Know What&#x27;s Happening in Manufacturing

Untitled

Kenco’s 2026 Innovation Report reveals that supply‑chain leaders are leaning heavily on AI and proven technologies to offset inflation and labor‑shortage pressures. While 83% of respondents maintain a dedicated innovation budget, only 35% increased it year‑over‑year, and half allocate at least $500,000. Priorities center on quality, inventory management, and labor efficiency, with 42% favoring established tech and 43% opting for a mix of existing and emerging solutions. The study also highlights a growing reliance on 3PL partners for strategy, funding, implementation, and ongoing operations.

Viridi Replaces New York Municipal Diesel Generator with Battery

Viridi installed a 150‑kWh battery energy storage system at Erie County Sewer District No. 2 in Hamburg, New York, replacing a diesel backup generator. The BESS provides 32‑90 hours of power depending on pump demand, eliminating fuel use and cutting emissions. Real‑time...

GameChange Solar Launches GeniusShip Logistics Aide

GameChange Solar introduced GeniusShip, a logistics platform that tags every delivery with a unique QR code, delivering component‑level data to site teams. The system provides real‑time calculations of installation zones, automatically adjusting to on‑site constraints. By improving material visibility and...

Talon PV Secures German Wafer Supply for American-Made Solar Cells

U.S. solar‑cell maker Talon PV has signed a long‑term supply agreement with German wafer producer NexWafe. The deal provides approximately 7 GW of NexWafe’s EpiNex silicon wafers through 2032 to fuel Talon’s planned 4.8‑GW TOPCon manufacturing facility in Baytown, Texas. The...

Untitled

Alloyed Ltd secured a £1 million grant from the UK ATI Programme to fast‑track the development of ABD®‑1000AM®, a nickel‑based superalloy engineered for laser powder‑bed fusion additive manufacturing. The project, run with ITP Aero and Cranfield University, aims to produce 3D‑printed jet‑engine...

ProEnergy Supply, OpenSolar Partner on Distributor Inventory Platform

ProEnergy Supply (PES) has launched an AI‑driven transactional gateway that integrates directly with OpenSolar’s new Shop platform, allowing solar designers to purchase equipment in real time. The solution connects live inventory to distributors’ ERP systems, reaching over 28,000 active solar...

SPE Opens Thermoset TopCon Student Poster Competition

The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Thermoset Division is hosting its fifth annual TopCon student poster competition at the Thermoset TopCon Conference in Madison, Wisconsin, on May 12‑13, 2026. Graduate and undergraduate students must submit abstracts by April 10, 2026,...

Blog•Feb 19, 2026

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions: Additive Manufacturing Powers the Future of Defense and Space

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions is accelerating its defense and space programs by investing heavily in additive manufacturing, highlighted by the acquisition of a Velo3D Sapphire metal 3D printer and the launch of a CAMM materials‑characterization program. The company uses...

By Fabbaloo

Roland DGA Launches Elevate Denture Solution for Digital Workflows

Roland DGA has introduced the Elevate Denture Solution, a digital denture kit that bundles Ivoclar Ivotion discs, hyperDENT CAM strategies, adapters and PMMA tooling for use with DGSHAPE DWX‑53 series mills. Developed with Ivoclar and FOLLOW‑ME! Technology, the solution offers...

By Engineering.com

DHL Expands Airfreight Cold Chain Network

DHL Group is expanding its dedicated air‑freight cold‑chain network, adding more than 30 GDP‑compliant aviation hubs and a new Brussels‑Cincinnati corridor. The rollout is part of a €2 bn investment in DHL Health Logistics and includes a dedicated Boeing 777 freighter painted...

By Air Cargo News

L3Harris to Provide Communications Systems for Virginia and Columbia-Class Subs

L3Harris Technologies secured its largest full‑rate production contract to supply communications systems for 26 shipsets destined for the U.S. Navy’s Virginia‑class fast‑attack and upcoming Columbia‑class ballistic‑missile submarines. The award, granted by General Dynamics Electric Boat, spans production through 2033 and...

By Naval Today

Nordlicht I Components Completed Early

Nordlicht I’s first monopiles and transition pieces were finished ahead of schedule by EEW and CS Wind, marking a key milestone before offshore construction begins later this year. The 68 steel structures, up to 80.5 metres long and 1,290 tonnes heavy, position the project...

By reNEWS

Additive Screen Printing: Scalable Production Meets Micro Precision

Additive Screen Printing (ASP) merges industrial screen printing with additive manufacturing to produce metal and ceramic components with micro‑precision at high volume. The process deposits material paste through precision screens layer‑by‑layer, cures each layer, then sinters the green parts to...

By TCT Magazine

Swarm Aero Opens Large Drone Production Hub in Arkansas

Swarm Aero inaugurated an 80,000‑square‑foot Advanced Manufacturing Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas, dedicated to large‑UAV production. The facility is designed to mass‑produce the Group 5 swarming UAV, which the company claims will cost less than the MQ‑9 Reaper while delivering comparable capability....

By Defence Blog

Stratasys Introduces Multi-Material 3D Printed Anatomical Model Preset for Dental Training

Stratasys has launched a multi‑material 3D‑printed dental anatomical model preset using its PolyJet technology, enabling realistic, customizable training devices. The preset defines material ratios and distribution patterns to consistently mimic bone, teeth, nerves, and soft tissue. Models can be personalized...

By TCT Magazine

Velo3D Receives $11.5M Defense Production Agreement for National Security Program

US-based metal 3D printer manufacturer Velo3D has secured an $11.5 million, multi-year full-rate production agreement with an undisclosed U.S. defense contractor. The contract supports a “sensitive” nationally security program. According to the company, the agreement will use Velo3D’s Rapid Production...

Fourier Analysis in Production Metrology: Turning Measurement Data Into Process Insight

Fourier analysis, implemented via Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) in Mahr’s MarWin software, is being promoted as a core tool for production metrology. By converting measurement profiles into frequency spectra, it reveals hidden vibrations caused by tool wear, unstable clamping, or...

By Metrology News

3D Printed Carbon Fiber Meta-Skins Improve Impact Mitigation in Foam-Core Composites

Researchers at San Diego State University have used automated tow placement to 3D‑print pseudo‑woven continuous carbon‑fiber skins, called meta‑skins, for foam‑core composites. In low‑velocity drop‑tower tests (4.43 m/s), a monocoque configuration with a single skin absorbed nearly 100 % of the impact...

By Robots & Startups (Substack)

Blog•Feb 19, 2026

🦾 Robotics Funding Rounds by Month - December 2025

The episode reviews December 2025 robotics funding, highlighting 127 rounds that raised $2.74 billion, bringing the year’s total to roughly $35 billion. It notes a healthy volume of deals despite lower individual round sizes, with notable activity among humanoid, biotech‑robotics, construction, and...

Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas Reveals Its 2026 Dealers of Excellence

Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas announced its 2026 Dealers of Excellence, honoring 17 top-performing dealers across North America. The award recognizes dealers that excel in selling and servicing Cat lift trucks, Mitsubishi forklifts, and Jungheinrich warehouse automation solutions. Recipients were selected for...

Century Aluminum Co (CENX) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript

Kaiser Aluminum reported $3.4 billion in net sales for 2025, generating $1.5 billion in conversion revenue after $1.9 billion of alloy metal hedge costs. Total shipments fell 5% to 1.1 billion pounds, while packaging conversion revenue rose 11% thanks to a shift toward coated...

Gentherm Inc (THRM) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript

Gentherm reported record $1.5 billion revenue for 2025, a 2.9% increase, and secured $2.2 billion of automotive new‑business awards, including $485 million in Q4. Adjusted EBITDA fell to $175 million (11.7% of sales) amid higher material costs, while operating cash flow rose 7% to...

Vicor Corp (VICR) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript

Vicor reported Q4 2025 product revenue of $92.7 million, a 4.5% sequential rise and 15.3% YoY growth, while full‑year revenue climbed 4.1% to $350.3 million. Advanced‑product sales surged 26.6% YoY, pushing the advanced‑product share of total revenue to 58% despite a slight...

Onto Innovation Inc (ONTO) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript

Onto Innovation reported Q3 2025 revenue of $218.2 million, surpassing the midpoint of its guidance, with a 54% gross margin and 21.1% operating margin. Advanced nodes contributed $54 million and are projected to reach $300 million for the full year, while specialty packaging...

Metallus Inc (MTUS) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript

Metallus Inc reported a sequential decline in fourth‑quarter shipments and net sales, resulting in a GAAP loss of $14.3 million and adjusted EBITDA of $2.4 million. Annual shipments rose 14% year‑over‑year, and the order book expanded over 50%, pushing lead times into...

Garrett Motion Inc (GTX) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript

Garrett Motion reported $3.58 billion in 2025 sales and a $510 million adjusted EBIT, delivering a 14.2% margin despite a modest Q4 margin dip. The company converted nearly 80% of adjusted EBIT into free cash flow and returned $260 million to shareholders through...

By Supply Chain Management Review (SCMR)

NextGen Supply Chain Conference 2026 Opens Speaker Submission Process

The NextGen Supply Chain Conference 2026 has opened its speaker submission window, inviting senior supply‑chain leaders to present case studies at the event scheduled for Oct. 21‑23, 2026, in Nashville’s W Hotel. The conference’s theme, “Innovate. Upskill. Transform.”, signals a shift...

AllPIXA Neo 6k Line-Scan Camera Delivers Unmatched Speed and Precision for Automated Sorting Systems

Allied Vision introduced the allPIXA neo 6k 10GigE line‑scan camera, engineered for high‑speed automated sorting. It features a 6144 × 4 pixel CMOS multispectral sensor, 5 µm pixel size, and can capture up to 105 kHz in color or 300 kHz in monochrome. The camera delivers...

North Aircraft Industries Is Manufacturing the Cavorite X7 VTOL Composite Wings

North Aircraft Industries (NAI) has secured a partnership with New Horizon Aircraft to manufacture and test the composite wings for the Cavorite X7 VTOL, a novel aircraft whose wings open to expose twelve electric lift fans for vertical take‑off. The wing’s...

By World of Procurement / The AI Procurement Blueprint (Substack)

Blog•Feb 18, 2026

The AI-First Procurement Team

In this episode the host walks listeners through real‑world deployments of AI agents in procurement, showing demos of contract review, vendor onboarding, and data extraction that cut hours of manual work down to minutes. The discussion highlights how 80% of...

Weaving Flexibility Into Nitinol: IMDEA–UPM Advances 3D Printed Superelastic Metamaterials

Researchers from IMDEA Materials Institute and the Technical University of Madrid (UPM) have reimagined nickel-titanium (Nitinol) alloys as fabric-like, interwoven structures, achieving levels of flexibility and mechanical performance previously impossible. By combining design-focused approaches with advanced 3D printing, the team...

Plastometrex Launches MultiScale Capability for Thin-Wall and High-Resolution Mechanical Property Mapping

Plastometrex has added a MultiScale capability to its PLX‑Benchtop system, enabling high‑resolution mechanical property mapping on parts as thin as 0.75 mm. The upgrade uses 1.5 mm indent spacing and interchangeable 250‑µm, 500‑µm, and 1000‑µm indenters to generate full stress‑strain curves in...

Nova-Institut Reports Global Bio-Based Polymer Market to Rise 11% Annually Until 2030

The nova‑Institut report shows bio‑based polymers reached 4.5 million tonnes in 2025, representing about 1 % of total polymer output. Production is projected to grow at an 11 % compound annual growth rate through 2030, potentially doubling the market share to 2 %. Capacity...

Continuous Composites Awarded $1.25 Million to Advance Joining Methods with CF3D

Continuous Composites secured a $1.25 million AFWERX Manufacturing Challenge contract to advance CF3D joining and stiffening techniques for aerospace structures. CF3D merges precise fiber steering, rapid UV curing, and computational design into a digitally driven, scalable production process. The 15‑month project...

Walter Pritzkow OCMC Becomes Key Lightweight Enabler for Jetoptera Drone

Jetoptera is partnering with Walter E.C. Pritzkow Spezialkeramik (WPS) to integrate lightweight oxide ceramic matrix composite (OCMC) thrusters into its DARPA LIFT Challenge aircraft. The OCMC thrusters deliver 90 pound‑force of thrust while keeping the propulsion system light enough to meet...

Fenix Composites CFRTP Road Bike Featuring Lugged Frame Resolves Repairability Challenges

Fenix Composites unveiled a carbon‑fiber‑reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) road‑bike frame that uses titanium lugs joined by induction heating, eliminating adhesives and fasteners. The reversible joint design allows defective components to be removed and replaced, extending the frame’s service life. Joint strength...

Plastometrex Launches MultiScale Capability to Capture High-Resolution Mechanical Property Variation

Plastometrex has launched a MultiScale capability for its PLX‑Benchtop system, allowing high‑resolution mechanical property mapping on thin, welded and complex parts down to 0.75 mm thickness. The feature adds 250 µm and 500 µm indenters, delivering stress‑strain data at 1.5 mm spacing via Profilometry‑based...

By TCT Magazine

Wabash Unveils AI-Powered TrailerHawk to Combat Cargo Theft

Wabash introduced TrailerHawk, an AI‑driven trailer system that combines computer vision, facial recognition, and digital seals to create an end‑to‑end chain of custody for freight. The solution issues real‑time alerts, geofenced lock controls, and automatically documents loading activities, integrating directly...

By FleetOwner

Podcast•Feb 18, 2026•17 min

Roeth: How to Evaluate New Trucking Technology without Falling for the Hype

Michael Roeth warns that new trucking technologies often suffer a nine‑to‑one expectation gap between vendor hype and fleet reality. He cites research indicating a product must be roughly three times better than existing solutions to achieve market adoption. Roeth advises...

By FleetOwner

Stocktake – A Practical Guide to Inventory Counts

In this 17‑minute episode, the MRPeasy team walks listeners through the fundamentals of conducting effective stocktakes, covering preparation, execution, and post‑count reconciliation. They highlight common pitfalls—like missed components during peak seasons—and demonstrate how regular inventory counts can prevent costly production...

By MRPeasy Manufacturing Podcast

Podcast•Feb 18, 2026•39 min

European eCommerce Fulfillment Through a Global Lens

In this episode, Kevin interviews Ken Byrne, founder of RedSky Europe, about the challenges and opportunities of European eCommerce fulfillment for global brands. Byrne explains how his experience as an eCommerce brand owner informs RedSky’s tech‑first, scalable approach, especially for...

By The New Warehouse

Social•Feb 17, 2026

Hybrid3D Prints Custom-Shaped Batteries for Drones, Smart Glasses

The Hybrid3D can 3D print batteries that can fill irregular shapes, like the wing of a drone or the arm of smart glasses. https://spectrum.ieee.org/3d-printed-batteries

By IEEE Spectrum Threads

Social•Feb 17, 2026

Ford Pays Millions in Tariffs After Supplier Fire

"Tariffs, supplier fire continue to batter Ford" https://t.co/3FKQwD9ycE That Ford is having to pay millions in aluminum tariffs simply bc its domestic supplier caught fire is one of the better/stupider examples of US tariff policy today: https://t.co/eOL1o1zgXf

By Scott Lincicome

ARM Institute Opens Project Call for Military Supply Chain Technology

The Advanced Robotics in Manufacturing (ARM) Institute has issued a member‑only project call to modernize the Department of Defense’s organic industrial base (OIB) supply chain. The call seeks proposals that combine digital operations, AI‑driven robotic process planning, real‑time sensors, in‑situ...

By The Robot Report

Social•Feb 17, 2026

India's Solar Overproduction Turns Boom Into Glut

Industrial policy, again: "India’s Solar Manufacturing Excesses Turn a Boom Into a Glut" https://t.co/VEeIUwYmoM https://t.co/r4CohxBgDI

By Scott Lincicome

Anzu Discontinues Raptor Drone Series Amid Supply Chain Crisis

Anzu Robotics announced the discontinuation of its Raptor drone series after persistent component shortages halted production. The line, launched in 2024 as a U.S.-focused alternative to DJI, saw rapid demand driven by NDAA 2025 considerations, which depleted inventory faster than...

By DroneDJ

By Modern Materials Handling

German Grocery Retailer REWE Deploys Cimcorp Solution for New Automated Fulfillment Center

German retailer REWE has opened an automated fulfillment center in Oranienburg, deploying Cimcorp’s robotic handling and Warehouse Control System to manage fresh produce distribution. The facility serves over 370 supermarkets and 580 shops in the Berlin region, processing roughly 29,000...

By GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News)

Turning Microalgae-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Into a Next-Generation Drug Delivery Platform

Paris‑based AGS Therapeutics signed a strategic agreement with INITS SMO, a GMP‑qualified shared manufacturing organization, to transition its microalgae‑derived extracellular vesicle (MEV) platform to full GMP compliance. The partnership allows AGS to run its proprietary MEV manufacturing, loading, and analytics...