Today's Manufacturing Pulse
Stellantis to pour $1.08B into next‑gen EV line at Mulhouse plant
President Emmanuel Macron announced Stellantis will invest more than €1 billion (about $1.08 billion) in a next‑generation electric‑vehicle production line at its Mulhouse facility, slated to start in 2029 as part of France’s push to electrify two‑thirds of new cars by 2030.
Also developing:
By the numbers: TIEA Connectors raises $8M Series A
Clean Food Group Raises £4.5M to Bring “World’s Largest” Yeast-Oil Facility to Full Capacity
Clean Food Group (CFG) raised £4.5 million (≈$5.6 million) in a round led by Clean Growth Fund and New Agrarian, plus a £700,000 (≈$875,000) Innovate UK grant, to finish scaling its 1‑million‑litre fermentation site in Knowsley, Liverpool. The plant, billed as the world’s largest dedicated to yeast‑derived oils and fats, will boost production of sustainable lipids for food, cosmetics and pet‑nutrition markets. CFG’s yeast strains turn food‑waste feedstocks into oils priced at parity with conventional tropical oils, and its CleanOil 25 ingredient already holds cosmetics approvals in the UK, US and Europe.
China’s Rare Earth Export Decline Exposes Deal Fragility
China. Drop in exports to the US. Rare earth minerals. What happened to the deal with China? The art of the quick “deal” meets political reality.
Litmus and InfluxDB Collaborate to Modernize the Industrial Data Stack
InfluxData and Litmus announced a strategic partnership at Hannover Messe to integrate Litmus Edge with InfluxDB 3 Enterprise, creating a unified industrial data stack. The solution bridges OT systems to modern IT, delivering real‑time, high‑resolution telemetry with edge buffering and centralized analytics....
USPS Preps Phased Approach for New Package Dimension Reporting Rules
The U.S. Postal Service will expand its package dimension reporting to all shipments on July 12, 2026, but will postpone non‑compliance fees until a second phase early next year. Currently, only parcels over 1 cubic foot or 22 inches require dimensions, with...
More Carrier-Controlled Terminal Operations Could Be Coming to the East Coast
Cargo moving through East Coast ports is increasingly shifting toward carrier‑controlled terminal operations, a trend accelerated by recent successes at the Port of New York and New Jersey. Industry analysts say the model could soon appear at historically state‑run hubs...
A Conversation with GF’s Pioneer Silicon Photonics Leader and Optica Fellow Dr. Yusheng Bian
Dr. Yusheng Bian, GlobalFoundries’ silicon‑photonic pioneer, was recently named an Optica Fellow for his decade‑long work turning silicon photonics from research into high‑volume CMOS production. He explains how AI‑driven data‑center demand is displacing copper interconnects with pluggable and co‑packaged optical...
Edible Garden Secures $2.66 Million in Funding to Aid Facility Development
Edible Garden is converting a former National Shrimp plant in Webster City, Iowa into a 400,000‑square‑foot, technology‑driven ready‑to‑drink (RTD) beverage hub. The project is backed by a $2.66 million incentive package from the Iowa Economic Development Authority. Once operational, the facility...
Dollar General Names VP of Supply Chain Optimization
Dollar General announced Matt Lucas as vice president of supply chain optimization and promoted Kyle Gorman to vice president of distribution. Lucas, a 2013 hire, will apply data analytics and financial modeling to redesign the retailer’s network, technology and product...
Containerboard Prices Rise in April for Second Consecutive Month
Fastmarkets RISI reported a second consecutive monthly rise in North American containerboard prices, with April up $30 per ton following a $40 increase in March. The year‑to‑date net gain now sits at $50 per ton after a February dip of...
Alcoa Adding Aluminum Capacity to Offset War Outages
Alcoa Corp is rapidly adding primary‑aluminum smelting capacity at plants in Portland, Australia, Brazil, Norway and Spain to capture price premiums sparked by war‑driven supply cuts in the Middle East. CEO Bill Oplinger said the higher regional premiums in North...
Tata Steel, SMS Group Join Hands for New Technology to Cut Carbon Footprint
Tata Steel has signed definitive agreements with SMS Group’s Paul Wurth to install the world’s first electrically‑assisted syngas smelter (EASyMelt) at its Jamshedpur ‘E’ blast furnace. The phased industrial demonstration aims to slash carbon emissions by more than 50% compared with...
A Supply Chain Digital Twin Is Only as Good as Its Operational Model
Supply chain digital twins promise real‑time visibility and scenario testing, but many initiatives stall at the visibility stage. The technology merely encodes the organization’s existing operating model, so weak data, fragmented planning logic, and unclear decision rights are reproduced inside...
Trio Set to Scale Polyester-to-Polyester Recycling
French firm Axens, together with IFPEN and Japan’s JEPLAN, completed a semi‑industrial trial of the ‘Rewind’ polyester‑to‑polyester recycling process. The test used a 1,000‑tonne‑per‑year demonstration unit in Kitakyushu, Japan, converting polyester‑rich textiles collected in France into tens of tonnes of...
Hyundai Unable to Offset Middle East Sales Losses Amid Conflict – Report
Hyundai Motor disclosed that conflict in the Middle East and limited factory capacity are preventing it from fully offsetting lost vehicle sales in the region. CEO Jose Munoz highlighted the Middle East as Hyundai's highest‑margin market, yet noted that sales...
Pro Numb Tattoo Numbing Spray, LLC - 722589 - 04/14/2026
The FDA issued a warning letter to Pro Numb Tattoo Numbing Spray, LLC for multiple Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) violations, including failure to test finished drug batches, inadequate raw‑material verification, and lack of stability data. The firm also marketed...
Mabwell’s T‑mab Subsidiary Clears First‑Time GMP Inspection in Jordan, Boosting Middle‑East Push
Mabwell announced that its subsidiary T‑mab successfully passed a Jordan Food and Drug Administration on‑site GMP inspection, earning a “Compliance” rating for its denosumab biosimilars. The milestone, the company’s first approval from a PIC/S member country, is expected to accelerate...
Siemens and OnLogic Partner to Bring Industrial Edge to the Harshest Environments
Siemens and OnLogic have formed a strategic partnership to extend the Siemens Industrial Edge platform onto OnLogic’s fanless, ruggedized edge computers, enabling deployment in extreme environments such as mines and energy sites. The collaboration combines Siemens’ automation software with OnLogic’s...
XURUI Electronics Celebrates 20 Years of Precision Switch Manufacturing for Global Markets
XURUI Electronics Co., Ltd. marked its 20th anniversary on April 21, 2026, highlighting a two‑decade run of precision switch production for more than 130 countries. The company now boasts 65 patents, a 20 million‑unit annual capacity and a 95% on‑time delivery...
NEURA Robotics Partners with AWS to Scale Physical AI at the Edge
NEURA Robotics and Amazon Web Services unveiled a strategic collaboration to accelerate Physical AI at scale, merging NEURA's cognitive robotics platform with AWS's global cloud and AI services. The alliance targets the data gap that limits robot learning, aiming to...
![AMA: Energy 2026: [INTERVIEW] How Large-Scale Metal AM Is Helping Energy OEMs Break Free From Forging and Casting Delays](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://3dprintingindustry.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/4.png)
AMA: Energy 2026: [INTERVIEW] How Large-Scale Metal AM Is Helping Energy OEMs Break Free From Forging and Casting Delays
Fastech is leveraging large‑scale wire‑based additive manufacturing (WAAM and LW‑DED) to help energy OEMs overcome long lead times, supply‑chain constraints, and limited flexibility of forging and casting. WAAM delivers material at 1‑5 kg/h for bulky parts, while LW‑DED offers finer finishes...
DyeMansion Teases Compact Powershot Post-Processing System
DyeMansion announced a compact version of its Powershot post‑processing system, slated for a full launch at Formnext 2026. The new unit will combine depowdering and surface‑treatment functions for smaller powder‑bed printers, complementing the company’s VX1 vapor‑smoothing machine. By packaging industrial‑grade...
NEURA Robotics and Amazon Web Services Enter Strategic Collaboration to Accelerate Physical AI at Scale
NEURA Robotics and Amazon Web Services have signed a strategic agreement to accelerate Physical AI at scale, combining NEURA's cognitive robotics platform with AWS's cloud and AI services. The partnership will integrate NEURA Gym training environments with Amazon SageMaker and...
Dangote Advances Petrochemical Expansion at Lekki Refinery
Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE signed a contract with Honeywell to add 750,000 tpy of propylene and 400,000 tpy of linear alkylbenzene at its Lekki refinery in Nigeria. The expansion uses Honeywell UOP’s Oleflex technology and is part of a broader...
LMU Researchers Stabilize Perovskite Quantum Dots and Achieve Sub‑Unit‑Cell Growth Control
A team at Ludwig‑Maximilians‑Universität München, led by Dr. Quinten Akkerman, has demonstrated a thin‑film Gemini‑ligand chemistry that stabilizes perovskite quantum dots in polar solvents and a multi‑step injection method that controls their growth with sub‑unit‑cell precision. The breakthroughs address long‑standing...
Wiliot, Velociti Partner To Scale Physical AI Deployments Across Supply Chains
Wiliot, a Physical AI platform provider, has teamed with systems integrator Velociti to accelerate nationwide rollouts of real‑time supply‑chain intelligence. The partnership moves customers from pilot projects to full‑scale deployments across more than 500 sites, offering over 15 distinct deployment...
Economist Justin Lin Urges West to Adopt ‘Eastern Wisdom’ as China Moves up Value Chain
Former World Bank chief economist Justin Lin challenged the Western claim that China’s auto‑export boom signals overcapacity, noting China ships about 7 million cars—20 percent of its output—versus Germany’s 4 million, which represent 80 percent of production. By comparing export‑to‑production ratios, he argues China...
DEEPX and Hyundai Motor Group Robotics LAB Partner to Develop Next-Generation Physical AI Compute Platform for Robotics
DEEPX and Hyundai Motor Group’s Robotics LAB announced a strategic partnership to co‑develop a Physical AI computing platform for next‑generation robots. The effort centers on DEEPX’s DX‑M2 ultra‑low‑power chip, designed to run large generative AI models in real time on...
Timing Belts Deliver Precise Multi‑Axis Robot Wrist Motion
Inside Modern #Robot Wrists: How Timing Belts Enable Precision Multi-Axis Movement by @mechanical_4u #Robotics #Tech #Technology #EmergingTech #TechForGood https://t.co/x3UyfnNNKH
German Court Rules in Favour of Teradyne Robotics and Issues Preliminary Injunction Against Elite Robots Deutschland in Copyright Infringement Case
A Hamburg regional court granted Teradyne Robotics a preliminary injunction, barring Elite Robots Deutschland from offering or distributing software that infringes Universal Robots' copyright. The order also compels Elite Robots to disclose detailed information about the infringing activities and its...
Trelleborg Launches Reduced Carbon Footprint EPDMs
Trelleborg Sealing Solutions introduced two new EPDM rubber grades—E7T11 (70 Shore A) and E8T12 (80 Shore A)—that deliver up to a 61 percent reduction in product carbon footprint while matching the performance of conventional fossil‑based EPDMs. The compounds are derived from renewable feedstocks...
Mekong Delta Ports to See Major Box Terminal Capacity Expansion
Vietnam’s Greater Mekong Delta is set for a major container‑terminal boost as CMA CGM’s Gemalink Phase 2 will nearly double capacity from 1.7 m to about 3 m TEU by Q4 2027. The Vietnamese government also approved a $5 bn Can Gio International Transhipment and Gateway Port,...
Schneider Electric and Deloitte Collaborate to Drive AI-Enabled Digital Transformation Across Industrial Operations
Schneider Electric and Deloitte announced a joint initiative to accelerate AI‑enabled digital transformation across industrial operations. The partnership blends Schneider’s AI‑driven OT and software platforms with Deloitte’s strategy, people, and process expertise to modernise end‑to‑end processes for manufacturers, data‑center operators...
1Q26 LEAP Deliveries +63% to 520 Engines
GE Aerospace reported a 63% year‑over‑year jump in CFM LEAP engine deliveries for Q1 2026, moving from 319 units in Q1 2025 to 520 engines. The previous year’s output had been constrained by a Safran‑related supplier issue, which also caused 2024 deliveries to...
NavPrakriti to Invest over ₹100 Cr in Critical Minerals Refining Facility in Odisha
NavPrakriti, a lithium‑ion battery recycling firm, announced a investment of over ₹100 crore (approximately $12 million) to build a critical‑minerals refining facility in Odisha. The plant, slated to start operations in FY 2028‑29, will process up to 5,000 metric tonnes of end‑of‑life batteries each...
Danone to Invest in Skyr Production in France
Danone is investing roughly €20 million ($23.5 million) to expand skyr production at two Normandy facilities—Ferrières‑en‑Bray and Le Molay‑Littry. The Ferrières‑en‑Bray plant will add two new lines, boosting its daily output of 3.5 million pots, while Le Molay‑Littry will begin skyr production, including organic SKUs...
Stop Paying to Inspect Failure: Rethinking Quality in Food & Beverage
Food and beverage manufacturers are losing up to 20% of sales to reactive quality systems that rely on costly inspections. The article argues that inspection catches defects after they occur, inflating correction expenses and creating hidden operational taxes. It proposes...
Cargo Theft ‘Way Way up’ as Crime Gangs Get Ever More Sophisticated
Global cargo theft surged in 2025, with trucks responsible for roughly 70% of incidents and U.S. losses climbing to an estimated $725 million—a 60% year‑over‑year increase. Rail‑freight theft doubled its share in the United States, while sea piracy rose 85% in...
Spot Robot Uses AI to Precisely Manipulate 15 Kg Tires
Boston Dynamics’ Spot Masters Whole-Body Manipulation — Using AI to Drag, Roll, and Stack 15 kg Tires with Precision by @rai_inst #Robotics #Engineering #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/yDuIm45GmD
Supply Chain Digitalisation Fails when You Never Start
The biggest risk in supply chain digitalisation isn't picking the wrong technology. It's not starting at all. Davy Baars from @ConnectedLoadCarrier on what actually needs to happen before the first sensor is installed 🎧 https://t.co/DBWWiDVpOg
Blume: Volkswagen to Cut One Million More Units of Capacity
Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume announced a further cut of one million vehicles from the group’s global production capacity, lowering the target to nine million units per year from an original 12 million. The reduction follows a previous million‑unit cut in China...
Caelux-Solx Relationship Starts Mass-Production of Perovskite-Silicon Solar Panels in US
Solx, a new solar panel assembler in Puerto Rico, has inked a five‑year, 3 GW deal with California perovskite specialist Caelux to mass‑produce hybrid Aurora modules that combine perovskite‑coated glass with Suniva silicon cells. The tandem design delivers an estimated 28%...
Rebar Foundations Signal America's Reindustrialization Surge
Lurking just below the surface of American reindustrialization: lots of rebar. This is the reinforced steel and concrete foundation for our supersonic engine test stand. https://t.co/knML6ytjhc
Forging the Future: USFR’s US$875 Million Bet on American Steel
US Forged Rings (USFR) announced an up‑to $875 million investment in Hertford County, North Carolina, to build a vertically integrated forging and fabrication complex. The three‑phase project will eventually employ more than 700 workers, with average salaries above $80,000, and is...
Europe-LatAm Volume Growth Stalls, but Shippers Remain Hopeful
Container Trade Statistics data shows Europe‑to‑Latin America ocean volumes slipping 10.6% year‑on‑year to 127,100 TEU in January 2026 and a further 6.1% dip in February, while the reverse LatAm‑to‑Europe lane rebounded 9.7% to 191,700 TEU in January and held a...
FedEx, UPS and DHL Detail Tariff Refund Approach for Customers
FedEx, UPS and DHL Express announced they will pursue refunds for duties paid under the now‑defunct International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariffs and return the money to the original payors. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) launched a...
Tender for the Manufacture and Supply of Track Motor Vehicle with Cranes and Track Electric Vehicle with Cranes
Israel Railways Ltd (ISR) has issued Tender 42237 for the manufacture and supply of track motor vehicles with cranes and track electric vehicles with cranes. The procurement follows Israeli Mandatory Tender Laws and the International Agreement on Government Procurement. Bids...
Industrial AI for the Physical World: Siemens’s Peter Koerte
In a recent MIT Sloan podcast, Siemens chief strategy and technology officer Peter Koerte explained how the company is using industrial AI to boost efficiency across factories, energy grids, buildings and transportation. He highlighted concrete use cases such as AI‑driven building...
Konecranes Expands Fleet at Lomé Container Terminal
Konecranes will deliver nine new lift trucks to Lomé Container Terminal (LCT) in Q2 2026, comprising two SMV 4632 TC5 reach stackers and seven SMV 7/8 ECC90 empty‑container handlers. The addition supports LCT’s ongoing expansion and rising cargo volumes, replacing older equipment with machines that...
Reinforce3D, 3Dees Industries Opens Gateway to Industrial CFIP Adoption
Reinforce3D and Czech additive‑manufacturing firm 3Dees have signed a partnership to bring the continuous‑fiber injection process (CFIP) into existing 3‑D printing workflows across Central and Eastern Europe. The deal makes 3Dees the exclusive sales and technical partner for the Czech...
Supply Chains Evolved Overnight; Others Still Catching Up
I stepped away from running supply chains for a few years. When I came back, like Rip Van Winkle in the classic tale, I found a completely new world. Lots of others are still catching up. Read the tale: https://t.co/yfprjLcO7C #SupplyChainDisruption #ReGlobalization https://t.co/0UfBaNqGwQ