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
Correction to European Steel Plate Import Prices on February 19
Fastmarkets announced corrections to its European steel plate import price assessments after discovering currency conversion errors. The Northern Europe 8‑40 mm plate range (MB‑STE‑0049) is now €609‑650 per tonne, down from the mistakenly reported €720. The Southern Europe range (MB‑STE‑0050) is corrected to €647‑650 per tonne, replacing the erroneous €650‑765 figure. The pricing database has been updated to reflect these changes.
Blizzard Shuts Down Container Terminals at Northeast Ports
A historic nor'easter dumped up to 13 inches of snow in the New York metropolitan area, prompting seven states to declare emergencies and forcing the shutdown of the region's busiest maritime gateway, Port Newark. All gates at APM Terminals, Maher...
Canadian APMA Unveils Two 3D-Printed Electric SUV Demonstrators Under Project Arrow Initiative
The Canadian Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association (APMA) showcased two 3D‑printed electric SUV demonstrators, Project Arrow Vector and Project Arrow Borealis, at a recent trade show. Both models feature a 550 km electric range and Level 3 autonomous driving capability, with a central‑facing...
2026 FleetOwner 500: For-Hire List
FleetOwner’s 2026 FO500 for‑hire ranking shows little movement at the top, with Schneider National edging past TFI International to claim the sixth spot while the top‑ten list remains unchanged. Growth among lower‑ranked carriers is driven largely by mergers and acquisitions,...
‘Buy American’ Shifts to ‘Don’t Buy Chinese’ for Government Solar Projects
The federal government’s solar procurement is pivoting from a broad "Buy American" stance to a targeted "Don’t Buy Chinese" approach. The 2021 Build America, Buy America (BABA) Act still requires 55% domestic content, but agencies frequently seek waivers when U.S.-made...
Fox ESS Releases Hybrid Inverters for Commercial PV
Fox ESS has launched the H3‑Pro series, a line of five three‑phase hybrid inverters targeting commercial photovoltaic installations. The models handle 30‑50 kW PV input and 15‑30 kW AC output, support up to 200% PV oversizing, and can be paired with two CQ6...
Zim Takeover Raises Questions for Transpac Shippers – and MSC
Hapag‑Lloyd’s pending acquisition of Zim will reshape the Asia‑US east‑coast trade, especially the five vessel‑sharing services currently run with MSC. The carrier can either keep Zim’s premium, time‑sensitive strings separate or fold them into the Gemini alliance, each option raising...
Clark: Managing Third- and Fourth-Party Cyber Risk in Trucking Operations
Third‑party vendors are now a primary attack vector for trucking firms, with 35.5% of all data breaches in 2024 traced to external partners—a 6.5% rise year‑over‑year. The report also notes that 4.5% of breaches originated from fourth‑party suppliers, highlighting deep...
Lam Research Deepens Investment in Boise, Idaho, to Support Projected Growth in U.S. Semiconductor Manufacturing
Lam Research inaugurated a new 9,200‑sq‑ft office in Boise, Idaho, staffed initially by about 150 employees focused on research, development and high‑volume manufacturing for Micron’s memory technology. The facility underscores Lam’s multi‑year strategy to expand U.S. operations and accelerate chip...
De Minimis Still Shelved After Supreme Court’s Tariff Ruling
The U.S. de minimis exemption, which let shipments under $800 enter duty‑free, remains suspended after President Trump’s executive order, despite a Supreme Court ruling that declared IEEPA‑based tariffs unconstitutional. The Court’s decision did not directly address the exemption, leaving its legal...
Celsius Seals Samsung Heavy LNG Carrier Order
Celsius Tankers, a subsidiary of Denmark’s Celsius Shipping, has placed an order for a 180,000‑cubic‑metre LNG carrier with South Korea’s Samsung Heavy Industries. The contract, valued at roughly KRW 368 billion ($255 million), lifts Celsius’s LNG fleet to 24 vessels. The new ship...
Mercedes-Benz Advances E-Mobility Offensive for Commercial Vehicles with New eArocs 400
Mercedes‑Benz Trucks unveiled the eArocs 400, a battery‑electric construction truck equipped with a 414 kWh LFP pack and up to 240 km range, after completing winter tests down to –20 °C. The vehicle features a 380 kW continuous, 450 kW peak drivetrain, 400 kW CCS2 fast‑charging, and...
CMA CGM Renews ULD Agreement with Jettainer
CMA CGM Air Cargo has signed a long‑term extension of its unit load device (ULD) partnership with Jettainer, the Lufthansa Cargo‑owned ULD solutions provider. The agreement gives CMA CGM access to Jettainer’s network of more than 100,000 ULDs across 500 global...
High-Temp Sodium-Zinc Batteries Reveal Causes of Rapid Capacity Loss
Researchers at Germany's Helmholtz‑Zentrum Dresden‑Rossendorf used operando X‑ray radiography to watch sodium‑zinc molten‑salt batteries function at 600 °C, uncovering hidden aging mechanisms. The imaging revealed liquid‑metal movement, dendrite formation, and electrolyte breakdown that together drive rapid capacity loss. Although the chemistry...
ShinWon Calls for Data-Driven Supply Chain Approach at OECD Paris
ShinWon’s corporate‑strategy VP Eunice Kim spoke at the OECD Forum in Paris, highlighting the company’s data‑driven supply‑chain approach. She detailed how real‑time production dashboards, integrated ERP systems, and daily monitoring of line efficiency, capacity and absenteeism enable dynamic scheduling and...
Leanshoring: Winning with Customers by Bringing the Business Closer
Global supply‑chain shocks and tariff volatility are prompting U.S. firms to reconsider offshoring. Jim Womack’s "leanshoring" model combines lean manufacturing with reshoring, demanding a full‑cost analysis that accounts for risk, intellectual property and skill loss. GE Appliances illustrates the approach,...
Qualcomm–Tata Tie-Up for Automotive Module Manufacturing
Qualcomm Technologies and Tata Electronics have signed a partnership to produce Qualcomm Automotive Modules at Tata's new semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) facility in Assam, India. The $3 bn greenfield plant will integrate Snapdragon Digital Chassis system‑on‑chips into ready‑to‑deploy automotive modules...
Porcher Industries Launches New Shape-Memory Thermoplastic Hybrid Textiles
Porcher industries unveiled a shape‑memory thermoplastic hybrid textile at JEC World 2026, merging glass, carbon or aramid fibers into a high‑areal‑weight fabric. The material drapes easily, remembers its shape, and cuts the number of plies needed, enabling complex 3‑D forming...
The Redefined Role of Steel in Solar Energy Projects
Solar installations are scaling up, prompting steel to shift from a simple commodity to a strategic engineering component. Project developers now demand steel that meets strict quality, traceability, and performance standards over 25‑year service lives. Integrated production models—combining high‑volume manufacturing,...
Is Inventory Processing Time Slowing Your Brand’s Growth?
Small and mid‑size brands are losing cash flow when inventory induction time— the period between arrival at a fulfillment center and being sale‑ready—gets stretched. Delays lock capital, force costly expedited freight, and can miss seasonal demand, squeezing margins. A hybrid...
How AI Agents Are Solving Logistics’ Most Repetitive Task: Track and Trace
Logistics firms are turning to AI agents to automate the labor‑intensive track and trace function, which can cost up to $25 per shipment in manual effort. Shipwell’s Track & Trace AI Worker, embedded in a transportation management system, gave Airlite...
Morocco Sets Net‑metering Tariffs for High, Medium‑voltage Systems
Morocco’s electricity regulator ANRE announced net‑metering tariffs for high, medium and extra‑high voltage solar plants effective 1 March 2026‑28 February 2027. Plant owners will receive MAD 0.21/kWh during peak hours and MAD 0.18/kWh off‑peak, with the low‑voltage residential rate to be set later. The regime permits...
3D Printed Dissolving Microneedles
Researchers have demonstrated dissolving microneedle (DMN) arrays fabricated using resin‑based 3D‑printed master molds, enabling drug delivery through the inner cheek. The workflow pairs rapid SLA/DLP printing with polymer micromolding, allowing design changes from CAD to mold within hours. Mechanical, dissolution...
U.S. Army Launches UH-60M Black Hawk Modification Initiative
The U.S. Army issued a Request for Information to explore a commercial modification line for its UH‑60M Black Hawk fleet. The program would upgrade 12 to 24 helicopters each year through component overhauls and integration of existing modernization kits. By...
U.S. Army Surveys Industry for M225A1 Mortar Component Supply
The U.S. Army issued a Sources Sought Notice to evaluate domestic manufacturers’ ability to produce the firing‑mechanism gun for its M225 and M225A1 60 mm mortar systems. The effort targets an estimated need of 55 units per year over two years...
Cleaver-Brooks Unvelis Air-to-Water Heat Pump for Hydronic Heating
Cleaver-Brooks has introduced the ClearAir air‑to‑water heat pump, targeting hydronic heating across residential, commercial and industrial sectors. The unit delivers up to 103 kW of thermal output and can heat water to 80 °C, eliminating the need for distribution upgrades. It features...
Embraer Targets India's Regional Jet, Defense, Manufacturing Push
India’s aviation expansion is often defined by large narrowbody aircraft orders. But Embraer is strengthening its India strategy in a different segment: the 80–146 seat regional jet market while advancing defence modernisation and aerospace manufacturing localisation. The push aligns with the Government’s...
Exel Composites Plc and Tratos Sign a Four-Year Frame Agreement
Exel Composites and Tratos have signed a four‑year frame agreement to supply carbon‑fiber composite conductor cores through 2029. Exel will produce the cores using continuous pultrusion, delivering consistent mechanical performance across its global network. The partnership enables Tratos to integrate...
Continuum's Recycled Nickel Material Shown to Significantly Reduce Global Warming Potential per Oregon State LCA
A Life Cycle Assessment by Oregon State University found Continuum Powders’ recycled nickel powder reduces global warming potential (GWP) by 58.8% versus virgin nickel. When the recycled feedstock is paired with green electricity and green argon, the GWP drop reaches...
New Milestones in Lightweight Construction: Towpregrod Reaches Finish Line
The Institute of Production Engineering and Machine Tools (IFW) and Schütze GmbH have commissioned a pre‑series plant for Towpregrod, a tool‑free, continuous production line for carbon‑fibre‑reinforced plastic (CFRP) sandwich rods. The system replicates a multi‑orbital lay‑up unit with up to...
HD Hyundai Heavy Delivers First Rajah Sulayman OPV to Philippine Navy
South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries delivered the lead offshore patrol vessel, BRP Rajah Sulayman, to the Philippine Navy five months ahead of schedule. The OPV, the first of six ordered, features an acoustic detection system for anti‑submarine operations...
Polaris Engineering to Refurbish Forrestania's Lake Johnston Plant
Polaris Engineering has secured a $5 million contract to refurbish the three‑stage crushing circuit at Forrestania Resources' Lake Johnston project in Western Australia. The scope includes upgrades to major equipment, piping, cabling and instrumentation, aiming to boost plant reliability and throughput....
UNSW Sydney Researchers Target Cleaner Manufacturing with Waste-to-Fertiliser Breakthrough
UNSW Sydney researchers have developed a copper‑cobalt catalyst that electrochemically combines carbon dioxide and nitrogen pollutants to produce urea using renewable electricity. The method sidesteps the high‑temperature, high‑pressure, fossil‑fuel processes that dominate today’s fertilizer industry. Laboratory tests show higher selectivity...
Function-First Robot To Redefine Factory Automation
Midea Group unveiled the MIRO U, a six‑arm robot mounted on a mobile wheeled base that prioritizes function over humanoid form. The platform can perform parallel operations, reducing cycle times and consolidating tasks traditionally spread across multiple fixed robots. Its mobility...
Mahr Launches MarWin MarSurf3D for Fast Reliable Surface Roughness Analysis
Mahr has launched MarWin MarSurf3D, a new software layer for its optical measuring systems that accelerates surface‑roughness analysis while boosting reliability. The solution features a guided, click‑minimal user interface, compliance with ISO 25178, and the ability to process up to one gigabyte...
China’s 2026 Policy Loosening Boosts Steel, Non‑Ferrous Demand
China signals looser policy and faster green transition for 2026, supporting steel and non-ferrous demand. https://www.metalnomist.com/2026/02/china-2026-economic-policy-direction.html
AI Funding Could Sideline Manufacturing and Job Growth
Fed’s Waller: Spending on AI. That capital could go to manufacturing and upstream supply chain fe-risking and diversification. Reshore? Onshore? And the economy and jobs?
Quoting in a Changing Industrial Landscape
Manufacturers are confronting a generational shift in industrial buyers who prioritize speed and digital tools, forcing job shops to overhaul their quoting processes. Data from Paperless Parts shows that responding to quotes within two hours yields a 90%+ win rate,...
Rising Opposition Threatens Hapag-Lloyd's ZIM Acquisition Deal
Opposition to ZIM’s sale to Hapag-Lloyd grows. Will Hapag-Lloyd seek a lower price or walk away from the deal? Any other potential buyer would face the same issues. https://t.co/sE5hMJ28vO
Tariff Refunds Boost Retailer Profits, Not Consumer Refunds
If retailers raised prices during tariffs, that doesn’t create a liability to each customer—it creates profit (or covers costs). So if or when tariff refunds arrive, the default outcome is: firms recoup, shoppers don’t. Bottom line: You aren't getting a penny...
Five Things You Get With Your CW Subscription
CompositesWorld (CW) offers a free subscription that delivers curated composites news, original reporting, and multimedia content to industry professionals. Subscribers receive the CW Today newsletter three times a week, covering aerospace, automotive, marine, and wind‑energy markets. The package also includes...
Trump's Unpredictable Tariffs Threaten Transpacific Supply Chains
Trump tariff turmoil clouds transpacific contracting season. The bigger question is Trump’s unpredictability for imports and revenue. Goes beyond the 15% and what he may do next? That supply chain risk is also logistics risk. https://t.co/mQLO4g8ITo
Importers Brace for Potential 15%+ Tariff Surge
Trump. Is he amping up for more than 15% global tariffs? With his unpredictability, what do importer supply chains do now?
Cartel Boss Killing Jolts US-Mexico Freight Corridors
The confirmed killing of Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho, sparked immediate cartel retaliation across western Mexico. Road blockades, vehicle burnings and armed clashes disrupted key highways and temporarily halted operations at the Port of...
Short‑term Tariffs Won’t Drive Multi‑year Investment
A tariff that expires in 150 days isn’t a long-run industrial policy. Firms invest on multi-year horizons. If the policy is temporary, the investment response will be, too: mostly none. (This was recorded when the tariff rate was 10%; it's...
Local Content Rules Halve EV Subsidy Effectiveness
New @nberpubs: "Industrial Policies for Multi-Stage Production: The Battle for Battery-Powered Vehicles" https://t.co/DX6XB7e1R0 "local content requirements... drive up costs and reduce subsidy uptake, undoing more than half of the EV adoption stimulus coming from pure buyer subsidies" 😲
Queensland Gov’t Trade Mission Targets Manufacturing and Resources Growth in East Asia
The Queensland Government announced a trade mission to South Korea and Japan, led by Minister Dale Last, to boost investment in the state’s mining, critical‑minerals and manufacturing sectors. The delegation will promote coal, gas, and the revived Queensland Train Manufacturing...
Trump's New Tariff Aids China, Brazil; Future Uncertain
Trump. New tariff. Boost for China and Brazil. Current tariff is for 150 days. Then what will Trump do next as to imports and revenue? Supply chain unpredictability.
TSMC Process Simplification for Advanced Nodes
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) disclosed Patent US10692720B2, which merges advanced EUV lithography with a controlled angled‑etch step to achieve sub‑35 nm end‑to‑end spacing. The method replaces the traditional three‑step lithography/etch flow with a single exposure, dramatically simplifying the process for...
Ivanhoe Electric Inc (IE) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Enphase Energy reported Q4 2025 revenue of $343.3 million, with U.S. sales representing 89% of the total and a 13% sequential decline in U.S. revenue and a 29% drop in Europe. Gross margins fell to 46.1% non‑GAAP and 44.3% GAAP, largely...