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
Avianca Cargo launched a weekly Airbus A330F freighter between Bogotá and Caracas on March 7, providing up to 60 tonnes of maindeck capacity. The service adds 7 tonnes of belly cargo on passenger flights, creating a combined 67‑tonne weekly offering. The airline also introduced a second daily passenger frequency on the same route, reviving direct connectivity after a long suspension. Executives say the launch strengthens logistics flows and will expand as market demand grows.
Helio Additive provides a subscription‑based thermal‑optimization service for desktop 3D printers, automatically tweaking G‑code to improve layer adhesion and speed. In tests with 3D‑Fuel’s PCTG filament on a BambuLab P2S, the Enhance feature reduced print times between 8% and 66%...
Saudia Cargo has broadened its partnership with the Saudi Ports Authority and ZATCA to launch sea‑to‑air logistics corridors from the western‑coast ports, starting with Jeddah Islamic Port. The initiative enables containers to move under a single customs declaration, dramatically cutting...
Fairmat announced a contract with Airbus to recycle carbon‑composite panels from the A350, using its patented Infinity cold‑plasma technology that preserves mechanical performance. The process produces virgin‑quality fibers while dramatically lowering carbon emissions compared with new material production. At JEC...
The CONEXPO‑CON/AGG trade show in Las Vegas drew more than 140,000 construction professionals, underscoring strong demand for new equipment despite lingering tariff uncertainties. Caterpillar used the platform to launch its 19‑ton 319 excavator, creating a previously missing size class between...
Industrial Summit Technology (I.S.T) unveiled Imidetex® Composites at JEC World 2026, expanding its polyimide‑based platform into a multifunctional material system. The new composites combine a negative coefficient of thermal expansion, zero outgassing, and high vibration damping, allowing engineers to achieve...
Samsung is set to fabricate the base die of its next‑generation HBM4E memory using a 2 nm process, following the recent launch of the industry’s first commercial HBM4. The move coincides with a redesign of the HBM4E power‑delivery network, raising the...
The Ethical Supply Chain Program (ESCP) announced a record uptake of its Family‑Friendly Factory initiative. Participation surged among apparel and textile manufacturers in China and Vietnam. The 2025 Worker Well‑Being Impact Report links the program to efforts to mitigate labour...
At GreenBiz26, sustainability leaders from Mars, Meta, Patagonia and L’Oréal detailed how they are measuring and cutting scope 3 emissions, which account for up to 90% of corporate carbon footprints. Mars reported a 16.4% supply‑chain emissions reduction since 2015 and launched...
Fujian Huistone 3D Technology has filed Chinese patent CN121608383A describing a 3D printer that relocates a UV light source across the build area instead of using a fixed, full‑size array. The moving‑light engine is driven by dual servos and screw mechanisms,...
Additive manufacturing (AM) is poised to move from prototyping to high‑volume production, but fragmented workflows and data silos have limited scalability. Recent Wohlers Associates research highlights that industrial AI can unlock this potential, but only if AI is applied across...
UAVOS announced the production of a new batch of high‑performance composite rotor blades for its unmanned helicopters, cured in the company’s proprietary OVEN‑500‑2000 composite curing oven. The blades, featuring a NACA 23012 airfoil and optional stainless‑steel leading‑edge insert, are rated for...
IATA unveiled DG Digital at its World Cargo Symposium in Lima, a fully electronic Dangerous Goods Declaration tool that integrates with the DG AutoCheck platform. The solution digitises creation and approval for more than 3,800 hazardous items, eliminating the 95%...
Leaked internal documents from Russia’s Progress helicopter plant show that officials evaluated a production run of up to 48 Ka‑52M attack helicopters for an unnamed foreign client coded “156.” The paperwork details component sourcing, pricing, and a three‑stage financing scheme...
Best Buy is confronting a sharp rise in memory‑chip costs driven by an AI‑fuelled data‑center boom. The retailer plans to load warehouses with extra stock, extend vendor forecasting windows, and tighten assortments in high‑pressure categories. It also encourages suppliers to highlight...
Under Uttar Pradesh’s One District One Product (ODOP) programme, Lalitpur has become a dedicated hosiery manufacturing hub. Small units like Deepak Chaurasia’s operate eight machines, cutting bulk fabric and stitching around 2,000 garments daily for wholesalers in Madhya Pradesh. ODOP...
Balancing demand and supply is the cornerstone of effective supply‑chain planning, ensuring forecasts align with production capacity and inventory. When gaps arise, firms resort to costly “heroics” such as overtime, expedited freight, or excess stock, eroding margins. The article outlines...
Major ocean carriers are rerouting Gulf‑bound cargo to land‑based corridors after the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed by the ongoing war. Maersk now ships to Salalah, Khor Fakkan and Jeddah, then secures trucking capacity to move goods into the Persian...
UL Solutions granted its first UL 3300 safety certification to Simbe’s Tally autonomous shelf‑scanning robot. The certification, covering fire, electric‑shock and autonomous mobility hazards, confirms Tally can operate safely in busy public retail aisles. Simbe becomes the inaugural company to receive...
The Tyee reports that recycling 3D‑printed plastic remains a major hurdle despite growing interest. Most desktop printers produce more waste than finished parts, and the waste stream is heterogeneous. Industrial‑scale filament production equipment is costly, and sorting by polymer type...
Manz Asia and Seiko Epson have formed a strategic partnership to develop Lab‑to‑Fab inkjet equipment for semiconductor manufacturing. The collaboration merges Epson’s high‑precision printhead technology with Manz’s equipment engineering and intelligent software, creating a product line that covers R&D, pilot,...
The Open Group marks a decade since launching the Open Process Automation™ Forum (OPAF) on January 31, 2017. Over ten years the Forum has delivered the Open Process Automation Standard, a vendor‑neutral, modular and secure framework for industrial control systems. By replacing...
Manufacturers increasingly recognize that juggling multiple best‑of‑breed automation platforms drives hidden costs far beyond initial equipment spend. Training a single technician on five disparate systems can exceed $50,000, inflating a plant’s training budget to a million dollars. Consolidating onto a...
GEKA, founded in 1925, has become the global leader in mascara applicator technology. The company manufactures more than 84.5 million twisted‑wire brushes each year and offers 600 designs backed by five patented cutting and grinding processes. Its molded‑brush portfolio exceeds two billion...
The freight economy faces renewed uncertainty driven by three new pressures: a Supreme Court ruling that struck down the White House’s IEEPA tariffs and introduced a 10‑15% Section 122 duty, the United States and Israel’s joint military operation against Iran,...
Zimbabwe’s ruling ZANU‑PF party announced a strategic push to transform the country from a raw lithium exporter into a full‑stack battery manufacturing hub. The plan highlights the recent attraction of four of the world’s top six lithium firms and the...
NORD DRIVESYSTEMS has launched an IE5+ permanent‑magnet synchronous motor line that now reaches 11 kW, extending its compact high‑efficiency portfolio. The motors deliver up to 95% efficiency across a wide torque range, cutting energy consumption and CO₂ emissions in industrial applications....
DRM, LLC will exhibit at the MAX Manufacturing and Automation Exchange in Nashville from March 24‑26, showcasing its end‑to‑end automation solutions at Booth #515. The company will run a live robotic demonstration cell that highlights precision motion control for dispensing, material...
Estonian defence startup Frankenburg Technologies secured a €30 million Series A round led by Plural, with participation from SmartCap, to expand missile manufacturing across Europe. The capital will fund modular, containerised production hubs in the UK and Germany, each designed to output...
Air services provider dnata announced that construction of its new Cargo Centre at Zurich Airport is well advanced and remains on track for an early‑2027 opening. The facility will raise dnata’s freight handling capacity in Zurich by 50%, from 60,000...
Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW) has secured a contract to convert an Airbus A330‑300 into a freighter for Hong Kong‑based lessor Asia Pacific Aviation Leasing Group (APAL), marking their first passenger‑to‑freighter (P2F) collaboration. The conversion will start in the second quarter of 2026...
Uzbekistan’s ambassador to India met Rupa & Company’s director to explore a joint knitwear manufacturing venture in Uzbekistan. Rupa, a $150 million annual turnover Indian apparel leader, sees the Central Asian market and CIS region as a growth frontier. The talks...
Bavarian Nordic has signed a manufacturing agreement with the Serum Institute of India to transfer full technology for its chikungunya vaccine, CHIKV VLP (branded Vimkunya). The deal replaces an earlier partnership with Biological E and builds on the companies' existing mpox‑vaccine collaboration....
The escalating Middle‑East conflict is disrupting Karnataka’s textile supply chain, slashing new garment orders by 25‑30% for March 2026 and pushing overall garment exports down 15‑20%. Export shipments worth roughly $2 billion are stranded, while silk demand has slipped 8% and cocoon...
A wave of supply‑chain layoffs has swept across the United States, affecting roughly 4,000 workers in recent weeks. The biggest cuts came from SK Battery America, which shed 958 jobs (about 37% of its staff) and First Brands Group, which...
Exotec is deploying its Skypod robotic system at Komar Distribution Services' 760,000‑square‑foot Savannah fulfillment centre. The modular solution promises up to 50% higher throughput and 30% greater storage density while handling both case and single‑item picking. Full automation is slated...
PTC secures an aerospace-grade titanium ingot order for ISRO and scales VAR and PAM capability. https://www.metalnomist.com/2026/03/aerospace-grade-titanium-ingot-order.html
2/ Taiwan’s AI supply chain includes companies specializing in: *AI servers *cooling systems *testing equipment *chip packaging *compute racks & trays *fab construction *contract manufacturing
Placer.ai’s February 2026 macro analysis shows a bifurcated U.S. consumer—price‑sensitive shoppers gravitate toward value retailers while still allocating funds for discretionary indulgences. Retail foot‑traffic remains broadly positive YoY despite weather‑driven dips, and e‑commerce fulfillment centers are logging high‑single‑digit visit growth fueled...
Maersk. Treating the Strait as a long-term situation. The length of the war. How it ends? Iran’s position? Undoing the ship mess in the Strait and Persian Gulf?
the production line is probably around 10K per week at scale. *hundreds* will be initial production next month. $TSLA
Italian firms are showcasing advanced food‑processing and packaging machinery at ProPak Vietnam 2026, with 15 leading companies occupying booths AL1‑5, AL7‑16 and AL19 in Hall A2. The Italian packaging sector posted a record €10 billion revenue in 2024, exporting roughly 80 %...
The WSJ reports that German manufacturing orders fell 11.1% in January compared with the previous month. GERMANY’S GREEN MADNESS & SANCTIONS AGAINST RUSSIA HAVE PROVEN TO BE A DEADLY COCKTAIL FOR GERMANY. https://t.co/sqcs2lQvqA
Good point. There s no viable workaround for the Strait of Hormuz. Ships and supply chains are at a standstill.
congatec announced six new variants of its Ryzen AI Embedded P100 Series COM Express 3.1 Type 6 Compact modules, expanding core counts from four to twelve and graphics units from two to sixteen. The modules leverage 4‑nm Zen 5/5c CPUs, RDNA 3.5 GPUs...
Think you have a supply chain strategy? Many firms really have disconnected decisions across sourcing, logistics and technology. That’s not strategy. Here’s how to fix it: https://t.co/fUqesUBg4h #SupplyChainStrategy #Logistics https://t.co/AAJT7UeiiX
Dürr introduced EcoNextJet, a robotic drop‑on‑demand printing system that applies custom graphics directly onto vehicle bodies during the paint process. The system uses a 2,000‑nozzle printhead capable of two‑color, 720 dpi resolution and five‑micron paint thickness, replacing traditional film decals. Developed...
Weir has secured a contract to deliver a 150 t/h crushing and screening plant for Bezant’s Hope and Gorob copper‑gold project in Namibia. The package includes two ENDURON jaw crushers (ET905, ET906), Trio feeders, a scalping screen, conveyors and a steel...
ASRock Industrial unveiled a new line of industrial motherboards that support AMD EPYC 4005/4004 and Ryzen 9000/8000/7000 series processors. The portfolio spans ATX (IMB‑A1700), Micro‑ATX (IMB‑A1302) and Mini‑ITX (IMB‑A1002/ A1003) platforms, each featuring DDR5 memory, PCIe Gen5 expansion, and multi‑display...
3D‑knitting, driven by Wholegarment machines, creates fully seamless garments from a digital model, using up to 99% of yarn and eliminating waste. Originating from Shima Seiki’s 1995 invention, the technology offers superior durability, comfort, and on‑demand customization while reducing labor...
