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
The article frames warehouse technology adoption as a series of seasonal maturity levels, ranging from manual operations to fully dynamic, software‑driven facilities. It warns that forcing a single platform across all sites creates fragmentation, higher costs, and stunted growth. Instead, it advocates a composable, modular architecture that lets each warehouse operate at its appropriate season while sharing common standards. By aligning technology with site‑specific needs, networks can achieve consistent visibility and sustainable ROI.
Additive manufacturing (AM) has endured a 2‑3‑year sales dip, but recent data shows a modest rebound starting in Q1 2026. CEO Yoav Zeif framed the slowdown as a normal CAPEX cycle, emphasizing that hardware performance and customer usage intent are improving....
Proterial, a Japanese advanced‑materials maker, is evaluating India as a production base for its rare‑earth‑free electric‑vehicle magnets and other high‑end components such as superalloys and power‑electronics parts. CEO Sean M. Stack highlighted strong economic momentum, government incentives, and the need...
Bambu Lab released 2025 usage data from its MakerWorld and MakerLab platforms, showing sustained growth in Chinese 3D‑printing activity. Benchy remained the most printed model for the fifth consecutive year, while 83% of owners continued printing one year after purchase,...
The article details a PLC program built in Siemens TIA Portal that uses latching and interlock logic to control a single pump via three RUN buttons. Pressing START sets a SYSTEM_ON memory bit, enabling the RUN inputs while STOP clears...
Austal USA launched the U.S. Navy’s final Expeditionary Fast Transport, USNS Lansing (EPF 16), marking the 26th ship to use its modular launch system. The vessel was lifted, moved onto a barge, floated for the first time in a dry dock, and...
EU proposes CBAM treatment for pre-consumer aluminium and steel scrap to curb circumvention and boost traceability. https://www.metalnomist.com/2026/02/eu-cbam-pre-consumer-scrap-proposal.html
Germany’s manufacturing capacity utilization is only running at 77.5% in January. Its long-term average since 1991 is 83.2%. GERMANY’S GREEN MADNESS & SANCTIONS AGAINST RUSSIA ARE A DEADLY ONE - TWO PUNCH. https://t.co/S87Xs4GTJY
Stratasys has filed a patent for low‑temperature PolyJet materials that maintain jet‑ready viscosity at around 35 °C, far below the typical 50‑90 °C range. The formulations combine low‑molecular‑weight curable components and reactive diluents to stay under 50 cPs while delivering mechanical performance comparable...
Static price lists, once suitable for stable markets, now expose manufacturers and distributors to hidden margin leakage as economic volatility drives cost swings, demand shifts, and competitive pressure. Without dynamic modeling, price changes are applied reactively, often misaligned across segments,...
Chile’s Ministry of Health has authorized copper slag as an artificial aggregate for road and infrastructure projects under Supreme Decree 46, effective 12 February 2026. The decree permits use only after sanitary approval and confines applications to specified construction uses....
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s 2026 report warns that the trucking industry faces a massive insurance gap. While the number of active interstate carriers fell to 456,227, the median "nuclear" verdict for crashes jumped to $51 million, far exceeding the...
Manufacturers face rising maintenance costs, unplanned downtime, and aging assets, forcing a choice between costly early replacements or reactive run‑to‑failure strategies. The article argues that “good enough” maintenance stems from fragmented processes and outdated condition monitoring. By marrying process excellence—lean,...
A federal court dismissed the International Longshoremen’s Association’s lawsuit claiming the Virginia Ports Authority violated national labor law by installing automated yard cranes without union notification. The VPA, which filed a motion to dismiss in October 2025, argued the union...
The chemical sector entered 2026 with a renewed wave of cost‑cutting after 2025 earnings slumped across major players. BASF aims to trim $2.7 billion in costs, Dow expands its $2 billion streamlining plan, and Eastman leverages a new methanolysis plant for modest...
Katana positions itself as the only Shopify‑native cloud inventory and manufacturing platform, unifying real‑time inventory, production planning, and shop‑floor execution. It targets Shopify brands that make their own products, charging a $299 per‑month Core plan plus optional add‑ons and a $2,000...
Chemists at Aarhus University have up‑cycled discarded nitrile gloves into polyamine membranes that capture carbon dioxide. By hydrogenating the rubber with a ruthenium pincer catalyst, the team converts nitrile groups into amines, creating a non‑porous sorbent. The resulting material achieves...
US recycled PET (rPET) demand remains weak, prompting concerns at the Plastics Recycling Conference. The recent shutdown of Evergreen Recycling’s Ohio and New York plants cuts domestic processing capacity by roughly 16%, tightening an already strained market. Low‑priced imports and abundant...
Software-defined vehicles (SDVs) fuse ADAS, infotainment, cloud services and OTA updates onto electric powertrains, creating a far more intricate tech stack than conventional cars. Engineers must grapple with modular architectures, multi‑vendor integration, and stringent cybersecurity mandates such as ISO/SAE 21434...
Apple announced it will purchase more than 100 million advanced chips from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) at the company’s Arizona fab, marking a sizable increase over its 2025 orders. The iPhone maker also disclosed sourcing over 20 billion U.S.-made chips from...
Maersk Ground Freight announced plans to open five to seven additional U.S. facilities in 2026, following the January launch of its 165,000‑square‑foot Fontana, California hub. The Fontana terminal, featuring 22 docks, is expected to cut turnaround times by up to...
Home Depot has introduced real‑time delivery tracking for all large‑item orders, expanding a feature previously limited to small parcels. The rollout leverages handheld devices used by drivers to log checkpoints, giving customers live visibility into the status of bulky shipments...
Senator Todd Young introduced the Securing American Freight, Enforcement, and Reliability (SAFER) Transport Act to tackle freight fraud, theft, and safety on U.S. highways. The bill mandates a freight fraud advisory committee, eliminates MC numbers in favor of a single...
Matson reported marginally weaker fourth‑quarter results as container volumes slipped 2.3% year‑over‑year, driven by a 7.2% drop in China shipments amid ongoing trade‑war pressures. Ocean operating income dipped to $136 million on revenue of $704.2 million, but the company was partially offset...
Factory floors in 2026 are shifting from basic automation to intelligent, software‑defined systems. The article ranks the top five automation vendors—Hefestus, Rockwell Automation, Siemens Digital Industries, ABB Robotics, and Fanuc—highlighting each firm’s niche strengths such as high‑precision packaging, edge computing,...
The Brampton city council voted unanimously to rezone the Brampton Assembly Plant site exclusively for vehicle manufacturing, a move designed to pressure Stellantis into preserving the facility. The plant, idle after the 2024 Dodge Charger shift and a halted Jeep...
Daughter Craft No. 3, commissioned by Purus, is in final outfitting ahead of sea trials, with Volvo Penta IPS drives now installed. The vessel features IMO Tier 3 exhaust after‑treatment to curb emissions and has undergone extensive CFD and tank testing for optimal...
Driver recruiters are adopting agentic AI to streamline candidate engagement. Tyson Foods recently deployed AI agents that handle initial outreach, pre‑qualify drivers, and schedule calls, allowing its six recruiters to efficiently support a 2,800‑truck fleet. Industry leaders at the 2026...
The Technology & Maintenance Council’s 70th annual meeting convenes in Nashville March 16‑19, featuring nearly 400 exhibitors across 350,000 sq ft. The event is split into education, exhibition, and voluntary standards tracks, with over 100 task forces shaping new recommended practices. Sessions...
Unifi’s 2025 Sustainability Snapshot reports that the company transformed waste equivalent to one billion t‑shirts through its Repreve platform, putting it ahead of its 1.5‑billion‑t‑shirt target for 2030. It also diverted 46 billion PET bottles from landfills, prompting an upward revision...
LUCID Vision Labs launched the Atlas10 SWIR, a 10GigE camera featuring Sony’s 5.2 MP IMX992 and 3.2 MP IMX993 SenSWIR InGaAs sensors. The camera incorporates integrated thermoelectric cooling (TEC) that can be set to 10 °C, cutting dark current and image noise for...
First Brands Group, currently in a multi‑billion‑dollar bankruptcy, has identified four prospective buyers for its auto‑parts factories, three of which supply components to Ford Motor Co. Ford is prepaying for parts and administrative expenses, a move described by its counsel...
Fugo Precision 3D has introduced a centrifugal resin 3D printer that combines printing, washing, and curing in a single rotating cylindrical tank. The system spins a resin‑filled chamber, uses 20 UV lasers to solidify layers, and then drains, washes, and...
Nike has appointed long‑time manufacturing executive Cimarron Nix as its new chief sustainability officer, effective March 15. Nix will report to COO Venkatesh Alagirisamy and relocate from Singapore to Nike’s Beaverton headquarters. She succeeds Jaycee Pribulsky, who departed for a...
The world's smallest industrial robot arm Built for sub-micrometer precision. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how to control what is likely the world’s smallest and most precise industrial robot arm using custom software. The stack includes online and offline programming...
Trump has to stop reading charts upside down. Factory construction is down around 13% after adjusting for inflation. https://t.co/YNFjjiLWfV That's only a boom in Trump's skull.
Assistant Secretary of Defense Michael Cadenazzi joined a live event with Ryan Evans to assess the current state of the U.S. defense industrial base. The dialogue covered a surge of venture‑capital‑backed startups, the dominance of legacy primes, and the urgent...
UPS . Layoff of 78,000 employees. There had better be more to this. Is it strategic? Stave off a dark cloud? A significant restructuring? Redefining itself? To? Why—the back story?
Red Sea Comeback Falters as Maersk Diverts Ships Back Around Cape. Throw in the chance of a US war with Iran. Their Houthi friends. And staying with the longer transit and what that means to container line rates and excess...
Inductive Automation has appointed Tom Burke, former OPC Foundation leader, as Technology Evangelist. Burke’s background includes roles at Mitsubishi and the CC Link Partners Association, positioning him to champion lightweight messaging standards like MQTT and Sparkplug within Inductive’s platform. The...
A “serious and responsible discussion” would start with the data, name the trade-offs, and propose fixes. Magical thinking isn’t a program; it’s an alibi. https://t.co/wtjQL4ly9p
PwC’s latest outlook finds manufacturers will more than double automation, AI and advanced‑technology use by 2030, with the median adoption rate climbing from 26% to 68% of operations. Adoption in production and product design is already high, while business support...
HydrogenPro announced that its 220 MW ACES Delta project in Utah is nearing completion, with all 40 electrolyzers operating at full load. The hub, co‑developed by Chevron New Energies and Mitsubishi Power, will produce up to 100 tonnes of green hydrogen per...
Exclusive: GKN cancels plans for magnet factory in setback for Europe's rare earths plans https://t.co/KLadnSKxvw
Siemens Mobility and Polish rolling‑stock maker Newag have signed a memorandum of understanding to deepen cooperation in Poland’s emerging high‑speed rail market. The MoU will pool engineering and manufacturing capabilities to develop 300 km/h trains for the Warsaw‑Łódź corridor and advanced...
An interim analysis by construction‑automation journalist Jarret Gross reveals rapid global expansion of 3D concrete printing (3DCP) projects. The mapped data, representing roughly 50 % of known installations, shows dense clusters in the Persian Gulf, Northern Europe, China, Japan, Western Australia,...
AGY and JPS Composite Materials have launched a North American supply chain to produce low‑coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) glass‑fiber fabric for advanced semiconductor substrates. The partnership pairs AGY’s ultra‑low‑CTE L‑HDI fibers made in Aiken, South Carolina, with JPS’s weaving...
Latest: Rapidus’ new $1.7B infusion; Intel & UMC exec moves; faster EUV; $100B GPU deal; Arm-Tensor robocar; smartphone market decline; HBF; $1B in AI chip funding; mCFET study; 1T1C 3D DRAM; automotive edge; chip industry earnings...https://t.co/rjAKYW2Kxa
UK hot‑rolled coil (HRC) prices are trading at an average €62 per tonne discount to north‑European benchmarks after Tata Steel UK closed its last blast furnace in September 2024. Imports have surged from 770,000 t in 2023 to 1.4 million t in 2025,...
Industrial real‑estate activity is rebounding after pandemic‑induced vacancies as reshoring, automation and third‑party logistics (3PL) demand drive a flight to higher‑quality space. Vacancy absorption has accelerated, and CBRE projects renewals to exceed 35% of total leasing volume, well above the...
