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
Reinforce3D Partners with Impac Systems Engineering to Accelerate CFIP Adoption in North America
Reinforce3D has teamed up with Impac Systems Engineering to fast‑track the rollout of its continuous‑fiber injection process (CFIP) across the United States, Canada and Mexico, promising internal reinforcement without part redesign or extra material. The partnership targets high‑performance sectors such as automotive, aerospace, robotics and tooling, where strength‑to‑weight gains are critical. In parallel, the UK‑based National Composites Centre and a consortium of partners demonstrated that reclaimed continuous carbon‑fiber (rCCF) prepreg can match virgin‑fiber stiffness in an aerospace access panel. The success validates carbon‑fiber circularity for demanding applications.
‘Battery Atlas 2026’ Maps Europe’s Cell, Pack and Battery Manufacturers
The third edition of the Battery Atlas 2026, released by RWTH Aachen University, maps Europe’s entire lithium‑ion battery value chain. While more than 2,000 GWh of cell capacity was announced in 2023, the realistic outlook for early 2026 is about 1,190 GWh,...
Ter Hoek Expands Into Technical Ceramic Manufacturing with XJet Carmel 1400C 3D Printing Solution
Ter Hoek, a Dutch precision‑metal specialist, has adopted XJet’s Carmel 1400C ceramic 3‑D‑printing system, introducing NanoParticle Jetting (NPJ) technology to its production line. The move expands the company’s material portfolio from metals to high‑performance ceramics, enabling complex, high‑precision parts for aerospace, semiconductor...
Iran Conflict Tests 2026 Air Cargo Outlook
Xeneta’s March 5 report warns that the Iran‑U.S./Israel conflict is reshaping the 2026 air cargo outlook. February showed a 6 % YoY volume rise and spot rates up 5 % to $2.58/kg, indicating resilience. With the Strait of Hormuz closed, jet‑fuel costs could...
Nuclear Power for Commercial Vessels Central to ABS, HD Hyundai JDP
American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has partnered with HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering and HD Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries to launch a joint development project for a nuclear‑powered electric propulsion system. The collaboration will produce a conceptual design, electrical...
Garnica Launches EverPly Laminate on Plywood Solution
Garnica and Genesis Products unveiled EverPly+, a thermally fused laminate (TFL) panel built on Garnica’s void‑free Efficiency Poplar plywood. Showcased at KBIS 2026, the solution tackles traditional TFL issues such as thickness variability, core inconsistency, weight, and durability. Compared with...
Mercedes Considers Sharing South Africa Plant With China’s GWM
Mercedes‑Benz is in talks to share its East London, South Africa plant with Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor. The co‑manufacturing proposal aims to boost plant utilization as U.S. tariffs on Chinese vehicles increase. GWM has submitted a formal request to...
PBS Aerospace Secured a Multi-Year Subcontract with Zone 5 Technologies to Expand US Turbojet Engine Production
PBS Aerospace, the U.S. arm of Czech PBS Group, landed a multi‑year subcontract with California‑based Zone 5 Technologies valued at several tens of millions of dollars. The agreement tasks the Roswell, Georgia plant—recently expanded with a $20 million investment—to produce the...
Gurit Composite Materials Play Central Role in Latest Shearwater Racing Catamaran Design
Gurit’s Ampreg epoxy, Spabond adhesive and Corecell M foam are at the heart of Zest Boatworks’ newest Shearwater catamaran, a 100% carbon‑fiber, foam‑cored racer celebrating the class’s 70‑year legacy. The vessel replaces the historic timber construction with a high‑stiffness, low‑weight...
FTR’s Trucking Conditions Index Hits Highest Reading in More than Four Years
FTR’s Trucking Conditions Index jumped to 9.3 in January 2026, the strongest reading since February 2022, signalling a markedly optimistic trucking environment. The surge reflects sharply higher freight rates, volumes and utilization, which together have created what FTR calls "robust...
Genome Editing for Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing
Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells remain the backbone of biopharmaceutical manufacturing, but traditional gene‑editing tools struggle with low knock‑in efficiency. Transposase‑based platforms such as Leap‑In and piggyBac now provide high‑efficiency, multi‑copy integration and can handle large DNA cargos up to...
MIPS and INOVA Collaborate to Put Physical AI Into the Palm of Robotic Hands with New Reference Platform
MIPS, a GlobalFoundries subsidiary, teamed with Inova Semiconductors to unveil a reference Physical AI system‑on‑chip for robotics. The custom SoC merges MIPS Atlas RISC‑V compute, AI, and mixed‑signal IP with Inova’s APXpress high‑speed interconnect, fabricated on GlobalFoundries’ ultra‑low‑power FDX process....
Managing Raw Materials in Pharma Facilities? Storage Bins Offer Practical Solutions
Pharmaceutical manufacturers are turning to industrial storage bins to manage the growing volume of raw materials such as APIs, excipients, and processing agents. Organized bulk bins improve inventory visibility, while vertical hopper‑bottom designs maximize floor space in crowded facilities. Controlled...
Doosan Robotics to Supply Large-Scale Manufacturing Robot Solutions to Kwangjin Group
Doosan Robotics signed an MOU with Kwangjin Group to deliver more than 100 collaborative robot solutions across its domestic and overseas automotive component plants through 2027. The expanded deployment follows a pilot that reduced defect rates to zero on Kwangjin’s...
DFI to Showcase Edge AI Platforms, Powered by Intel, for Robotic Automation and Industrial Applications at Embedded World 2026
DFI will showcase its new edge AI platforms, co‑developed with Intel, at Embedded World 2026. The portfolio includes the PTH9HM COM‑HPC Mini module for defense and unmanned systems, offering real‑time 8K vision and AI inference, and the PTH171/173 Mini‑ITX motherboards...
Polymaker’s Advanced Filament Selection Tool Includes Color Matching and Material Comparison
Polymaker has launched an advanced online filament selection tool that streamlines product discovery through color matching, finish filters, and engineering property comparisons. Users can input RGB, HEX, HSL, or CYMK codes, upload images for automatic color extraction, and select from...
Women in Manufacturing and AMT Announce Partnership To Host ELEVATE Conference at IMTS 2026
The Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT) and the Women in Manufacturing Association (WiM) are co‑producing IMTS ELEVATE, a half‑day conference and networking reception at IMTS 2026 in Chicago. The event, slated for September 16, 2026, will bring together engineers, technicians, executives, educators and...
UPS’ Future Is Less E-Commerce, More SMB, B2B and Healthcare
UPS is restructuring its network to reduce reliance on Amazon, shedding roughly $5 billion in revenue and 2 million daily packages. The carrier will pivot toward higher‑margin verticals such as business‑to‑business, industrial, healthcare and small‑business shipments. Through its Digital Access Program, UPS...
Limited Freighter Lift Shapes Morocco-West Africa Cargo Strategy
The Morocco‑West Africa air cargo corridor relies heavily on passenger belly space, with dedicated freighter lift remaining inconsistent and often shrinking. Royal Air Maroc’s new Casablanca‑Dakar freighter marks a strategic move, yet overall capacity stays fragmented, especially on secondary routes...
Decarbonizing the Steel Industry: Kraftblock Demonstrates Efficient Waste Heat Utilization at Tata Steel in Jamshedpur
Kraftblock installed a 20 MWh high‑temperature thermal storage system at Tata Steel’s Jamshedpur sinter plant. The unit captures waste heat up to 500 °C from the cooling circuit and can discharge up to 1.8 MW back into the process. It is projected to...
Operationalizing Secure Semiconductor Collaboration: Safely, Globally, and at Scale
Semiconductor fabs now face a massive cyber‑attack surface as software components proliferate across thousands of suppliers. Traditional isolation and ad‑hoc VPNs can’t keep pace with rapid patching needs, leaving long exposure windows. Industry standards such as SEMI E187/E188/E191 set a...
Midsummer Secures Second Order for CIGS Production Line Equipment
Swedish thin‑film specialist Midsummer landed its biggest contract to date, a SEK 236 million deal for a complete DUO CIGS solar‑cell production line. The order follows a May 2025 SEK 143 million purchase for a 15 MW turnkey line from the same undisclosed Swedish defense...
Driven: The 2027 Chevrolet Bolt Strikes Back
General Motors revives the Chevrolet Bolt for 2027, shifting production to Kansas and equipping it with a cheaper lithium‑iron‑phosphate battery that supports up to 150 kW DC fast charging. The new model retains the familiar hatchback shape but adds a smaller...
Virtual PLCs Explained: Why Manufacturers Are Revisiting Their Approach to Controllers
Virtual programmable logic controllers (PLCs) run control logic in containerized software on standard servers, offering automatic failover and reduced downtime. By moving PLC functions to a software‑defined environment, manufacturers can develop, test, and validate code virtually before commissioning, cutting time...
ABB Robotics Partners with NVIDIA to Deliver Industrial-Grade Physical AI at Scale
ABB Robotics announced the integration of NVIDIA Omniverse libraries into its RobotStudio platform, creating the RobotStudio HyperReality solution that delivers physically accurate digital twins and synthetic‑data generation. The partnership claims up to 99% simulation‑to‑real accuracy, reducing robot positioning errors to...
Why Labor Shortages Are Becoming a Hidden Risk for Industrial Investors in 2026
Labor shortages have shifted from a seasonal inconvenience to a structural risk for industrial investors in 2026. Modern plants require workers who blend technical, analytical, and digital skills, and the shortage of such talent leaves expensive equipment idle. An aging...
NORD DRIVESYSTEMS at LogiMAT 2026 in Stuttgart
At LogiMAT 2026 in Stuttgart, NORD DRIVESYSTEMS unveiled its latest decentralised drive portfolio, highlighted by the NORDAC LINK frequency inverter with built‑in Ethernet connectivity and advanced safety functions. The new inverter supports encoder‑less control of high‑efficiency IE5+ synchronous motors and mirrors...
Air Cargo Turns to Trucks as Middle East Disruption Sends Rates Soaring
Air cargo networks across the Gulf are crippled by flight cancellations and airspace closures, prompting forwarders to reroute freight by truck, especially through Saudi Arabia. Freight rates have surged, with southern‑Asia to North America lanes up 36% and Asia‑Europe lanes...
Vestas Signs Japan Nacelle Factory MoU
Vestas has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to establish a wind turbine nacelle manufacturing base. The agreement sets a target for final‑stage nacelle assembly in Japan by fiscal year 2029, with a...
Pionix and Lumissil Partner to Slash Time-to-Market for EV-Charger Manufacturers and Enhance Interoperability with EVerest-Powered “ChargeBridge”
Pionix and Lumissil have deepened their partnership to deliver ChargeBridge, a pre‑certified System‑on‑Module that blends Lumissil’s IS32CG5317 Green PHY microcontroller with Pionix’s open‑source EV‑charging software. The module decouples hardware and software, allowing charger manufacturers to accelerate development cycles and simplify...
Rohm Licences TSMC Production Technology for GaN Semiconductors
Rohm has signed a licensing deal to adopt TSMC’s 650‑volt GaN process at its Hamamatsu fab, creating a unified production line that blends Rohm’s in‑house expertise with TSMC’s advanced node. The agreement targets high‑growth markets such as AI data‑center servers...
Semco Maritime, Zamakona Form Las Palmas Shipyard Alliance
Semco Maritime and Zamakona Yards have launched the Las Palmas Shipyard in the Canary Islands, merging Semco’s engineering expertise with Zamakona’s extensive yard facilities. The new hub offers deep‑water quaysides, 650 metres of berth, heavy‑lift cranes and comprehensive services for rig upgrades,...
India Has Potential in Renewable Energy Manufacturing, Project Exports: MNRE Secretary
India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy secretary Santosh Kumar Sarangi said the country has strong potential in renewable‑energy manufacturing, project development and exports as clean‑energy capacity expands. He highlighted a shift from utility‑scale projects to distributed, prosumer‑driven models backed...
Bausch+Lomb Chooses Steriline to Improve Production of Ophthalmic Medical Devices
Steriline has delivered its OFCM84 aseptic filling and capping line to Bausch+Lomb Italia to boost eye‑care product output. The line runs at 200 bottles per minute, features CIP/SIP automation, and complies with EU GMP Annex 1 grade‑A cleanroom requirements. Its design...
Cut Industrial Robot Costs Tenfold with AI-Driven Components
The biggest opportunity in robotics right now is not humanoids, home robots, or any of that nonsense. It's achieving a 10x reduction in the total cost to install an industrial robot ($200k to $20k) using all of the progress in cost...
Manufacturers’ Biggest Challenge in Adopting AI Is Preparing Their Systems for It, Expert Says
Manufacturers face a bigger hurdle than AI technology itself: adapting physical facilities and workflows for automation. Asad Afzal of A‑Safe warns that many plants were not built for the increased automation AI enables, leading to congestion and equipment strain. Companies...
HS2 to Revise £2bn Fleet Contract with Alstom, Hitachi After Route Cuts Force Rethink on Train Length
The UK government is renegotiating its £2 billion HS2 rolling‑stock contract with Hitachi and Alstom after the northern leg beyond Birmingham was cancelled. The original deal for 54 trainsets, signed in 2021, now misaligns with a shortened network and may require...
West Asia Tensions Pose Twin Challenges for Indian Paper Industry
West Asian geopolitical tensions are creating a dual challenge for India’s paper sector by driving up energy costs and threatening key export markets. In FY24‑25, the industry shipped $980 million of paper and paperboard, with roughly $290 million (30%) destined for West...
E3D Updates Patent Pledge Now Targeting Commercial Infringement
E3D Online has revised its patent pledge, drawing a firm line between free, non‑commercial use and licensed commercial exploitation of its core extrusion technologies. The company now backs the policy with dedicated IP management, infringement insurance, and board‑level litigation reserves,...
Fleury Michon to Open First US Factory
Fleury Michon’s MarfoFMA division will open its first U.S. production plant in South Covington, Kentucky, investing over $37 million to convert a former White Castle distribution site. The facility will manufacture frozen meals for airline customers across the U.S., Canada and Europe, adding...
WeRide and Geely’s Farizon Prepare to Scale AV Production
WeRide and Geely’s Farizon have signed an expanded agreement to deliver 2,000 next‑generation Robotaxi GXR units beginning in Q3 2026, boosting WeRide’s global fleet to over 2,600 vehicles by year‑end. The GXR runs WeRide’s Gen8 autonomous system with a 600‑metre...
ASML's Lithography: The Hidden Backbone of Modern Tech
This diagram might be the most honest picture of the modern tech stack. Look closely. ↳ Unpaid open-source developers holding everything together ↳ AWS + Cloudflare doing most of the heavy lifting ↳ AI layered on top ↳ Microsoft… vibing aggressively somewhere in the middle It’s...
Silfab Solar Plant Shut Down After Chemical Spill
Silfab solar cell manufacturing site temporarily closed after chemical incident #energysky -- via Solar Power World: https://t.co/wPNqIx1Taf
A Donut-Shaped Market: Stratasys’ Yoav Zeif Outlines Additive’s Next Phase at AMS 2026
Stratasys CEO Yoav Zeif warned of a volatile year but framed the slowdown in industrial additive manufacturing as a normal capital‑goods cycle. He described a “donut‑shaped” market where low‑cost desktop printers and high‑spec industrial systems are expanding while the mid‑range...
Energy Crunch at Hormuz Threatens Global Supply Chains
Chinese WSJ: Severe energy crisis with limited shipping thru the Strait of Hormuz. What kind of crisis will it bring to global logistics and supply chains? Fuel for transporting goods for manufacturing and retail. Businesses and consumers.
Tariffs Linked to 240k Job Losses in Manufacturing and Transport
"Tariffs may have affected manufacturing employment, which declined by 119,000 in 2025. Likewise, the trade sensitive transportation and warehousing sector declined by 123,800." https://t.co/ed9bs6nNSn
From Affordable Humanoids to Robotaxis: Pittsburgh Robotics Network Predicts the Next Wave of Physical AI
Pittsburgh’s robotics ecosystem is poised for a breakthrough in 2026 as affordable humanoid robots dip below $20,000 and robotaxi services are projected to capture more than 10% of urban transport markets. The Pittsburgh Robotics Network highlights major capital inflows—$400 million for...
Dyson's Rigorous Stress Tests Ensure Ultra‑durable Products
How Dyson’s Extreme Stress Testing Builds Products That Last by @lukas_m_ziegler #Robotics #Engineering #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/IvOdyAUq2Y
Apple Shifts to 3D‑printed Aluminum for Greener MacBooks
Dematerialization: "MacBook Neo’s Manufacturing Involves A New Process That Saves As Much Aluminum As Possible, Now Apple Is Moving To The Next Step; 3D Printing The Same Metal" https://t.co/7YvmvjZD5Q https://t.co/Ft8yo52n3x
Sikorsky Ramps Up Production of S-92A+, Latest Variant of Its Flagship Helicopter
Sikorsky announced the start of its first production batch of the S‑92A+ helicopter, the newest iteration of its heavy‑lift platform. The company will assemble five aircraft – two for a newly‑added head‑of‑state customer and three additional units – while maintaining...