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
On February 5, 2026, Mitsubishi Electric US announced a structural reorganization that consolidates Mitsubishi Electric Automation, Inc. (MEAU) and Mitsubishi Electric Automotive America’s (MEAA) operations under Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc. (MEUS). The automation business becomes the Industrial Automation Division of MEUS, while the Mason, Ohio facility is transferred to form the new MEUS Mason Division. The move centralizes shared services in the Americas Corporate Office and is intended to drive innovation, efficiency, and talent integration across North American operations. Mike Corbo will oversee the combined organization as President and CEO.
Prusa Research announced a $200 price reduction for the assembled Original Prusa XL, positioning it as the most affordable multi‑material tool‑changer in its lineup. The XL retains its active tool‑changing architecture, supporting up to five full heads, while the newer INDX...
Two of the Royal Navy’s new Type 31 frigates, HMS Active and HMS Bulldog, have reached critical production milestones at Babcock’s Rosyth yard, with Active rolled out and Bulldog’s steel‑cut ceremony held. The programme sustains roughly 2,500 jobs across shipyards and the UK...
Oshkosh Corp., led by EVP Jay Iyengar, is championing a "moments of autonomy" strategy that embeds physical AI into high‑value, repetitive or hazardous tasks rather than pursuing full automation. The company is rolling out autonomous jet‑bridge docking systems that align...
Mastercam unveiled its 2026.R2 update, the second release in a new semi‑annual cadence, delivering GPU‑accelerated simulation and an AI‑driven Copilot assistant. The GPU engine reduces verification times from roughly 90 minutes to just over 22 minutes while preserving accuracy. Copilot...
Hexagon’s high‑precision metrology tools have been integral to building Red Bull Ford Powertrains’ new 1.6‑liter V6 turbo‑hybrid unit for the 2026 F1 rule changes. The company’s Leitz PMM‑C CMMs, Leica Absolute Scanner AS1 and QUINDOS/Q‑DAS software deliver sub‑micron tolerances across thousands of...
The article links ISO 9001:2015 Clause 6.1’s risk‑opportunity focus to the broader concept of waste, arguing that hidden wastes often outweigh visible quality defects. It warns that neglecting innovation—whether AI, quantum computing, or disruptive processes—can render entire business models obsolete. Examples range...
The article argues that traditional conformity assessments—focused on documented procedures and checklists—provide a false sense of security because they only prove a system exists, not that it works. It introduces impact assessment as the next‑generation audit, measuring real performance, consistency...
GelSight has launched GelSight Mobile 4.3, a software update that adds a high‑performance 3D rendering engine and expands defect detection to curved surfaces. The release also introduces custom 3D cropping, circular roughness profiling, and a suite of automation tools such as...
The UK Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) plans to strip Turkey of its developing‑economy exemption for hot‑dip galvanised (HDG) steel, moving Turkish shipments into the capped “other countries” quota. The move follows Tata Steel’s complaint that Turkish imports surged to 58,030 t...
Norway's state‑owned rolling‑stock lessor Norske Tog has called Alstom senior managers to Oslo after the French manufacturer halted local testing of its N05 EMU due to suspected bogie fatigue faults. The contract, signed in 2021 for up to 200 trains, includes...
S&P 500 Industrials’ forward P/E, at 26.5X, matches sector P/E in 2021, when earnings were impaired by the pandemic, and at 1.24X the index, is higher than at any point in the last 30 years. EV/Forward EBITDA, Price-to-Sales and Price-to-Book...
Dyze Design has filed a patent proposing a modular motion‑control architecture that separates command streams into priority queues and splits telemetry into real‑time and archival channels. The design adds edge‑processing modules for sensors, stepper and BLDC drives, and even a...
Siemens announced the acquisition of ASTER Technologies, a specialist in PCB test and reliability solutions, to bolster its electronic design automation (EDA) portfolio. ASTER’s design‑for‑test, design‑for‑manufacturing, and design‑for‑reliability tools will be integrated into Siemens’ end‑to‑end digital‑thread platform, enabling earlier validation...
Minke Marine A.L. LLC has obtained a second Approval in Principle (AiP) from ClassNK for its patented air lubrication system (ALS), following a prior DNV endorsement. The company is now receiving verified performance data from its first ALS installation on...
U.S. shipowners and domestic shipyards have set aside roughly $2.59 billion in tax‑deferred Capital Construction Funds earmarked for new U.S.-built vessels, according to the Trump administration’s Maritime Action Plan. The plan touts the accounts as a successful incentive mechanism designed to...
Hoyer VMS Group is expanding its Asian headquarters in Ningbo, China, adding a 3,800‑square‑meter warehouse and workshop. The new facilities boost the company’s ability to serve shipowners, fleet managers, shipyards and OEMs throughout Asia. This is the first major strategic...
AM Solutions, a brand of the Rösler Group, launched the M4 Basic, a compact, cost‑effective vibratory finishing system for additive‑manufactured metal and polymer parts. The unit processes workpieces up to 70 × 70 × 25 mm and combines a 20‑litre rotary vibrator with a 25‑litre...
Corbel, a next‑generation CPQ platform, is using generative AI to overhaul industrial equipment sales. The system mines unstructured data—PDFs, videos, sales transcripts—to deliver instant technical answers and embeds financing options directly into the buying flow. By keeping human sales reps...
The Hackett Group’s Solution Intelligence team released its 13th 50 to Know and 50 to Watch procurement provider lists, alongside the Hall of Fame and the 8th Future 5 for 2025‑2026. After evaluating roughly 220 global vendors, 117 solutions earned placement across the...
Kongsberg Maritime has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with PT PAL, Indonesia’s largest state‑owned shipyard, to deepen collaboration on marine technology solutions. The ceremony in Surabaya was attended by senior officials from both companies and the Norwegian ambassador. The MoU follows...
#Technology #Thread #Semiconductor #Manufacturing #Data The Semiconductor Data Networking: 1/ - Modern Data Center Networking Is No Longer Just A Software Or Infrastructure Challenge. It Starts With Semiconductor Capability. - Bandwidth Growth, AI Traffic, And Cloud Scale Push Silicon To Become The Core...
Good points from Thorsten Brenner -- The "car bosses" are tempted to use their Chinese factories to supply the European market. Deindustrializing Europe isn't their concern. European policy makers need a policy framework that makes this impossible...
V. has entered a technical management partnership with Greek shipowner Silk Searoad Maritime to oversee its eight‑vessel fleet, comprising five bulk carriers and three tankers. The agreement gives Silk Searoad access to V.’s global marine services, data‑driven performance platforms, and the Marcas...
Countries and export options other than the US. Trump flat tariff. Will importers front load like before? Five years and continuing supply chain importance.
A FoodDrinkEurope survey shows Europe has slipped to third place as a preferred location for food and drink manufacturing investment, behind Asia and North America. Only 31% of CEOs view Europe as attractive, yet 51% still plan to increase spending...
Would AI, instead of the C-suite, improve supply chain design and performance? Especially after five years of disruption and now unpredictability. https://t.co/Z60firMpE4
Big Joe Forklifts introduced the WS25‑40 High Performance Lithium‑ion Stacker, a walk‑straddle stacker designed for tight warehouse aisles. The model lifts between 2,500 and 4,000 lb and features a compact footprint, fully proportional controls, and an integrated lithium‑ion battery with onboard...
Zebra Technologies’ AltiZ 3D sensors now power EBI Electric’s Inspector T lumber‑scanning system, delivering an eightfold increase in measurement precision. The AI‑enhanced solution identifies defects such as knots, cracks and rot, enabling manufacturers to boost usable wood yields by up to...
Manufacturers and OEMs are turning to integrated SCADA and analytics software to boost overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). Real‑time visibility into availability, performance, and quality replaces manual PLC checks and paper logs, enabling instant downtime tracking and quality monitoring. The combined...
Torc Robotics announced that its autonomous trucks will now be tested on public roads in Michigan, using the latest‑generation Daimler Truck Freightliner Cascadia chassis. The expansion builds on existing test sites in Dallas‑Fort Worth and Blacksburg and moves development from the...
What will Trump do with tariff that expire in 150 days? What next? What are China’s countermeasures? What will supply chains do now? After these tariffs expire? Prepare or react?
Stäubli Robotics unveiled the next‑generation Sterimove at INTERPHEX 2026, positioning it as the world’s first mobile robot certified for Grade A, B, C and D cleanroom environments. The platform combines sealed, cleanroom‑compatible construction with advanced collision‑avoidance sensing, dual emergency stops...
I visited this ship when she was being built. Truly a “How the F are they going to make this work?” moment. When they work together the Dutch and South Korean shipbuilders accomplish the impossible. And this isn’t even the most...
Rockwell Automation’s new OEM Advantage Playbook, based on a survey of 500 machine‑builder leaders across 17 countries, shows top OEMs have reduced average downtime recovery from 40 hours to 24 hours – a 40% improvement. The research links faster recovery...
Quantcore, a University of Glasgow spin‑out, closed a £2.5 million seed round led by PXN Ventures, Blackfinch Ventures and Scottish Enterprise. The funding will be used to build a sovereign niobium‑based quantum hardware manufacturing line at the James Watt Nanofabrication Centre,...
Physik Instrumente (PI) unveiled the X‑365 Precision XY Gantry System, a modular Cartesian robot that delivers nanometer‑class positioning across travel ranges from 200 × 200 mm up to 600 × 800 mm. The platform combines high load capacity with integrated linear‑encoder feedback and EtherCat‑based controller compatibility,...
6K Additive has signed a global long‑term supply agreement with Siemens Energy to receive spent nickel‑alloy powder from Siemens’ additive‑manufacturing sites. The reclaimed material will be processed in 6K’s UniMelt microwave plasma system, converting it into virgin‑grade, AM‑ready powder. To...
Yole Group’s 2026 report projects the global compound‑semiconductor substrate and epiwafer market to grow at a 14% CAGR, reaching roughly $5 bn by 2031. The surge is powered by electrification, AI‑driven data‑center demand, and next‑generation connectivity, with silicon carbide (SiC) anchoring...
Mechatronics is evolving from isolated components to fully integrated motion systems, where motors, drives, controllers, and software operate as a single organism. Kollmorgen’s SFD‑M feedback device exemplifies automatic motor‑drive parameter exchange, cutting commissioning time and eliminating manual errors. Integrated design...
Melotte, Additive Center, and amsight GmbH have deployed a full‑process data capture system at Melotte’s facility. The platform records structured data from raw material receipt through printing, post‑processing and CT scanning, creating a unified digital thread for each semiconductor component....
Spanish shipbuilder C.N.P. Freire has secured a contract with Sweden’s Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) to build four 47‑meter naval support vessels. The ships are designed for harsh weather and ice, carrying 16 crew, reaching 12 knots and sustaining up to...
A recent Fleetio survey of 600 fleet professionals reveals that rising operating costs and tightening emissions regulations dominate executive concerns, with over half of respondents flagging cost inflation and 46 % citing compliance pressures. While more than 70 % have adopted dedicated...
A recent Lance Surety Bonds survey shows 85% of women truck drivers would recommend the profession, citing high pay, independence and work‑life balance. Despite strong satisfaction, safety concerns linger, with 30% reporting sexual harassment and only 31% feeling safe sleeping...
Mitsubishi Shipbuilding has shipped the first ammonia fuel supply system (AFSS) and ammonia gas abatement system (AGAS) for Japan Engine Corporation’s inaugural ammonia‑fueled marine engine, model 7UEC50LSJA‑HPSCR. The AFSS delivers ammonia to the engine safely and steadily, while the AGAS...
The Solar Quality Summit in Barcelona highlighted AI’s ability to accelerate photovoltaic project planning, construction, and operations, but stressed that its value hinges on high‑quality data. Attendees warned that “garbage in, garbage out” can magnify mistakes, making validation and human...
Researchers at North Carolina State University have engineered a self‑healing fibre‑reinforced polymer (FRP) composite that could extend component lifespans from decades to centuries. The approach 3D‑prints a thermoplastic healing agent between fibre layers and embeds carbon‑based heater films that melt...
Weidmuller USA introduced the WM4 C PV connector series, engineered for advanced solar installations up to 1,500 V. The UL‑ and CSA‑approved connectors feature robust crimp contacts for 4 mm² and 6 mm² (12 AWG/10 AWG) conductors and are rated IP67 for harsh environments. An anti‑tampering...
LambdaVision announced it has pre‑booked manufacturing time and space on Starlab’s yet‑to‑launch commercial space station, positioning the biotech firm for post‑ISS production. The company, which raised a $7 million seed round and completed nine ISS missions, uses microgravity to fabricate higher‑performance...
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is pushing sodium‑ion batteries to the forefront of the EU’s industrial strategy, urging the next 2028‑2034 Multi‑Annual Financial Framework to allocate dedicated funding. EESC President Séamus Boland argues that sodium‑ion technology offers a...
