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
At JEC World 2026, Wacker unveiled two silicone‑based impact modifiers, Genioperl W37 and W38, designed to enhance the toughness of thermosetting resins such as epoxies and vinyl esters. The additives create nanoscale elastomeric domains that improve shock resistance, especially at low temperatures, while requiring only 2‑8% by weight. Wacker also introduced Powersil Resin 710, a solvent‑free silicone resin capable of withstanding continuous temperatures up to 220 °C, positioning it as a direct alternative to PTFE and PEEK. Additional high‑performance binders and silicas were showcased to broaden the composite‑materials portfolio.
Solar module price growth is now driven primarily by five cost pillars: silver paste, polysilicon, glass, aluminium, and energy‑water inputs. Silver paste remains the largest single expense, with record‑high silver prices in early 2026 inflating cell costs. Polysilicon, accounting for...
Everyone is talking about the impact of closing the Strait of Hormuz on oil and gas. I haven't seen much discussion of the war's impact on helium. Most people think of helium as being a fun gas you use for...
TNO and High Tech Campus Eindhoven have broken ground on what will be the world’s first 6‑inch indium phosphide photonic chip foundry, a €150 million project funded under the European Chips Act and inaugurated by EU and Dutch ministers. The pilot...
Robotic gripping arms are becoming standard fixtures on modern production lines, delivering repeatable precision for tasks such as milling, drilling, and component placement. Sensors and encoders monitor every movement, eliminating the variability of manual handling. The technology now spans automotive...
Boston Micro Fabrication (BMF) showcased a dual‑resolution 3D printer capable of producing functional parts with tolerances in the tens of microns—smaller than a human hair. CEO John Kawola explained how the machine alternates between macro and micro modes, delivering both...
U.S. Section 232 tariffs on aluminum and tinplate steel remain at 50%, despite a Supreme Court ruling that struck down broader trade measures. The Midwest Premium for aluminum broke the $1‑per‑pound barrier in January 2026, pushing input costs for metal‑packaging producers...
Xinjiang’s textile sector reported a sharp expansion in 2025, with yarn output climbing 20% and fabric production jumping 36%. The surge generated roughly 46,800 new jobs, according to senior regional official Wang Kuiran. The growth occurred despite ongoing U.S.-led sanctions...
CompositesWorld and Gardner Business Media have opened abstract submissions for the Carbon Fiber 2026 conference, scheduled for November 10‑12 in Huntsville, Alabama. The call seeks presentations covering aerospace, defense, hypersonics, space, advanced air mobility, as well as industrial sectors such...
With Trump boasting about new factories everywhere, he would feel really stupid if he ever saw the data showing factory construction plummeting https://t.co/1T5VGrJqyn
MODEX 2026, the premier supply‑chain expo in Atlanta, will host over 1,060 exhibitors and more than 50,000 registered attendees, marking an 8% increase in physical footprint to 630,000 square feet. CEO John Paxton of MHI highlighted record growth as a...
Solidigm, traditionally a NAND fabber and SSD supplier, has launched Luceta, a generative‑AI computer‑vision platform aimed at manufacturing inspection. The software lets customers create and train models in weeks, achieving over 90 percent precision and enabling rapid edge deployment. While Luceta...
Zuken USA launched Harness Builder 2026, its newest wire‑harness manufacturing suite, adding live cost estimation, enhanced BOM management, and shop‑floor documentation tools. The Cost Estimator now pulls real‑time pricing and availability from TrustedParts.com, while DS‑E3 integration centralises production BOM data...
Rise Baking announced a 115,000 sq ft expansion of its Pleasant View, Utah facility, boosting total space to over 257,000 sq ft and creating roughly 170 new jobs. The upgrade adds infrastructure improvements such as wastewater management and energy‑efficiency measures, supporting higher pie production...
Maker’s Pride, the contract manufacturer spun out of Hearthside Food Solutions' Chapter 11, announced it will shut its Salt Lake City, Utah and Shakopee, Minnesota facilities in the third quarter. The closures follow a 2024 restructuring that erased roughly $2 bn of...
AI accelerators are set to dominate TSMC's most advanced N3 production line, with 86% of capacity earmarked for AI chips by 2027. Utilization is projected to exceed 100% in the second half of 2026, highlighting a severe capacity shortfall. TSMC’s...
Remtec announced its high‑density thick‑film multilayer ceramic substrates, targeting military, avionics, space and industrial markets. The product line offers 6‑8 conductor layers on alumina, aluminum nitride or beryllia, with either gold or low‑cost silver interconnects delivering 1‑3 mΩ/sq conductivity. Features include...
Sharpa, a unicorn AI robotics firm, announced a collaboration with NVIDIA to close the simulation gap for training dexterous robots. The joint effort produced Tacmap, a high‑fidelity yet fast simulation framework that uses a shared geometric representation and will be...
Reply showcased at NVIDIA GTC how digital twins and physical AI can unlock new industrial value. The company demonstrated a self‑learning edge AI platform that validates and retrains models on connected robots, leveraging NVIDIA Omniverse and Isaac Sim. Joint presentations...
Sitma unveiled PackHub, a compact automated bagging system that streamlines order fulfillment by automating bag feeding, orientation, and labeling. The unit’s 500‑bag hopper and precision friction feeder can cut packaging time by up to 50% per order while preserving a...
ThunderSoft and its joint venture Thundercomm unveiled three edge‑AI solutions at embedded world 2026, including the TurboX IRB10 development kit for autonomous robots, an AI‑powered industrial inspection system, and the compact TurboX EB8 edge computing device. Built on Qualcomm’s Dragonwing IQ10 platform, these offerings...
A severe shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders threatens to halt production in Sanganer’s textile dyeing and printing cluster. Around 2,000 units, requiring roughly 3,000 cylinders daily, have supplies sufficient for only two to three days. The crunch stems...
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Frameless motors are reshaping collaborative robots by eliminating bulky housings and integrating directly into joints, delivering lighter, more compact cobots. Their direct‑drive architecture provides superior torque‑to‑weight ratios and enhanced thermal management, which translates into higher precision and longer service life....
RyderVentures is championing "physical AI," a blend of artificial‑intelligence models with warehouse hardware that lets equipment perform multiple tasks instead of a single, fixed function. The approach tackles the biggest hurdle to warehouse automation—high upfront capital outlays and the risk...
Robbyant, an Alibaba‑affiliated embodied AI firm, has open‑sourced LingBot‑VLA, a vision‑language‑action model positioned as a universal brain for robots. The model, pre‑trained on over 20,000 hours of real‑world data, demonstrated superior task success on the GM‑100 benchmark and the RoboTwin 2.0...
Mercury Systems announced the acquisition of SolderMask, Inc., securing its dry‑film solder mask technology, intellectual property, and a five‑person team. The deal, closed on March 3, 2026, integrates SolderMask’s capabilities into Mercury’s Huntington Beach site while a parallel line is built in...
Manufacturers faced an 8% rise in material costs last year and a 0.5% jump in producer prices in January, outpacing forecasts. Global input prices also surged, driven by higher labor costs, supply‑chain strains and renewed U.S. tariffs. To safeguard margins,...
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection is near‑completion of CAPE, a new module within the ACE platform that will let importers electronically claim refunds on duties imposed under IEEPA. The USTR has launched a Section 301 investigation into alleged overcapacity in...
U.S. Ambassador Sergio Gor announced that India and the United States are on the brink of finalising a critical minerals agreement, with a major public announcement expected within months. The pact is designed to shore up supply chains for advanced...
Future Form has added plastic 3D printing services by deploying an HP Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) system, expanding its precision‑engineered component portfolio. The MJF platform enables scalable workflows from functional prototyping to final‑part production without the tooling required for injection...
Axtra3D unveiled three new elastomeric resins—Loctite 3D IND475, Loctite 3D Med414, and Ultracur3D EL 4000—broadening its material lineup from soft to hard shore‑A grades. The company also introduced the Axtra Workflow, an all‑in‑one manufacturing bundle that pairs the Lumia printer...
The article argues that most knowledge‑work time is spent on coordination rather than value creation, a form of hidden waste that traditional lean methods struggle to expose. It highlights how the Toyota Production System’s gemba concept worked on the factory...
Rep. Elise Stefanik introduced the Trucking Security and CCP Disclosure Act of 2026, mandating that every carrier in the Department of Defense freight chain certify it has no ownership or control ties to Chinese military‑linked entities. The bill creates a...
The American Public Transportation Association released new research mapping the U.S. bus and rail manufacturing supply chain. Federal transit funding directs roughly 77% of its dollars to private‑sector manufacturers, supporting more than 3,000 suppliers in over 1,700 communities across all...
A mechanical engineer known as PizzAndy has built a prototype 3‑D printer that replaces the traditional resistive heated bed with Bitcoin mining ASIC chips, creating a dual‑purpose heating and mining system called Proof of Print. The four‑chip prototype uses BM1362...
Italy's industrial production in January 2026 slipped 0.6% month‑on‑month, extending a downturn. Year‑on‑year output also fell 0.6%, reversing a modest 2.7% gain recorded in December. While energy output grew and transport equipment rose, consumer, intermediate and investment goods contracted, and...
European freight forwarders are reducing exposure to the United States amid unpredictable tariff policies and turning to South‑East Asia for new import opportunities. The region, bolstered by the broader “China+1” diversification, shows steady growth, with Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam leading...
Ongoing industrial gas shortages in India have compelled many steel producers to slash output or shift to higher‑value products to offset rising costs. The sharp depreciation of the rupee has further inflated coking‑coal import prices, while higher shipping and insurance...
Flexport launched its winter technology suite amid a Supreme Court decision that nullified Trump‑era tariffs and a sudden Middle East conflict that disrupted shipping lanes. The free Atlas portal now offers real‑time visibility into port congestion, while a tariff simulator...
UPS and FedEx have introduced temporary per‑pound surcharges for shipments to and from the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa in response to the Iran‑related conflict and rising fuel costs. UPS levies a $0.64/lb surge fee on 15 Middle‑East countries,...
Chinese EV giant BYD is weighing the construction of a wholly‑owned plant in Canada, a market that recently lifted tariffs on up to 49,000 Chinese‑made EVs per year. The company also left open the option of acquiring a legacy automaker,...
Samsung Heavy Industries and San Diego State University have inaugurated the SHI‑SDSU Advanced Maritime Center (SSAM) in San Diego, marking the first Samsung research hub on U.S. soil. The facility will fuse SHI’s shipbuilding expertise with SDSU’s strengths in AI,...
The article outlines a "capital‑intensity trap" where rising energy prices and higher U.S. Treasury yields squeeze margins for hardware manufacturers while leaving asset‑light designers relatively untouched. It illustrates the mechanism with a March 13 case study: Brent crude above $100 and...
Kanpur Nagar’s leather cluster is leveraging its long‑standing craftsmanship to produce high‑precision equestrian riding boots, a niche segment focused on performance rather than fashion. The ODOP (One District One Product) programme has highlighted these boots, helping firms like Lord Shiva...
Posco Future M, the battery materials arm of South Korea’s Posco Holdings, has signed a strategic agreement with U.S.‑based Sila Nanotechnologies to co‑develop next‑generation silicon‑based anodes. Sila’s Titan Silicon anode, built from nano‑engineered silicon particles, promises substantially higher energy density...
Hyundai Motor Group’s Indonesian JV with LG Energy Solution, PT Hyundai LG Indonesia Green Power, has teamed up with Zhejiang Huayou Recycling to process both production waste and end‑of‑life EV batteries. The $1.1 billion Karawang plant, operational in 2024, will ship waste to Huayou’s local...
Industry Week highlights that the next two decades of robotics will be defined less by software breakthroughs than by the physical components that power machines. Cost analysis shows actuators and gearboxes consume 35‑40% of a robot’s bill of materials, followed...
Artificial intelligence is reshaping large‑scale pharmaceutical manufacturing by automating process design, real‑time control, and supply‑chain management. Machine‑learning models can simulate optimal temperature, pressure and reactant levels, accelerating scale‑up and reducing waste. AI‑driven advanced process control continuously adjusts bioreactor conditions, while...
Virco Manufacturing in Arkansas is using a three‑year, paid apprenticeship program to upskill internal workers like tool‑and‑die apprentice Caleb Moss, addressing a growing shortage of skilled labor in U.S. manufacturing. The Trump administration’s 2025 executive order targets 1 million active apprenticeships,...
