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
Synopsys Explores AI/ML Impact on Mask Synthesis at SPIE 2026
Synopsys hosted a Lithography VIP Symposium at SPIE 2026, featuring a panel on AI/ML in mask synthesis. Executives from photomask makers, fabs, and EDA discussed how GPUs and advanced AI are already addressing the exploding complexity of EUV mask design. The consensus highlighted functional AI’s current impact, the need for cross‑supply‑chain collaboration, and a roadmap where generative AI will broaden benefits over the next five years. Synopsys also presented technical talks on GPU‑driven computational lithography and AI‑enabled automation.
Efficiency Starts Where You Are: Getting More Value From Automation You Already Have
The article argues that lasting efficiency gains in industrial automation start by fixing degraded automation, unstable process control, and poor data visibility before deploying new digital tools. Most losses stem from basic issues such as instrument drift, bypassed control strategies,...
Rising Fuel Price Could See Box Shipping Face a Bill of up to $35bn
Rising fuel prices linked to the Hormuz crisis could add $30‑35 billion to global container shipping costs if sustained for a year. Sea‑Intelligence estimates an extra $153‑$178 per TEU, potentially pushing freight rates higher. While direct fuel expenses are significant, analysts...
Ferguson Marine Shipyard Looks to Expand as Yard Grows
Ferguson Marine’s chief executive warned that the Port Glasgow yard will run out of space within five years as it prepares for a potential four‑vessel contract programme. The company is reviewing layout optimisation and a semi‑automated panel line while scouting...
Is Switzerland Going Back Contact?
Back‑contact (BC) solar modules from Aiko Solar and Longi captured over 50% of Switzerland's rooftop PV market in 2025, driven by a premium on module efficiency rather than price. The report notes a gradual decline in the AC/DC ratio to...
Iran War Chokepoints Begin to Cast Doubt on Global Chip Supply
The ongoing Middle East war is creating chokepoints that could restrict the flow of chemicals, equipment and other inputs essential for semiconductor manufacturing. Rising power costs in Taiwan, the hub of advanced chip production, add further pressure on fab operations....
March Empire Fed Manufacturing Survey Index -0.20 versus 3.90 Estimate
The Empire State Manufacturing Survey slipped to a -0.20 index in March, well below the 3.90 estimate. New orders edged higher while shipments plunged, creating a mixed demand picture. Delivery times stretched and supply availability weakened, yet employment rose modestly...
China’s 90% Model: Subsidized Exports Decimate Global Competition
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 For three decades, I have advised over 50 Chinese companies and served on Chinese boards. I have watched American, German, and Japanese companies struggle to compete with Chinese imports. What they face is not competition. It is...
Trump Urged to Welcome Chinese Investment in U.S. Manufacturing
Trump Should Be Open to Chinese Investment in U.S. Manufacturing Private Chinese capital is being locked out of mutually beneficial opportunities. https://t.co/gKtY0mscVo
3D-Printable Metallic Glass Alloys Could Cut Electric Motor Energy Losses
Researchers at Saarland University have identified three iron‑based metallic‑glass alloys that can be fabricated with laser powder‑bed fusion 3D printing. The amorphous composition eliminates crystal‑lattice friction, dramatically reducing hysteresis (iron) losses in electric‑motor stators and rotors. These alloys contain 70‑80%...
ABB Releases IE6 Hyper-Efficiency Motors in New Sizes and Power Ranges
ABB has launched its IE6 Hyper‑Efficiency Synchronous Reluctance (SynRM) motors in large‑frame sizes ranging from 110 kW to 450 kW. The magnet‑free design eliminates rare‑earth metals, making the units fully recyclable and a direct drop‑in replacement for standard induction motors. ABB claims...
Shuttles Ex-India on the Increase with Long-Haul Schedules Constrained
Middle East geopolitical tensions are constraining long‑haul container schedules, prompting mainline carriers to redeploy capacity into regional shuttle services from India. Hapag‑Lloyd is evaluating an ad‑hoc shuttle linking Kandla to UAE ports such as Khor Fakkan or Fujairah, building on its...
What We're Watching: Touring the ABB Robotics Headquarters | 2025
ABB Robotics unveiled a new Auburn Hills, Michigan campus that consolidates training, manufacturing, testing, and customer‑facing operations under a single roof. The expansion reflects a strategic push to deepen ABB’s U.S. footprint and streamline product development cycles. Facility features include...
Air China Cargo Ramps up Glasgow Prestwick Operation
Air China Cargo has upgraded its Chengdu‑Glasgow Prestwick service to a daily schedule, up from four flights per week, responding to surging e‑commerce demand. The route carries Chinese consumer goods into Scotland while exporting premium Scottish products such as salmon,...
Industrial Power Shapes Logistics Power
China’s industrial upgrade is reshaping global logistics as high‑value exports like electric vehicles, batteries and renewable‑energy equipment drive a surge in outbound freight to Europe. The China‑Europe rail corridor now sees a westbound to eastbound container ratio approaching 7:1, highlighting...
Canada Trade Pivot Has Funds for Supply Chain Development, but Lacks a Plan
Canada is reshaping its trade policy to cut reliance on the United States, aiming to double non‑U.S. exports by 2035. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s push has unlocked a new C$5 bn Trade Diversification Corridors Fund to upgrade ports, rail and air...
Pete Pharma Partners with Atrium24 on Pharmacy 3D Printing
Pete Pharma has entered a strategic partnership with Atrium24 Technologies, designating Pete Pharma as the primary 3D‑printing provider within Atrium24’s group‑ purchasing organization. The deal gives Atrium24‑member independent pharmacies preferred pricing on Pete Pharma’s FABRx 3D‑printing platform, enabling on‑site production...
Circ Expands Network of Manufacturing Partners with New Partnership
Circ announced a partnership with Xinxiang Bailu Chemical Fiber, the world’s largest viscose filament producer, to purchase its recycled pulp for commercial‑grade viscose. The deal embeds Circ’s circular‑textile technology within China’s massive manufacturing ecosystem, giving global fashion brands a sustainable...
Repurposing European Idle Industrial Capacities for Defence Production
The brief proposes a four‑step framework to convert Europe’s idle manufacturing capacity into defence production, leveraging economic‑complexity metrics to pinpoint sectors with transferable capabilities. It first quantifies idle output, then matches those capabilities to specific defence product requirements, assesses proximity...
Hong Kong Forwarders Hit Out at ‘Soaring’ Cargo Fuel Surcharges
Hong Kong freight forwarders, led by HAFFA, condemned airlines' steep cargo fuel surcharge hikes. Some carriers increased long‑haul surcharges more than fourfold and short‑haul nearly quadrupled, far outpacing the 30‑40% rise in crude oil prices. HAFFA blames the liberalisation set...
Kistler and ATS Develop High-Speed Medical Device Assembly Line with Real-Time Quality Monitoring
Kistler Group and ATS Life Sciences Systems have launched the Symphoni platform, a high‑speed medical device assembly line capable of processing up to 320 parts per minute while cutting tooling requirements by 90 percent. The system combines Kistler’s force and displacement...
Open EU Foundry Status Granted to Innovative Chiplet Facility
The European Commission has awarded Open EU Foundry (OEF) status to Silicon Box’s new semiconductor packaging and testing plant in Novara, Italy. The designation, part of the European Chips Act, grants the facility administrative assistance, accelerated construction permits and priority...
Ox Launches Its ‘Digital Warehouse’ Standard for Visualizing and Orchestrating Modern Warehouses
Ox unveiled its Digital Warehouse platform, a plug‑and‑play solution that creates a live 3‑D map of any warehouse and overlays real‑time operational data. The product promises a universal visual standard, rapid deployment in under 30 days, and a price point...
DoCoMo and Keio University Demonstrate ‘World’s First Stable, High-Fidelity Robot Teleoperation via Commercial 5G Using Low-Latency Slicing
NTT DoCoMo and Keio University demonstrated the world’s first stable, high‑fidelity robot teleoperation using commercial 5G with low‑latency slicing (Configured Grant). The system combined Configured Grant slicing and Keio’s Real Haptics to transmit force feedback with minimal latency and jitter....
SME PRIME Program Expands to South Carolina Tech Center
The SME Education Foundation is launching its SME PRIME program at Daniel Morgan Technology Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina for the 2026‑2027 school year. SME PRIME delivers industry‑driven curricula, equipment, teacher training, scholarships and extracurricular funding to high schools, aligning...
Building Manufacturing Capacity when the Grid Can’t Keep Up
Data centers powered by AI are set to consume over 1 GW each by 2035, rivaling city‑scale loads and crowding the electric grid. This surge forces manufacturers into direct competition for limited capacity, stretching utility connection timelines to 1.5–2 years and turning...
How Manufacturing Data Intelligence Enables Upstream Teams to Ride the Industry 4.0 Wave
Manufacturers are finally turning attention to upstream functions—knowledge management, procurement and data reuse—by applying AI‑driven data intelligence. While 80% of executives earmark 20% of improvement budgets for smart manufacturing, most legacy ERP/PLM systems remain siloed, forcing engineers to spend a...
Preventing the Next Grain Dust Disaster: Lessons From Didion Milling
The May 31, 2017 explosions at Didion Milling’s corn‑processing plant killed five workers, injured fourteen, and razed the facility, underscoring the lethal potential of combustible dust in grain operations. Grain processors operate in Class II, Division 1 (CIID1) environments where explosive dust concentrations are...
Posco to Invest in Global Artificial Graphite Anode Plant in Vietnam
South Korea's Posco Future M announced a KRW 357 billion ($239 million) investment to build an artificial graphite anode plant in Thai Nguyen, Vietnam. The facility will initially target 55,000 metric tons of annual capacity, scaling up in phases as orders materialize, with...
Resource Use, Physical Flows, and Costs of Select Technologies and Facilities in U.S. Chemicals, Cement, Iron and Steel, Food, and...
A new structured dataset characterizes technologies and facilities across U.S. chemicals, cement, iron and steel, food, and non‑manufacturing sectors. It provides facility‑level inventories for six manufacturing sectors and technology options for three non‑manufacturing sectors, harmonizing assumptions, costs, and resource use...
Warehouse Automation Success Depends on Operational Alignment
In this episode, Kevin Lawton interviews Adrian Stuck, CEO of High Robotics, and later Colin McAleenan, VP of Business Development, about the company’s mobile ASRS solutions, especially the HyperClimb robot that combines horizontal and vertical movement. They stress that successful...
JP Morgan Shipping Arm Books Suezmax Trio at Samsung Heavy
JP Morgan’s Bermuda‑based shipowner Global Meridian Holdings has placed an order for three new suezmax crude carriers with Samsung Heavy Industries. The contract, valued at roughly KRW 400 billion ($268 million), translates to about $89.3 million per 157,000‑dwt vessel. Deliveries are scheduled between the...
Rizzo Cycles Reconstructs the Unno Horn XC in 3D Printed Titanium
Rizzo Cycles’ master frame‑builder Rubén Durán has fabricated a boutique Unun Horn XC bike featuring a 3‑D‑printed titanium front triangle and custom geometry for taller riders. The one‑off frame sells for €4,500, weighs just under 11 kg, and retains the Horn’s...
MG Mulls Positioning Shift as European Production to Lift Prices
MG, owned by China’s SAIC, is moving toward building its first European factory, likely in Spain or Hungary, to produce electric vehicles for its strongest market. The shift will erase the 45% tariff that currently penalises Chinese‑built EVs, but it...
Pan Ocean Bulks up with Qingdao Beihai Newcastlemaxes
South Korea’s Pan Ocean exercised options for two additional Newcastlemax bulk carriers at Qingdao Beihai, bringing its order at the Chinese yard to four vessels worth roughly $308 million. The ships, each costing about $77 million, are slated for delivery by October 2030...
How Clean Core ERP Has Evolved Into a Mandate
Manufacturers are embracing a "clean core" ERP strategy that keeps the system as close to SAP’s standard as possible, routing all extensions through released APIs or side‑by‑side apps. SAP’s clean‑core level framework categorises extensions by upgrade risk, giving global supply‑chain...
#242 Inside XJet's New Product & Market Strategy with CEO Guy Zimmerman
XJet, a pioneer of NanoParticle Jetting, unveiled two new printers—the high‑throughput Carmel 5000X and the cost‑effective Carmel Pro—while also entering the precious‑metal additive market. CEO Guy Zimmerman explained the product evolution, highlighted key factors for building a compelling AM business...
GiantEye Project Aims to Transform Large-Scale Industrial CT Inspection
The Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS is developing the GiantEye high‑energy CT platform to scan large, dense industrial objects that traditional scanners cannot accommodate. By adopting a medical‑CT‑style rotating gantry, the system can image items in their natural horizontal...
ZEISS and Verus Metrology Partner to Advance Metrology Automation
ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions and Verus Metrology announced a strategic partnership to develop automated metrology solutions for industrial inspection. The collaboration merges ZEISS’s optical and coordinate‑measuring hardware with Verus’s custom automation platforms and fixture designs. Together they will create integrated...
PiXARGUS Optimizes Inline Plastic Profile Inspection with ProfilControl 7 PlastX
PiXARGUS has launched ProfilControl 7 PlastX, an inline inspection system tailored for plastic profiles, especially in window construction. The solution trims hardware to a lightweight sensor head while leveraging advanced software to detect surface flaws and geometric deviations. By using only four...
ActionPlas Invests in Advanced CMM to Meet Demanding F1 Tolerances
ActionPlas Group has allocated a £1 million investment to acquire an Altera M 20.12.10 coordinate measuring machine from LK Metrology, targeting the stringent tolerances demanded by a Formula 1 client. The new CMM, equipped with a Renishaw SP25M scanning probe and LK CAMIO 2025...
You Must Choose: Reduce NA Trade or Cut China
“You can have less Mexico and Canada, 👉or you can have less China, 💥but you can’t have both.” ✍️Antonio Ortiz Mena, a former Mexican diplomat and professor at Georgetown University. https://t.co/h15MGpAnEg
HyFun Foods Bets on Exports, Retail and Capacity Expansion to Hit ₹5k Cr Revenue
HyFun Foods, a Gujarat‑based frozen potato products maker, aims to reach ₹5,000 crore in revenue within three years by expanding exports, domestic retail, and manufacturing capacity. The company currently derives about 70% of its sales from over 45 export markets and...
Romania’s Industrial Activity Hits Lowest Level Since Lockdown in January
Romania’s industrial production contracted 4.0% year‑on‑year in January, the sharpest decline since the 2020 lockdown. Manufacturing output fell 6.4% YoY, while utilities rose 8.6% YoY, partially offsetting the drop. The seasonally adjusted PMI slipped to 45.8 in February, marking a...
Cobots Enable Seamless Human‑Robot Collaboration on Factory Floors
A collaborative robot or cobot makes it easier for man and robot to work easily together on the factory floor. (Interesting Engineering) #Robotics https://t.co/vGVqxmgiYv
Opel Combo Electric Is Stellantis Vigo’s 17-Millionth Vehicle
Stellantis' Vigo plant in Spain has produced its 17‑millionth vehicle, an Opel Combo Electric, marking the first Opel model built at the facility. The electric van features a 100 kW motor, 50 kWh battery and up to 334 km WLTP range, and joins...
EPA Moves to Weaken Pollution Limits on Ethylene Oxide
The EPA announced a proposal to roll back the 2024 Biden‑era rule that cut ethylene oxide emissions from medical sterilization facilities by roughly 90%. The agency argues the stricter limits threaten the domestic supply of essential medical devices, prompting a...
The Giant Vending Machine Company Compounding at 15% With Zero Debt
A European maker of vertical storage units—often called giant vending machines—has been compounding earnings at roughly 15 % while carrying zero interest‑bearing debt. The firm boasts a sustained 35 %+ ROIC over three years, over 140 000 machines installed worldwide, and a near‑€1 billion...
Cyberattacks on Connected Factories Are Putting the Auto Industry Under Immense Pressure
The Center of Automotive Management and Cisco report finds cyber‑attacks on connected factories have surged, now costing the global automotive sector over $20 billion—roughly twenty times the 2022 figure. Attackers concentrate on suppliers, which account for 57% of incidents, followed by...
Why Use MetalMiner for Metal Price Forecasting?
MetalMiner provides metal price forecasting services tailored to U.S. manufacturers, combining proprietary price indices, market‑signal forecasts, and support/resistance analysis. Its indices aggregate 10‑15 years of data and are normalized to reflect the actual mix of metals bought by U.S. firms....