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.
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By the numbers: BlackRock acquires 5% stake in Samsung Heavy Industries
Industrial tenants are moving large‑scale distribution from coastal port markets to cheaper inland logistics hubs, according to Cushman & Wakefield. Port‑proximate markets captured only 19% of U.S. industrial net absorption in 2025, the lowest share in 15 years, while overall industrial absorption rose 16.3% year‑over‑year. Rising coastal rents—up 65% since 2019 and 33% above the national average—plus tariffs, nearshoring and evolving supply‑chain strategies are driving the shift. Inland markets saw 21% demand growth versus just 2% in port markets.
U.S. resin exporters are seeing a surge in container bookings as the Iran‑Israel conflict disrupts the Middle East’s dominant plastics supply chain. On March 16, Vizion recorded 6,191 daily export bookings, nearly double the 3,500‑4,500 range typical for 2026. The first...
The United States‑Iran conflict has shut the Strait of Hormuz, choking the flow of liquefied natural gas that underpins India’s ammonia imports. Ammonia shortages forced Alkyl Amines Chemicals and Balaji Amines to suspend production of key amines, while fertilizer makers...
E‑commerce fulfillment centers that own automation hardware face severe risk from equipment failures, especially during peak seasons. The article outlines a practical framework for conducting a component criticality audit, prioritizing single‑point‑of‑failure parts, and building a targeted spare‑parts inventory costing $5,000‑$25,000....
MISUMI Group Inc. has signed a strategic partnership with U.S. vertical farming pioneer Oishii Farm Corporation. Through its recently acquired subsidiary Fictiv, MISUMI will provide mechanical components for Oishii’s Ametalas Farm, leveraging AI and robotics to fine‑tune temperature, humidity, lighting...
Ferrari announced a recall of 80 12Cilindri models sold in the United States because the rear and side window tint is too dark to meet federal safety standards. NHTSA documents show the glass fails to provide the required 70 percent...
C&C Marine & Repair announced a 24‑acre expansion of its Belle Chasse facility and the construction of a fully automated spool shop, touted as the most advanced in the United States. The shop will house CNC bending, plasma cutting, blasting,...
Uber Technologies has pledged up to $1.25 billion to Rivian Automotive for a fleet of 10,000 autonomous R2 robotaxis, with an initial $300 million equity purchase contingent on regulatory clearance. The rollout targets San Francisco and Miami in 2028 and could expand to...
Under Biden-era industrial policy, the US was building a domestic battery industry at record pace to supply the growing market for US-built EVs. The GOP axed the policies driving EV demand, making most of those battery plants unnecessary. Now, in...
The best factories don’t rely on just tech—they align tech, operations, and people. #DigitalManufacturing #TechOps #SmartFactory #Industry40 #ManufacturingLeadership #DigitalTransformation https://t.co/JZqZ0xHGN6
Echion Technologies and GUS Technology announced the commercial launch of XNO® fast‑charging, high‑power battery products at Battery Japan. The cells, produced at GUS’s Zhongli plant in Taiwan, can reach 80% state‑of‑charge in five minutes, operate at –30 °C, and retain over...
Hadrian opened a 2.2‑million‑square‑foot ‘Factory of the Future’ in Cherokee, Alabama, funded by $900 million Navy OBBBA money and $1.5 billion private capital. The facility will mass‑produce components for Virginia‑class attack and Columbia‑class ballistic‑missile submarines, creating up to 1,000 high‑paying jobs. By...
California lawmakers introduced Assembly Bill 2137 to create a statewide certification system for shops that fabricate engineered stone, granite, marble and similar slab materials. The bill directs Cal/OSHA to develop an application process, with certifications issued for three years beginning...
First day of spring/equinox = a supply chain reset: refresh assumptions, clean data, align priorities. Want more predictability? Contact LMA. #SupplyChain #SIOP https://t.co/T9DVT39eRQ
BlueWind, a Florida‑based composite manufacturer, announced a US$4.4 million investment to acquire a 10‑acre site and install new production equipment, including a $1.2 million CNC machine. The funds will also finance a new headquarters that will consolidate its current 93,000‑sq‑ft footprint into...
Amerequip has deployed CADDi Drawer, an AI‑powered data platform, to consolidate a century‑old library of engineering drawings, specifications, and part numbers into a single searchable environment. The new workflow replaces a cumbersome multi‑system process with instant, cross‑referenced results, cutting search time...
Coats, the UK‑based apparel and footwear components supplier, released its 2025 sustainability report and announced that it has already met several 2026 targets. The company cut Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 30% since 2022 and shifted 52% of raw materials to...
The article outlines nine unconventional ways to leverage the AI Lean Coach, especially its Coach Me mode, which asks questions instead of providing direct answers. It demonstrates how the tool can act as a role‑play partner for 5 Whys, a rehearsal aid...
As we transition to the agentic enterprise. Stil work to be done to fully model the value of intelligence manufacturing plants (AI Factories). https://t.co/HbYZCQFhhC
Ghana’s Maritime Authority is evaluating a proposal from Nigerian firm RusselSmith to establish a 3D‑printing plant capable of producing 12‑metre vessels on Ghanaian soil. The initiative aims to replace the aging wooden fleet, cut deforestation, and lower maintenance costs by...
Finnish shipbuilder Uudenkaupungin Työvene secured a contract from Germany’s BAAINBw to design and build a Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull (SWATH) personnel transfer vessel for the German Navy. The 60‑person capacity craft will operate from Neustadt in Holstein, ferrying crew...
Food giant Kraft Heinz announced a $250 million investment to upgrade its Mont Royal processing plant in Montreal. The 70‑year‑old facility, which produces 41 product lines and employs more than half of the company’s 2,000 Canadian staff, is described as its...
International Paper announced a $225 million investment to build a 468,000‑square‑foot greenfield box plant in Brandon, Mississippi. The facility will target an annual output of 1.8 billion square feet of packaging and is slated to begin construction in June with operations commencing...
Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences have unveiled a single‑step durable water‑repellent (DWR) treatment that deposits a fluorine‑free silica shell directly onto individual yarns. The process creates a covalently bonded, superhydrophobic coating that retains breathability and mechanical resilience even...
Insight Works released Order Fulfillment Worksheet version 1.6 for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, adding usability upgrades such as default view management, cleaner filter formatting, and dynamic date placeholders. The tool helps warehouse teams instantly identify shippable orders by scanning sales...
The Hong Kong‑flagged tanker Sea Horse, loaded with Russian diesel originally bound for Cuba, has diverted to Trinidad and is expected to arrive on Monday. The change follows a U.S. Treasury decision to tighten a waiver, now excluding sales to...
VI‑grade unveiled its HyperDock cockpit at Multimatic’s Vehicle Dynamics Center in Novi, Michigan, marking the first North American deployment of the full‑spectrum simulator. The system adds high‑frequency vibration and noise (NVH) reproduction to existing motion platforms, covering a 0‑20,000 Hz bandwidth....
Heatforge 3D has launched an online VOC calculator that quantifies volatile organic compound concentrations in FFF 3‑D printing environments. Users input room volume, air changes per hour, number of printers, and filament type (ABS, PLA, nylon, HIPS, PVA) to receive estimated...
A large fire erupted at an automotive parts factory in Daejeon, South Korea, on March 20, injuring between 25 and 53 workers and halting production. The incident triggered a nationwide fire‑mobilization order and a direct directive from Prime Minister Kim...
Caterpillar introduced the 253 compact track loader, weighing 8,893 lb with a 2,023 lb rated capacity, aimed at earth‑moving and loading tasks. The machine blends legacy D3 architecture with a next‑gen single‑piece undercarriage supported by four rigid axles, enhancing traction and grading...
At the China International New Energy Vehicle exhibition, Philippine Ambassador Jaime FlorCruz invited Chinese EV firms to set up manufacturing in the Philippines. He highlighted a 67% surge in EV sales to 5,701 units in the January‑February period, a skilled...
Chinese photovoltaic manufacturers JinkoSolar, LONGi Green, Tongwei and Aiko booked more than 4.67 GW of overseas module orders in March. Europe accounted for 51.1 % of the volume, Australia 42.5 %, with the remainder split across Asia‑Pacific and the Middle East. JinkoSolar led...
FedEx reported its most profitable holiday peak season as it accelerated the rollout of Network 2.0, with about 35% of eligible shipments now processed through nearly 400 optimized facilities. The carrier improved on‑time delivery to 95.3% in December 2025 and saw...
Dyson settled a negligence claim brought by 24 trafficked workers who laboured in a Malaysian factory, after English courts allowed the case to be heard in the UK rather than Malaysia. The ruling establishes that a UK‑based company can be...
Web Industries Inc. is installing high‑precision laser cutting equipment at its Denton, Texas plant, dramatically increasing throughput for flexible composite materials. The upgrade targets fast‑paced markets such as consumer goods, technical textiles, aeronautics and space, delivering Tier 1 quality and reduced...
A recent Sustainability study compares CNC milling, Selective Laser Melting (SLM), and metal extrusion (MEX) for producing a VTOL UAV component. The analysis evaluates material efficiency, energy consumption, capital investment, and post‑processing labor across a single functional part. Results show...
Oh, oh. China. Rare earth exports increase. Fall to US. And the supply chains? The US-China trade deal? And the delayed Trump-Xi meeting?
Exel Composites earned ISO 14001 certification for its Erlanger, Kentucky plant, cementing its environmental management system across waste and energy initiatives. Polestar disclosed the full cradle‑to‑gate carbon footprint of the Polestar 5, highlighting recycled aluminum and renewable‑powered production that cut emissions...
SANY Group and Holcim have signed a Letter of Intent worth 100 million CHF to roll out electrified construction equipment over the next five years. The deal includes delivery of 100 electric units and deployment of 20 autonomous mining trucks across...
Kuka has added two mid‑payload robots to its KR Cybertech line, offering 25 kg and 35 kg capacities while keeping the same compact footprint. The models feature a redesigned IP67‑rated wrist for higher rigidity and precision, and both are AI‑ready and ISO 10218:2025 compliant....
JUST IN: Tesla expected to start Semi deliveries this summer, delivering up to 15,000 in 2026
Physical AI equips drones, forklifts and other moving assets with cameras and computer‑vision models to continuously digitize warehouse inventory, eliminating manual barcode scans. The approach is hardware‑agnostic, leveraging off‑the‑shelf equipment to keep capital costs low and enable deployment in extreme...
Above the Fold: Supply Chain Logistics News (March 20, 2026) - https://t.co/6N5W6UvR9N @FedEx @amazon @DescartesSG #AI #supplychain #logistics #transportation #IranWar #Trumptariffs #trucking
China’s BAIC Group announced a prototype sodium‑ion EV battery that delivers over 170 Wh/kg energy density and can be recharged at 4C rates, reaching a full charge in roughly 11 minutes. The prismatic pack operates across a –40 °C to 60 °C temperature...
A MAGNET survey of nearly 300 Ohio manufacturers reveals six emerging signals shaping U.S. production. Revenue growth has cooled—only 48% reported gains—yet 70% still plan to increase headcount, reflecting a desire to avoid past lean‑cycle pitfalls. Economic uncertainty now tops...
Royal3D has introduced the Interlayer Control System (ICS), a thermal monitoring solution that tracks nozzle temperature across XYZ coordinates in real time for industrial 3D printers. Using a 160 × 140 pixel infrared camera, the system logs interlayer temperatures, allowing operators to spot...
SBM Offshore’s COO Alex Glenn detailed the Fast4Ward program, which shifts the company from bespoke FPSO designs to a standardized, modular, data‑driven model. The initiative introduces pre‑engineered hulls and topside modules, cutting delivery schedules by up to a year and...
Tesla is negotiating a $2.9 billion purchase of solar‑manufacturing equipment from Chinese suppliers to support its goal of building 100 GW of solar capacity in the United States. The deal centers on Suzhou Maxwell Technologies, with shipments expected to arrive in Texas...
Indian Oil Corporation raised the price of industrial diesel to Rs 109.59 per litre, a 25% increase effective 20 March 2026. The hike targets bulk consumers such as factories, where diesel fuels captive power plants and heat‑intensive processes. The textile sector, which relies...
Mercedes‑Benz Trucks will begin customer trials of megawatt‑charging‑system (MCS) enabled eActros 600 trucks in the second half of 2024, deploying them in its own inbound‑logistics operations. The eActros 600, produced since November 2024, is the sole model in the lineup with an...
