Know What's Happening in Manufacturing
Know What's Happening in Manufacturing
Japan pours $6.3B into physical AI robotics to secure 30% global market share by 2040
Japan has launched a national initiative to dominate the emerging physical AI market, targeting a 30% share worldwide by 2040. A shrinking workforce and a 14‑year population decline have turned automation into a survival tool for factories and critical infrastructure. The government has earmarked roughly $6.3B to accelerate AI‑powered robotics.
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By the numbers: BlackRock acquires 5% stake in Samsung Heavy Industries
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 pharmaceuticals turned negative. Analysts warn that German economic ties and Middle‑East energy tensions create uncertainty for the rest of 2026.
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,...
Taihan Cable VINA, the Vietnamese subsidiary of South Korean Taihan Cable & Solution, has broken ground on a new 400 kV‑class extra‑high voltage cable plant in Dong Nai Province. The 56,200 m² facility is slated to begin operations in 2027, making Taihan...
A recent Open Ceramics paper compares the mature sand binder‑jetting workflow, now used for high‑volume core production, with emerging slurry‑based ceramic 3D printing. While binder jetting offers large build volumes, fast job‑box swapping and high sand‑reclaim rates, slurry printing delivers...
ASRock Industrial’s iEP‑5010G‑DCN industrial controller captured the Best in Show award at Embedded World 2026. The fanless unit, powered by an Intel Atom x6425RE, operates from –40 °C to 70 °C and up to 3,000 m altitude. It carries ATEX Zone 2, IECEx and UL C1D2 certifications plus...
A tier‑1 automotive supplier replaced a conservatively‑designed steel‑cast suspension upright with a metal‑additive‑manufactured version after using Cognitive Design Systems' (CDS) platform. The software enabled rapid topology studies and multi‑process manufacturability checks, allowing a weight‑optimized redesign. Lead time collapsed from four...
New Oceantic Network research estimates U.S. offshore wind will create $42 billion in steel demand over the next two decades. The sector would require roughly 22 million tons of steel, enough for 239 Golden Gate Bridges. This demand could support 186,600 jobs...
Germany’s industrial heartland in Baden‑Württemberg is experiencing a sharp decline, with trade‑tax revenues halving and major manufacturers cutting thousands of jobs. The article attributes the downturn to aggressive green policies and state subsidies that divert capital from private investment. Election...
Snapmaker announced the U1 desktop 3D printer will ship on April 10, with pre‑orders now open at $849. The U1 features four independent toolheads that swap in five seconds, eliminating purge cycles and cutting filament waste by up to 80 %...
Automotive World projects Volvo Group will lift annual production to roughly 2.5 million units by 2030, driven by a strong push into electric commercial vehicles. The forecast assumes a 30% share of electric trucks in total sales, backed by a €15 billion...
Volkswagen has begun series production of the ID.Unyx 08, a fully electric full‑size SUV co‑developed with Chinese partner Xpeng, at its Anhui plant in Hefei. The model, featuring 800‑volt ultra‑fast charging, L2 ADAS and OTA updates, is tailored for Chinese consumers...
Ward Automation delivered a compact robotic cell that inspects, labels, and palletizes 36,000 syringes per hour for a multinational pharma maker. The system uses three Stäubli robots, dual machine‑vision stations, and a dedicated lid‑sealing module, all built to meet 21 CFR...
Researchers at Hiroshima University and Mitsubishi Materials have demonstrated a laser‑based additive manufacturing process that can 3D‑print tungsten‑carbide‑cobalt (WC‑Co) cemented carbide with industrial‑grade hardness above 1400 HV. By using hot‑wire laser irradiation, the method softens rather than fully melts the material,...
The Gardner Business Index (GBI) for metalworking rose 3.3 points in February, reaching 56.3 and confirming expansion. Five of the six component metrics are above the 50‑point threshold, with production and new orders both topping 60, matching early‑2022 peaks. The...
The Australian Fashion Council and RM Williams unveiled a ten‑year National Manufacturing Strategy aimed at building a globally competitive fashion and textile sector in Australia. The plan responds to the industry's vulnerability, highlighted by Middle‑East conflicts, and seeks to shift the...
TAFE Queensland has introduced an Associate Degree in Applied Technologies, a higher‑education qualification designed to upskill workers in manufacturing, automation and digital technologies. The program was co‑created with industry leaders through the Queensland Future Skills Partnership, led by BHP Mitsubishi...
Delivering the opening keynote for the Association for Manufacturing Technology. Great connecting with @Bill AI is about to get arms and hands — connecting with robotics, IoT, APIs, and 3D manufacturing. Factories are entering a fascinating new chapter. #Manufacturing #AI #Robotics #Industry40 #Innovation
Australia’s battery recycling industry contributes about $2.1 billion annually and supports nearly 20 000 jobs across 45 facilities. The Battery Stewardship Council projects the sector could grow to $6.9 billion and 34 600 jobs by 2050, highlighting its strategic role in domestic critical‑minerals supply....
Emerson will unveil its latest fuel‑gas and fuel‑oil safety shut‑off valve solutions at the 2026 ABMA Boiler Expo, emphasizing greater design flexibility, installation freedom, and lower total cost of ownership. The new configurations combine pressure regulation, high‑flow capability, and alternative‑fuel...
Groninger will unveil its Lifecycle Solutions program and the UFVN ready‑to‑use processing platform at INTERPHEX NYC from April 21‑23. The Lifecycle Solutions service bundles commissioning, optimization, modernization and retrofit into a single framework for pharma manufacturers and CDMOs. The launch coincides...
Chinese officials announced that Xinjiang’s textile sector added 46,800 jobs and saw yarn output rise over 20% and fabric production jump 36% in 2025, despite U.S. sanctions targeting the region’s cotton. Investment in the industry climbed 35%, and value‑added output...
Manufacturers facing supply‑chain volatility and rising costs are redefining the CIO role to combine traditional IT oversight with direct responsibility for supply‑chain transformation. Modern supply‑chain CIOs must master emerging technologies such as AI, IoT, digital twins, and analytics while aligning...
Truss 2 is done. These things take a lot more hammering than LEGO. You’d think the holes would just align but nah, they need encouragement https://t.co/0wucX75RHg
Quebec‑based startup Femtum announced an oversubscribed CAD 16 million Series A round, led by BDC Capital and joined by FTQ, Cathay Venture and other backers. The company’s flagship laser cleaning and trimming system claims to cut chip power consumption by 20‑40 % while boosting...
U.S. Air Force leaders warned that a prospective stealthy strategic airlifter to replace the aging C‑5M and C‑17 faces significant design and production hurdles. Gen. Randall Reed told the Senate Armed Services Committee that while strategic airlift remains a top...
Hexagon argues that a modern cutting‑tool library is the essential first step toward manufacturing automation and AI‑assisted machining. By centralizing, standardizing, and enriching tool data—including 2D/3D assemblies and ISO 13399 imports—shops eliminate duplicate definitions and capture shop‑specific knowledge. Clean, consistent tool...
Intech‑Hanbon has unveiled a new line of advanced tangential flow filtration (TFF) systems aimed at biopharmaceutical, biotech and life‑science manufacturers. The platforms deliver high filtration efficiency, low shear stress and precise pressure control, while supporting a broad spectrum of applications...
Nikon Metrology unveiled three new ECLIPSE microscopes—the LV150NA LED and LV150N LED upright models and the MA200 LED inverted model. All three replace halogen illumination with a high‑color‑rendering LED, extending lamp life to 50,000 hours. The MA200 integrates the LED into its stand, shaving...
MIT researchers have built a multimaterial extrusion 3‑D printer with four independent extruders that can handle conductive, magnetic and dielectric feedstocks. Using this platform they printed a fully functional linear electric motor in about three hours, employing five different materials...
Sublime Systems, an MIT‑spun low‑carbon cement startup, announced layoffs affecting roughly two‑thirds of its 90‑person staff after the Trump administration rescinded an $87 million Department of Energy grant. The funding pull forced the company to pause construction of its Holyoke, Massachusetts,...
DCE Solar has installed the first Tracker Twin single‑axis solar tracker in the United States, a product co‑engineered with Spain’s Axial Structural Solutions. The dual‑row system is manufactured domestically and aims to improve structural stability while reducing the number of...
The U.S. International Trade Commission issued a final negative determination in its antidumping and countervailing duty investigation of active anode material (AAM) imports from China. The 2‑1 vote blocks the Department of Commerce from imposing tariffs on Chinese AAM, overturning...
Engineers at NJIT and partners in the U.S. and Singapore have shown that lithium dendrites inside batteries are not soft but brittle, snapping like dry spaghetti. The team harvested dendrites from operating cells, measured their mechanical strength, and paired the...
Boeing recorded 16 first flights of the 737 MAX through March 11, showing the assembly line is still operating at a normal rate. However, only three MAX aircraft were delivered in March, leaving thirteen completed jets in inventory awaiting a wiring repair....
American Resources Corp.'s subsidiary Electrified Materials Corp. (EMCO) has added a new preprocessing line at its Indiana plant, expanding capacity to aggregate and condition magnet, copper, aluminum, ferrous metals and rare‑earth/critical‑mineral feedstocks. The conditioned materials are shipped to sister company...
NIDEC MACHINE TOOL AMERICA rebranded its Additive Manufacturing division as Advanced Manufacturing Technologies, consolidating the LAMDA metal additive system, ABLASER laser micromachining, and BOND MEISTER wafer bonding under one brand. LAMDA’s AI‑driven DED printers feature a local shield nozzle for reactive...
#WhatsNext? Slime #Robots. Could be responsible for advances in #MedTech #Healthcare and #Manufacturing and more. #Robotics https://t.co/kuuATvv0Bo
EOSYS director of technology Chase Davis explains that decentralized drives relocate motor controllers onto the machine, dramatically cutting wiring length and control‑panel footprint. Pre‑fabricated cordsets and daisy‑chained networking enable faster installation, modular expansion, and rapid component replacement. Modern frequency inverters...
