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
Escalating crude oil prices and supply‑chain disruptions from the West Asia conflict have forced Surat’s textile mills to curtail operations, instituting two‑day weekly shutdowns. Rising costs of yarn, coal and energy have left mills with only 10‑20 days of coal stock, making production economically untenable. The slowdown threatens the livelihoods of roughly 300,000 workers employed in the city’s 400‑500 mills. Parallel logistics problems are also choking Gujarat’s ceramic exporters, as Gulf ports face container delays.
U.S. manufacturers sit on roughly $350 billion of unused equipment, spare parts and MRO inventory each year, much of which ends up scrapped or landfilled. Amplio, founded by Trey Closson and Taha Zinifi, pivoted from risk‑monitoring software to an AI‑driven platform...
Indonesia’s special economic zone (SEZ) program has expanded to 25 operational zones with seven more under construction, attracting roughly $19.7 bn in cumulative investment and creating about 248,000 jobs by the end of 2025. Early zones like Sei Mangkei and Gresik...
3Deus Dynamics, a deep‑tech firm founded in 2020, has earned ISO 9001 and the demanding EN 9100 aerospace certification, complementing its 2023 ISO 13485 medical accreditation. The company’s high‑performance silicone portfolio includes fire‑resistant seals that survive 1,200 °C kerosene flames and EMI‑shielding components attenuating...
Alstef Group announced an AI‑powered autonomous industrial vehicle (AIV) ahead of LogiMAT 2026, featuring a real‑time "perception bubble" that continuously maps its surroundings. The system uses onboard cameras and AI models to classify objects, adjust speed, routing, and docking, and...
India’s Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has rolled out new quality benchmarks for woven shirts and trousers, covering fabric strength, stitching durability, colour retention and shrinkage limits. The move seeks to inject uniformity into a sector that has long relied...
Texas LNG Brownsville, a $5.7 billion export project, has appointed Kiewit Offshore Services to fabricate its liquefaction, pretreatment and pipe‑rack modules at the company’s Ingleside, Texas yard. The decision keeps module production in‑state, sidestepping tariffs, heavy‑lift shipping and Panama Canal transit...
Gautam Solar has entered Wood Mackenzie’s 2025 Global Top 30 solar module manufacturers and earned the elite Grade A classification, marking it as one of the world’s most reliable and bankable producers. The ranking places the Indian firm alongside dominant Chinese manufacturers,...
Swancor Regener has teamed with Ban Mao Green Coating to launch the Eco‑Stone Circular Economy Series, using CleaVER® technology to chemically degrade wind‑turbine thermoset waste into high‑purity oligomers. The recovered oligomers are blended at 11 % into Ban Mao’s construction coatings,...
BYD demonstrated its second‑generation Blade battery surviving a six‑inch nail puncture without entering thermal runaway, contrasting sharply with a conventional NCM cell that erupted into a 500 °C fire. The dramatic nail test, staged for European industrial executives, highlighted the Blade’s...
Dainty Foods, a Canadian private‑label rice and ready‑to‑heat meal producer, announced a $150 million investment to build its first U.S. manufacturing plant in Batavia Township, Ohio. The 250,000‑sq‑ft facility will create about 240 jobs and generate roughly $15.8 million in annual payroll....
Bridges Air Cargo has launched regular operations with a converted Embraer E190F freighter, linking Rome Fiumicino, Malta International and Mitiga Airport in Libya. The aircraft, registered 9H‑BRD and leased from Regional One, completed its first commercial flight earlier this month. Bridges, a Malta‑based...
voestalpine Railway Systems secured €500 million (approximately $545 million) in orders from Deutsche Bahn and Swiss Federal Railways for rails, switches, signaling and monitoring solutions. The contracts cover the modernization of Frankfurt Central Station, the Hamburg‑Berlin high‑capacity corridor, and a 20‑year digitalisation framework...
A new study published in the Journal of Manufacturing and Materials Processing examines how additive‑manufactured polymers degrade under heat, humidity, UV exposure, and cyclic loads. It compares degradation mechanisms across FFF, SLS and vat‑photopolymer processes, highlighting the role of porosity,...
The Shanghai International Automotive Manufacturing Technology & Materials Show (AMTS) opens registration for its 2026 edition, scheduled for July 8‑10 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. The three‑day event will host more than 850 global exhibitors and attract around 70,000...
Kamishibai boards, a visual control tool from Toyota‑style Lean, are gaining traction as a core mechanism for reinforcing Leader Standard Work and Layered Process Audits. By displaying colored cards that represent routine checks—such as safety, 5S, and coaching—leaders can instantly...
In this episode, Kevin Lawton talks with Abby Naraki, CEO and founder of Stock, about the growing problem of excess inventory in the 3PL and e‑commerce space and how Stock connects that surplus to a vast network of nonprofits. Abby...
Scanology unveiled the SIMSCAN‑S Gen2, a palm‑sized wireless 3D scanner aimed at manufacturers needing micron‑level inspection. The device delivers metrology‑grade accuracy of up to 0.015 mm and captures up to 8.1 million measurements per second at 180 FPS. Weighing only 560 g, its magnesium‑alloy...
Raytron Microelectronics unveiled three thermal imaging modules—WN2T, DVS256, and ECOT—at MWC Barcelona 2026. The WN2T adds high‑resolution, real‑time temperature overlay for predictive maintenance and drone inspections. DVS256 merges infrared and visible imaging for consumer handheld cameras and smartphone accessories. ECOT...
Infineon Technologies has formed a strategic technology partnership with Indian power‑electronics firm Zenergize, announced at the Bharat Electricity Summit 2026. Infineon will supply its wide‑bandgap silicon‑carbide (SiC) semiconductors and engineering support to integrate them into solar inverters, EV chargers and...
General Motors has trimmed its global footprint, now concentrating production of roughly five million vehicles a year in North America and Asia. The company divested its European operations to PSA in 2017 and has shuttered plants in Australia, India and...
Mind Robotics announced a $500 million Series A round, co‑led by Accel and Andreessen Horowitz, to accelerate its AI‑powered industrial robot platform. The financing follows a $115 million seed round and adds Accel partner Sameer Gandhi to the board. Leveraging Rivian’s manufacturing data...
Sydney‑based wellness brand True Protein has upgraded its operations by implementing Oracle NetSuite’s AI‑powered cloud ERP. The new system replaces spreadsheets and siloed tools, automating finance, inventory, manufacturing, warehousing and sales functions. NetSuite’s deployment, managed by Fusion5, has cut the...
Hexxabotics will debut a honeycomb‑based automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) at LogiMAT 2026, merging autonomous mobile robots (Hexxabots) with a modular hexagonal grid. The design eliminates fixed rails and in‑rack electrification, promising higher cubic storage density and lower energy use....
Construction is becoming more automated and more precise. The Optimas S19 paving machine is a good example of that shift. Designed for large-scale projects, it automates the placement of paving stones, handling tasks that traditionally required significant manual labor. What stands out...
Trade policy volatility is reshaping chemical supply chains, with U.S. chemical imports spiking to over $20 billion in March 2025 before plunging in April, leaving firms with excess inventory. The February 28 Iran‑Israel conflict triggered a 62% jump in Brent crude...
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told food and beverage leaders in Melbourne that Australian manufacturing is vital for the sector’s quality and resilience. He warned that higher fuel costs and global supply‑chain disruptions are straining producers. The government will boost domestic...
Workroom Automation, a Hyderabad‑based connected‑factory platform, secured ₹6.2 crore in seed funding led by the Equirus InnovateX Fund, with participation from Astir Ventures, Venture Catalysts Group, and several angels. The capital will accelerate product development, especially its AI‑powered planning engine, and...
Hexagon has upgraded its TubeInspect inspection cell and BendingStudio XT software, delivering near‑instant, non‑contact measurement of tubes and wires directly on the shopfloor. The new release adds simultaneous multi‑part inspection, integrated support for handheld 3D scanners such as ATLASCAN Pro and HYPERSCAN,...
The latest Metrology Brew bulletin highlights a surge in smart manufacturing technologies that combine advanced 3‑D measurement, AI‑driven analytics, and high‑speed computed tomography. Companies such as Measur3D, ActionPlas, Lumafield, and Wagon Automotive are deploying new CMMs, inline metrology cells, and...
Flexco installed its Elevate belt‑rip detection system at Cemex UK’s Dove Holes Quarry, where it automatically shut down a conveyor after detecting a fallen steel plate in April 2025. The rapid shutdown within 12 metres averted a catastrophic belt rupture and prevented weeks...
A fire at Anjun Industrial, a Daejeon car‑parts supplier, killed 14 workers on Friday, exposing a deadly mix of illegal building extensions, grease buildup, and flammable sandwich panels. The blaze originated in a makeshift, unregistered rest area lacking ventilation and...
India’s largest Coca‑Cola bottler, SLMG Beverages, is weighing selective price hikes as the Middle‑East war drives up costs for plastic bottles, caps, labels and cartons. The company, which posted a 49% sales jump to ₹6,773 crore and a 76% profit surge...
European manufacturers are grappling with the electrification of the C‑segment SUV, a segment that now accounts for roughly one‑fifth of all vehicle sales across Europe. These family‑oriented SUVs require long‑range batteries, typically nickel‑manganese‑cobalt chemistries, which are far more expensive than...
💡How can the expanding and collapsing range of a three arm clamp be increased ❓ Most mechanisms have a limit on the maximum or minimum range they can handle. This mechanism provides us with a more suitable option. #mechanism #design...
Singapore‑based gas owner Purus has exercised an option for an additional LNG carrier with Samsung Heavy Industries, pricing the contract at KRW 377.9 bn (about $252 m) and targeting delivery in Q2 2029. The newbuild follows a prior $503 m order for two 174,000‑cu m vessels...
If you want to bring shipbuilding to the U.S. at the scale of China or South Korea or even Japan its not only going to take massive capital investment, but you also have to fundamentally change the way these businesses...
Musk: $20B chip factory. Amazon: $50B into OpenAI + new Trainium lab. The AI race is no longer about models. It is about who controls the silicon underneath. Current fab capacity covers 2% of what is needed. Two percent. https://t.co/cl1qOf5ih0
Manufacturers rigorously certify trainers but often fill supervisor openings through ad‑hoc promotions, typically choosing the strongest operator rather than the strongest leader. This shortcut can mask leadership gaps, leading to inconsistent onboarding, varied shift standards, and rising turnover. Billups cites...
Next-Level #Robotics: Linker Hand06 Brings Human-Scale Precision by @CyberRobooo #Robots #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology #Tech https://t.co/Dm7ETe7t3d
“Last year, I visited 11 robotics companies in China across five cities…All of them were engaged, in different ways, in the race to…commercialise robots capable of replacing human workers—and some of them already have eager western buyers.” @Changxche https://t.co/jen93jcxA4
Monash University researchers published a review in the International Journal of Production Research showing that better prediction of human behaviour by robots can make manufacturing safer, more adaptive and efficient as Industry 5.0 evolves. The study compares mechanism‑based, data‑driven and hybrid...
"At least two New Glenn second stages (GS2) appear in final integration, complete with insulation blankets. Complete tank sections for at least four more stages await insulation, while bulkheads and barrel sections indicate yet another unit in the works." https://t.co/JPS90rT2WC...
Nvidia’s Huang calls China ‘formidable’ in robotics as firm bets on physical AI Huang says US robotics industry will have to rely on China’s supply chain despite US pioneering market... Yup...3D chess vice one dimensional game within Beltway.... https://t.co/rrFQq5IlpQ
Australia’s largest ammonia producer, Yara’s Pilbara plant, will be offline for roughly two months after a power outage damaged equipment. The facility accounts for about 5% of the world’s traded ammonia, a key feedstock for urea fertilizer and ammonium nitrate...
Elon Musk unveiled a plan to build the "Terafab" semiconductor fabrication facility in Texas, integrating Tesla, SpaceX and his new AI venture xAI. The project is billed as the largest U.S. chip fab, intended to strengthen domestic supply chains for...
The article argues that laboratory tire tests alone cannot capture real‑world performance, urging consumers to rely on on‑road testing and user feedback. It highlights how variables such as road surface, weather, load, and driving habits dramatically influence grip, wear and...
I do genuinely enjoy some of the company names on Asian exchanges that literally make clear what they do. Global Wafers is another one. That said, TSMC is going to lean heavily on OSATs for capacity support. Interesting times....
The Port of Oakland handled 163,254 TEUs in February 2026, a 14.5% year‑over‑year decline and 16.7% drop from January as vessel activity slowed for Lunar New Year. Vessel calls fell to 72, reflecting planned blank sailings, yet export volumes remained...
Cirrus360 unveiled Edgware, a 5G‑enabled automation platform for small and medium‑sized meat processors, at the 2026 International Livestock Congress in Houston. Developed with Rail19 and Texas A&M’s meat‑science faculty, the system fuses edge sensors, cloud analytics, and real‑time incident reporting...
