Know What's Happening in Manufacturing
Know What's Happening in Manufacturing
Goodyear launches $320 million expansion of its Lawton plant
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company announced a $320 million, four‑year expansion of its Lawton, Oklahoma facility, boosting capacity by nearly 30 % and adding the ability to produce an extra 10 million tires annually (about 120,000 per day). The upgrade targets higher‑margin, larger‑rim tires for electric vehicles.
Also developing:
By the numbers: BlackRock acquires 5% stake in Samsung Heavy Industries
Universal Robots announced the UR AI Trainer, a joint solution with Scale AI, at NVIDIA’s GTC 2026. The system uses a leader‑follower robot configuration to record high‑fidelity motion, force and visual data for training vision‑language‑action models. Integrated with UR’s AI Accelerator and Scale’s data stack, it creates a continuous data flywheel for physical AI development. A Generalist AI foundation model demonstrated autonomous smartphone packaging on UR robots, showcasing the platform’s end‑to‑end capabilities.
DHL Supply Chain announced deployment of SVT Robotics' SOFTBOT platform across its global warehouse network. The plug‑and‑play solution lets DHL integrate new robotics up to twelve times faster than its previous custom‑coding approach, shrinking rollout times from weeks to hours....
Desktop 3D printer firms are entering a rapid scaling phase, especially in Asia, where user bases have reached a "hockey stick" growth point. As platforms like Bambu Lab's MakerWorld become commercially significant, right‑sholders are suing over copyrighted models, prompting formal...
Elon Musk unveiled the Terafab initiative, a plan to construct a large‑scale semiconductor fabrication facility. While the project’s budget and timeline were not disclosed, Musk’s recent $20 billion xAI funding round and his Starlink rollout illustrate his capacity to mobilize capital...
Gecko Robotics, the pre‑IPO robotics specialist, won a five‑year, $71 million contract from the U.S. Navy to inspect 18 warships. The deal exceeds the $60 million in revenue the company has generated to date, underscoring the accelerating demand for autonomous inspection technology...
Vermeer introduced four new stand‑on mini track loaders—ML80, ML100, ML130 and ML150—replacing its CTX50 and CTX100 models. The ML80 and ML100 feature radial lift for digging, while the ML130 and ML150 use vertical lift for high‑reach material handling. All models...
General Motors is expanding heavy‑duty truck production at its Flint, Michigan plant, moving from three shifts to up to six days a week to meet soaring demand for Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra HD models. The plant already builds about...
Magis X is launching robotic construction systems in the Philippines, teaming up with Danish 3D‑printing leader COBOD and global partners such as PERI, Holcim and General Electric. The technology uses robotic concrete extrusion guided by digital models to build structural...
Stellantis has filed a lawsuit in Michigan against parts supplier ZF Chassis Modules over a disputed $70 million price increase for suspension modules. The dispute forced a shutdown of the Toluca, Mexico plant that builds Jeep Compass and Cherokee models, halting...
Distribution centers are racing to integrate new automation to meet soaring e‑commerce demand, prompting many to adopt computer simulations before committing capital. Amazon’s design engineering team, led by Abhineet Mittal, has pioneered a modular discrete‑event simulation method that breaks the...
Japan Engine Corp (J‑ENG) has begun hydrogen co‑firing in all cylinders of its 6UEC35LSGH low‑speed two‑stroke engine, the world’s first full‑scale hydrogen engine slated for a 17,500‑DWT merchant vessel. The engine achieved over 95% hydrogen co‑firing at 100% load, confirming...
Stratasys Direct has been chosen for the U.S. Department of War’s Joint Additive Manufacturing Acceptability (JAMA) IV Pilot Parts Program, which aims to accelerate qualification and deployment of 3D‑printed components across military platforms. The initiative builds on Stratasys’ existing footprint...
InvestorNews announced an InvestorTalk on March 31, 2026 at 9 AM EST featuring Brent Willis, President and CEO of Voyageur Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (TSXV:VM). Voyageur is advancing a vertically integrated strategy to produce barium and iodine contrast agents, highlighted by a 132,000‑tonne, 98.8% pure barium...
The European Composites Industry Association (EuCIA) announced that the Latvian Composite Materials Association (LKMA) has become its newest member, extending EuCIA’s representation to 85% of the European composites market. LKMA, founded in 2024, aims to boost Latvia’s export capacity and...
The EU Council has endorsed a revised CO₂ compliance framework for heavy‑duty vehicle manufacturers, replacing the linear reduction curve with a “staircase” approach. Under the new rule, the 15% emissions cut required for 2025 will remain in force through 2029,...
Tesla’s Cybercab manufacturing operations leader Mark Lupkey has left the company, marking the third senior departure from the robotaxi program in just over a month. Lupkey, who oversaw assembly and end‑of‑line validation at Giga Texas, joins former program manager Victor...
Premier Energies has commissioned a 5.6 GW solar‑module plant in Seetharampur, Telangana, raising its total manufacturing capacity to 11.1 GW. The 75‑acre facility can produce four G12R zero‑busbar TOPCon modules every 16 seconds and has begun trial production. It is expected to generate...
Fluke Reliability highlighted the scale of unplanned downtime at its Xcelerate 26 conference, citing a Censuswide survey where 55% of U.S. manufacturers experienced outages costing up to $207 million weekly. The study revealed an average loss of $400 k per hour and as...
Tesla announced that it will begin production of its Cybercab robotaxi within weeks, expanding supervised robotaxi deployments and hiring additional drivers and testers. The company aims to scale the service to serve the 100 million U.S. commuters who drive alone and...
The iFAB accelerator in central Illinois secured a $51 million federal grant and $30 million state contribution to build a precision‑fermentation hub. Partnering with corn giants ADM and Primient, iFAB creates contract‑manufacturing pathways that let startups use large‑scale facilities instead of building...
Chinese battery maker CALB has begun series production of its R46 cylindrical cells at the Chengdu plant for Aridge, Xpeng’s flying‑car subsidiary. The hybrid liquid‑solid batteries deliver up to 360 Wh/kg and support a 25 C discharge rate, meeting aviation‑grade safety standards...
Qnetic, a SOSV‑backed startup, is launching low‑volume production of its Q500 solid‑state flywheel energy storage system at a new Sacramento factory. The Q500 is designed for 500 kWh capacity, 125 kW power, and up to twelve hours of discharge at lower power,...
Volkswagen Group posted an 8% profit rise in 2025 as supply‑chain bottlenecks eased, and accelerated its electric‑vehicle rollout. The automaker now projects total production to climb to roughly 10 million units annually by 2030, driven by strong demand in China and...
Alltrista Plastics, a Jadex Inc. subsidiary, announced a 25,000‑square‑foot expansion of its Springfield, Missouri plant, slated for completion in September 2026. The multimillion‑dollar project will add new jobs and increase output for its medical and consumer packaging lines. The upgraded...
DHL Global Forwarding is boosting its Asia‑Europe capacity by launching weekly freighter flights from Shanghai to Leipzig and from Liège to Hong Kong, leveraging the DHL Express network. The routes will be operated with Boeing 777F aircraft and include a Tel Aviv stopover...
My new book, China's 90% Model, launched on 17th March. I want to share why I wrote it and why I believe leadership teams should read it together. For sixty years I have advised Fortune 500 CEOs and boards across the globe....
Speed is an advantage only when execution is connected. SIOP creates the cross-functional cadence to align demand, supply, operations and finance - so teams can respond fast together. https://t.co/iZbHYTFJY6 #SIOP #SupplyChain #Manufacturing
Boeing’s 777‑9 program, delayed six years and burdened with roughly $15 billion in charges, finally cleared a critical Phase 4A milestone on March 17, making a 2027 entry into service appear realistic. More than two dozen unfinished airframes sit at Paine Field, underscoring...
Designing, developing, and manufacturing chips at 2nm and below requires a whole new set of business and technology tradeoffs that are dramatically more impactful at every turn, from architectural inception to manufacturing yield. https://t.co/MzILzSSFrN #semiconductor #2nm https://t.co/R4www8pBSv
Does restocking = industrial recovery if no follow through foreseen? Philly Fed Mfg Delivery Times hit 4-year high of 18.9 in March, FUTURE Delivery Times’ -4.7 was 3-year low; 23.6 point spread a -2.0 z-score reinforcing restocking as did falling Expected...
Image annotation outsourcing in the Philippines has moved from simple 2D labeling to high‑precision 3D spatial engineering, supporting LiDAR, radar and camera sensor‑fusion for robotics. Teams now employ "Spatial Technicians" who deliver sub‑millisecond synchronization, panoptic segmentation and temporal tracking across...
China. Rare earth exports. What about the deal the US made? And the processing of them?
Nova Chemicals announced the first commercial order of its Syndigo rPE‑IN3 recycled polyethylene, shipping roughly 200,000 pounds to Sigma Plastics in Shelbyville, Kentucky. The resin will be used in Sigma’s Sustain360 stretch‑film line for retailers and distribution centers, marking a milestone...
Siemens introduced its Teamcenter Digital Reality Viewer and Digital Twin Composer in India as part of an Industrial AI Operating System built with NVIDIA. The tools combine Siemens’ industrial software with NVIDIA’s Omniverse libraries and accelerated AI infrastructure to create...
Caterpillar Inc., the world’s largest construction‑equipment maker, posted a record $67.6 billion in full‑year 2025 revenue and a 17.2% adjusted operating margin despite $1.7 billion in tariff headwinds. The company is expanding its power‑generation business, supplying natural‑gas and diesel generators to data...
A research team at the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology has introduced a crystal‑solvate (CSV) pre‑seeding technique that precisely engineers the buried bottom interface of inverted perovskite solar cells. The method deposits rod‑like PDPbI₄‑DMSO nanocrystals on SAM‑modified substrates,...
Rice University researchers have created electric heating elements from carbon‑nanotube fibers (CNTFs) that outperform traditional metal‑alloy heaters in gas‑flow applications. By exploiting CNTFs' high specific power loading, lightweight strength and superior thermal conductivity, the team built filament, array and textile‑style...
Bangladesh’s ready‑made garment sector, responsible for nearly 80% of the country’s export earnings, is moving water‑reuse from pilot projects to mainstream operations. The industry targets a 20% cut in total wastewater across the Greater Dhaka watershed, where 5.3 million cubic metres...
India’s industrial production index accelerated to a 5.2% year‑on‑year gain in February 2026, outpacing the 4.0% forecast and the 2.7% growth recorded a year earlier. Manufacturing led the surge with a 6.0% increase, while mining and electricity showed modest deceleration....
Mercedes‑Benz Trucks has begun sales of its electric eArocs 400 construction truck, available for order in 13 European countries. Production will start at the Wörth plant in Q3 2026 with the Paul Group installing the drivetrain, targeting a small series of 150...
Ross Lovegrove partnered with Google DeepMind to create an AI‑human designed metal chair using 3D printing. The process began with feeding the AI a library of Lovegrove’s sketch concepts, fine‑tuning a text‑to‑image model to learn his aesthetic language. Lovegrove then...
Agibot announced the production of its 10,000th humanoid robot, a milestone that underscores a rapid shift from niche pilots to large‑scale commercial deployment. The company accelerated production from 5,000 to 10,000 units in just three months, a four‑fold speed increase...
Ferroglobe South Africa warned it could shut all smelters if reduced electricity tariffs are not secured by 1 April. Electricity costs have surged more than 900% since 2007, now exceeding 50% of production expenses and eroding profitability. CEO Marco Levi said...
Toyota reported a 3.9% drop in global production for February, delivering 749,673 vehicles, marking the fourth consecutive month of decline. The slowdown was driven by an 11.5% plunge in Chinese output and a 2.6% dip in domestic Japanese production, both...
Lufthansa Cargo unveiled its summer freighter schedule, adding a second weekly transpacific flight from Ho Chi Minh via Shanghai to Los Angeles and reinstating a weekly service to Delhi, bringing Indian connections to six per week. The carrier also boosted its North American...
Ukrainian drone maker General Chereshnya and U.S. firm Wilcox Industries have announced a joint venture to produce first‑person‑view (FPV) and interceptor drones on U.S. soil. The partnership will localize component manufacturing and seek Blue UAS certification to satisfy Pentagon and...
U.S. lawmakers have introduced the Critical Minerals Investment Tax Modernization Act, which would lift the depletion allowance for domestically mined rare earth elements and scandium from 14% to 22%. The move is a direct response to Beijing’s April 2025 export...
