global Graphene Industry
The Advanced Carbons Council (ACC) has published its 2026 Graphene Report, mapping the global graphene industry with 194 verified company profiles and strategic market analysis. The report covers production methods, pricing dynamics, applications across all graphene forms, and standards such...
The Price of Progress: How Manufacturers Are Weighing AI’s Energy Demands
Manufacturers are accelerating AI and robotics deployments, with 81% of executives planning higher AI spend over the next three years. While early‑stage robots like Agility Robotics' Digit cost roughly $1 per shift in electricity, experts warn that energy demand can...
Beyond Gravity Composites Expertise Aid NASA Artemis II Mission
Beyond Gravity, a Swiss carbon‑fiber specialist, is supplying critical hardware for NASA’s Artemis II mission. The firm will deliver the universal stage adapter that connects the Space Launch System to the European Service Module, a 9.9‑meter‑tall structure slated for first use...
Govt Extends Implementation Timeline for Quality Control Order on Electrical Appliances Till October
India's Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade has pushed back the start date for its mandatory quality control order on a broad range of electrical appliances to October 1, 2026, extending the deadline by six months. The order...
Trump Metal Tariffs Stick Around, with some New Exceptions
The Trump administration has reaffirmed its Section 232 tariffs on imported steel, aluminum and copper, keeping the 50% duty on primary metal products while introducing tiered rates for lower‑content items. Products with substantial metal composition now face a 25% duty, those...
AI's Memory Crunch Drives Up Raspberry Pi Prices
AI is hogging memory chips and it’s rippling all the way down to Raspberry Pi prices. Our April issue has two pieces on this you'll want to read: one on the HBM shortage reshaping the chip market, one on what...
Intel Foundry Poised for Packaging Wins, Wafer Demand Drives Momentum
$INTC Foundry is well set up for packaging wins. The market is more eager to hear about wafer wins. But… it all adds up. 👏🏻
Electra Battery Materials Restarts Construction on North America’s First Cobalt Sulfate Refinery
Electra Battery Materials has restarted full‑scale construction of North America’s first cobalt sulfate refinery near Temiskaming Shores, Ontario, after a two‑year pause. The plant is designed to produce 6,500 tonnes of battery‑grade cobalt sulfate per year and is backed by...
Hormel Modernizes Supply Chain with AI Planning Platform
Hormel Foods has rolled out the o9 artificial‑intelligence planning platform across more than 70 of its facilities, linking demand, supply and inventory in a single system. The deployment, completed between March and December 2025, aims to shift the company from...
Avel Robotics Accelerates Aerospace Development with Bordeaux Location, Ongoing Activity Diversification
Avel Robotics, a French specialist in automated fiber placement, opened a commercial office in Bordeaux in January 2026 to sit closer to key aerospace and space players. The move follows the signing of new aerospace contracts, notably a development deal...
A Growing Problem: Lead Testing Uncovers ‘Deeply Concerning Issue’ in Spirulina Supply Chain
Cyanotech’s testing of 37 top‑selling spirulina and greens products found 18 samples—nearly half—exceed California’s Proposition 65 lead limits. Third‑party verification across multiple production lots confirmed the contamination is systemic, originating from offshore sourcing in the Asia‑Pacific region. The study also showed...
Is the NoClogger Really Effective for Desktop 3D Printers?
The NoClogger is a metal rod tool marketed to clear nozzle clogs in desktop FFF 3D printers by pushing material through the hot end. Traditional methods include the cold‑pull technique, which melts debris and retracts filament, and thin metal probes...
Air‑Powered Muscles Enable Robots to Lift 100× Their Weight
Air-powered artificial muscles could help #Robots lift 100 times their weight by Terry Grant, Arizona State University @TechXplore_com Learn more: https://t.co/BylroRmcKJ #Robotics #Engineering #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/h4zn0fIw8B
Silicon Choices Grow in Importance as Industrial AI Moves Closer to the Factory Floor
Industrial AI is moving from centralized clouds to the factory floor, where real‑time inference must run continuously alongside machines. This shift is driven by latency, data volume, and security concerns that make edge processing essential. As a result, the choice...
China Shifts Upstream in Global Production Networks
China moves upstream in production networks. More on this in the Chartbook Top Links today. https://t.co/z8YSI2hXDR
20 Years Later: How Toyota’s Product Development Principles Are Still Core to a Lean Enterprise
The Lean Enterprise Institute podcast revisits the seminal book *The Toyota Product Development System*, highlighting how its core principles still guide modern product development. Co‑author Jim Morgan discusses the research behind Toyota’s integration of people, process, and technology and how...
Auto, Manufacturing CEOs Remain Upbeat on Growth; Bet Big on AI: KPMG
KPMG’s 2025 CEO Outlook shows automotive and industrial manufacturing leaders remain upbeat, with 87% and 81% respectively expressing confidence in sector growth despite geopolitical and cost pressures. Around three‑quarters of CEOs also trust their firms can execute large‑scale transformations. AI...
Terra Industries Scales to 30,000 Drones a Year for African Industrial Security
Terra Industries, a Nigerian robotics startup, has lifted its production ceiling to 30,000 unmanned aerial vehicles per year from its Abuja factory. The move positions the firm to safeguard roughly $11 billion in power, mining and refinery assets across eight African...
Japan Pushes Industrial Robots to Fill Shrinking Workforce, Targets 30% Global Share by 2040
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced a drive to expand AI‑powered industrial robots, seeking a 30% share of the global market by 2040. The push is framed as a response to a demographic crunch that has cut the...
AgileX Launches Pika Pro, Boosting Robot Mobility
AgileX Unveils Pika Pro: Next-Gen #Robotics Platform Takes Mobility to the Next Level by @AgilexRobotics #EmergingTech #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/b2XTLJ5BUB
Broker’s Call: Emmvee Photovoltaic (Add)
Emmvee Photovoltaic is adding a 6 GW integrated cell‑and‑module plant, boosting its total capacity to 16.3 GW of modules and 8.9 GW of cells, making it India’s fourth‑largest solar manufacturer. Kotak Institutional Equities initiates coverage with an Add rating and a DCF‑derived fair...
India's Jindal Steel Lifts Syngas Use on Propane Crunch
Jindal Steel has begun using synthesis gas (syngas) to power its galvanizing and colour‑coating lines, extending the fuel beyond its original direct‑reduced iron (DRI) application. The move addresses acute natural‑gas and propane shortages in India, which have been aggravated by...
Tirupur Textile Units Accelerate Transition to PNG Amid LPG Shortage
Textile manufacturers in Tirupur are fast‑tracking the shift from liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to piped natural gas (PNG) as a prolonged LPG shortage, driven by Middle‑East geopolitical tensions, inflates production costs by roughly 15%. Industry leaders, backed by Adani Total...
Foreign Carmakers Face Collapse as Chinese Ditch Petrol
More foreign marques face a do-or-die moment as Chinese buyers shun petrol cars Following Skoda’s exit from China, other carmakers with falling sales are also likely to close shop this year, analysts say "Overcapacity"? only for ICE cars.. https://t.co/qkeG9VyQIL via @scmpnews
In Person Interview: Sai Shivareddy of Nyobolt
Nyobolt CEO Sai Shivareddy says the battery market is booming, with global revenue projected to rise from $154 billion in 2025 to $555 billion by 2033. The company’s fast‑charging cells deliver super‑capacitor power density while retaining lithium‑ion energy, offering ten‑times longer cycle...
Iran Conflict Set to Reshape Global Supply Chains, Dimon Warns
Jamie Dimon. JP Morgan. Iran war. Change GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAINS. Across industries and market sectors. Oil and its distillates and derivatives. Petrochemicals. Sulfur. Alumina. Fertilizer. More.
5 Ways In-House Warehouse Expertise Improves Project Success
Storage Solutions highlights how its in‑house warehouse expertise drives project success across five core areas. By retaining design, engineering, and project management internally, the company tightens schedule control, anticipates hurdles, and delivers customized layouts that boost operational efficiency. Rapid response...
Japan's Rapidus Ramps up 2nm Chip Plans While Eyeing Factories on the Moon
Japan’s state‑backed chipmaker Rapidus has moved its IIM‑1 plant in Hokkaido from construction to an operating pilot line, delivering working two‑nanometer gate‑all‑around prototypes. The company secured a ¥267.6 billion ($1.7 billion) financing round led by the government and over 30 private partners,...
Microsoft, Google Chase Long‑term DRAM Deals with SK Hynix
SK Hynix in talks with Microsoft, Google for long-term DRAM supply Microsoft, Google are also seeking long-term memory supply deals with Samsung; South Korean chipmakers are ramping up capacity https://t.co/qsHPPPLXm1
Why Chemical and Materials Science Engineers Are the Unsung Heroes of Solar Innovation
The solar industry is shifting focus from pure cell physics to materials science as efficiency gains near theoretical limits. With global manufacturing capacity exceeding 1.5 TW and oversupply driving down prices, durability and long‑term reliability have become the primary performance constraints....
Tariff on Auto Parts Doubles Consumer Losses, Cuts U.S. Profits
New @nberpubs: "Tariffs, Global Value Chains, and the Incidence of Protection: Evidence from US Automobiles" https://t.co/qydVvo0gkV Extending tariffs to intermediate inputs doubles consumer losses, "and producer surplus for U.S.-headquartered firms declines by about $2.6 billion" 😲