Costain Uses Robots to Print 90 Concrete Bases for Teesside Captured CO2 Pipeline
Costain, A E Yates and Hyperion Robotics are 3‑D printing 90 high‑strength concrete bases for a 1.3 km carbon‑capture pipeline across Teesside. The robotic process eliminates formwork, reduces concrete and steel use by 40% and cuts emissions up to 50%, while delivering bases up to ten times stronger yet 60% lighter. The foundations support the Northern Endurance Partnership’s CO₂ transport line linking industrial capture sites to an offshore storage hub under the North Sea. The initiative showcases digital manufacturing’s role in sustainable infrastructure.
Top Drugs at Risk of Supply Shortages: Report
The U.S. Pharmacopeia’s new vulnerable medicines report flags 100 drugs—half of which depend on a single‑country key starting material—as prone to supply shocks. While only 30 of these are in active FDA shortage, the list highlights injectables, ICU sedatives, IV...
OM in the News: Understanding Manufacturing AI Terminology
Industry Week’s latest guide demystifies the AI buzzwords flooding manufacturing and supply‑chain meetings, from machine learning and large language models to copilots, agents, and embeddings. It outlines concrete use cases—demand forecasting, email summarization, ERP navigation, autonomous inventory actions—and warns that...
Cargill Opens Regina Canola Facility With Capacity to Process One Million Metric Tonnes Annually
Cargill announced a comprehensive sustainability overhaul of its cocoa supply chain, spanning West Africa to Europe. The plan installs biomass boilers, solar farms, electric barges and circular packaging, aiming to cut supply‑chain emissions 30% per ton by 2030. Site‑level upgrades...
Why You Can’t Think Your Way to a Root Cause
The article warns that root‑cause tools like fishbone diagrams and the five‑whys often produce only hypotheses, not verified knowledge. It urges teams to treat identified causes as testable assumptions and to run small, inexpensive experiments before committing to large‑scale changes....
Hollow Spiral Lattice Design Marries Thermal And Mechanical Performance
Researchers have introduced a hollow spiral lattice architecture that simultaneously boosts mechanical stiffness and heat transfer in additively manufactured parts. The design uses helical walls to create continuous internal channels, offering a high surface‑area‑to‑volume ratio while maintaining load‑bearing capacity. Tunable...
Plastic Prices Are Over a Barrel: It’s Time Brands Rethink Their Packaging
President Trump’s second‑term agenda reinstated 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum, keeping import duties high after the Supreme Court struck down other measures. The added cost pressure prompted Coca‑Cola and other consumer‑goods firms to increase reliance on virgin‑plastic containers, even...
User Login Causing Problems: Unexpected Tag Write or Trigger
Industrial automation systems are seeing safety risks when user login events unintentionally write to PLC tags. Poorly designed SCADA scripts, shared UI‑control tags, and mishandled retentive bits can cause equipment to start, reset, or trip without operator intent. The article...
The Parallel Supply Chain … A Twilight Zone Strategy?
The article examines the rise of parallel supply chains—complete duplicates of a firm’s existing network—prompted by COVID‑19 disruptions. It outlines how such redundancy could theoretically shield companies from future shocks but also highlights the steep staffing, capital, and intellectual‑property costs...
Podcast–Aras Community Event 2026–Rise of Agents
The Manufacturing Connection podcast recaps a three‑day Aras community event in Miami where Aras demonstrated large‑language‑model (LLM) agents embedded in its PLM platform. The agents, trained on internal product data and governed by strict controls, performed tasks that traditionally take...
The Nanoscale Engineering Behind China's Grip on the Green Energy Value Chain
China’s dominance in green‑energy hardware stems from aggressive nanoscale engineering, not just subsidies or scale. By mastering nanostructured silicon wafers, ultra‑thin TOPCon layers, and 2‑5 nm carbon coatings on lithium‑iron‑phosphate cathodes, Chinese firms now control over 80% of solar panel production...
The Hormuz Closure Is Driving a Shortage of Battery Ingredients
The ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz has choked the flow of seaborne sulfur, driving up sulfuric acid prices worldwide. As the primary feedstock for refining copper, nickel, cobalt and lithium, the shortage is already prompting output cuts at...
Is Intel About to Take Flight?
Intel announced a strategic partnership with Elon Musk to supply custom AI inference chips for Tesla, SpaceX and other ventures, leveraging its under‑utilized Hillsboro fab that already houses ASML EUV equipment. The deal offers Musk a queue‑free production line while...
Bambu Lab Patent Points to New Filament Handling System for Flexible TPU Materials
Bambu Lab filed a WIPO patent (CN‑224130580‑U) describing a dual‑port material hopper designed to separately feed rigid and flexible filaments such as TPU. The system uses distinct discharge ports and pressure settings to prevent blockages that plague current AMS units...
Agentic Environment Uses AI to Accelerate Decision-Making
Emerson is embedding virtualization and AI across its DeltaV distributed control system, with half of its software now virtualized and AI‑enabled. The DeltaV Edge Environment hosts containerized and VM‑based applications, delivering real‑time operational technology data to enterprise users. AI tools...
Slant 3D Redefines 3D Printing Services With Slant Box Concept
Slant 3D has introduced “Slant Box,” a subscription‑style 3D‑printing service that ships parts in a small, QR‑coded box. Customers receive a pre‑filled box, scan a code each time a part is removed, and Slant 3D automatically replenishes the inventory when...
Spain’s Pangea Propulsion Secures €2 Million From the Catalan Government
Pangea Propulsion, a Barcelona‑based deep‑tech firm, received €2 million (about $2.2 million) from the Catalan government to expand its manufacturing and testing capacity. The financing follows a €23 million Series A round and a €7.27 million grant from Spain’s science ministry, underscoring strong public support....
Best Bulk Bag Options for Industrial Use
The article outlines the four FIBC static‑protection categories (Types A‑D) and explains how load capacity, safety factors, and handling affect performance. It highlights that over 60% of global FIBC demand comes from agriculture and details three leading U.S. suppliers—Bulk Bag...
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...
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...
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...
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...
RWE And EMR Transform Fire-Damaged Components Of Scroby Sands Turbine
RWE has partnered with UK recycler EMR to deconstruct and recycle fire‑damaged components from its Scroby Sands offshore wind turbine. Over 140 tonnes of steel, aluminium, copper and composite materials were recovered, achieving a 99% recycling rate and avoiding more than...
Researchers Automate Calibration For 3D Printer Swarms
Researchers have introduced an automated calibration workflow that synchronizes multiple robotic FFF 3D printers into a shared coordinate system. The method replaces manual probing and external rigs with onboard sensing and iterative error minimization, achieving sub‑millimeter alignment before and during...
CHUWI Admits to Incorrect Ryzen Configuration: CoreBook X and CoreBook Plus Can Be Returned by the End of May
On March 23 2026, CHUWI announced a recall of a limited batch of CoreBook X and CoreBook Plus laptops that were shipped with the wrong processor. The devices were marketed as AMD Ryzen 5 7430U but actually contain the older Ryzen 5 5500U, a discrepancy AMD has publicly...
PulPac Develops Fiber-Based Molded Bottle Cap
PulPac announced a fiber‑molded bottle cap that aims to replace traditional plastic closures. The new cap is part of the company’s broader effort to create a fully paper‑based beverage bottle, including the container and its enclosures. By leveraging molded fiber,...
The Cost of Exposure Just Went Up
Volkswagen announced it will cease production of the ID.4 electric SUV at its Chattanooga plant, redirecting capacity to higher‑margin internal‑combustion SUVs as U.S. EV demand falls short. PPG disclosed a global price increase of up to 20% for paints, coatings...
Rio Tinto Trying to Meet U.S. Aluminum Demand as Middle East War Roils Supply Chains – by Nicolas Van Praet...
Rio Tinto is ramping up production at its six Canadian aluminum smelters to satisfy rising U.S. demand as the Israel‑Iran conflict drives global aluminum prices higher. The Saguenay, Quebec facilities and the Kitimat, B.C. plant are already near full capacity,...
Iran War’s Sulfurous Fallout Spreads to Copper and Nickel – by Andy Home (Reuters – April 17, 2026)
The Iran‑Israel conflict has choked sulfur flow from the Gulf after the Strait of Hormuz closed on Feb. 28, triggering a global sulfur squeeze. Sulfuric acid, essential for solvent‑extraction copper and HPAL nickel processes, is now scarce as China, the world’s...
Which Desktop 3D Printing Features Are on the Way Out?
The article maps the rapid maturation of desktop 3D printers, highlighting features that have already become relics—glass beds, manual leveling, clip‑on plates, LCD panels, and slow‑printing architectures. It then spotlights a second wave of technologies poised to fade, such as...
737 MAX – Boeing Aims for 53/Month in 2026
The FAA lifted the 38‑per‑month production cap on the 737 MAX in March 2026, moving to a performance‑based oversight model that relies on Boeing’s Safety Management System metrics. Boeing’s CFO confirmed the company can now pursue a Rate 47 target, with a...
Phenom Reports on MK Plus Progress to Commercialization, the Solid-State Vanadium Battery Company
Phenom Resources announced that its 5%‑owned partner MK Plus is moving toward commercial rollout of vanadium solid‑state batteries. The Japanese firm has secured a manufacturing facility in Sweden and received an EU Certificate of Availability plus a 2.5 GWh order from...
AI Algorithm Helps Optimize AGR, and Save Amine, Steam and Power
Yokogawa has deployed autonomous‑control AI agents, based on its Factorial Kernel Dynamic Policy Programming (FKDPP) reinforcement‑learning algorithm, to optimize acid‑gas‑removal (AGR) at Saudi Aramco’s Fadhili gas plant. The agents were trained in a simulated environment, validated for safety, and integrated...
3D Systems Launches SLA 825 Dual With Dual-Laser Technology
3D Systems unveiled the SLA 825 Dual, a large-format resin printer that incorporates two 4 W lasers to accelerate curing. The machine offers an 830 × 830 × 550 mm build volume, roughly 22% larger than the company’s prior SLA offerings. 3D Systems claims the dual‑laser architecture delivers...
Photocentric Expands Jeni System to Enable High-Volume Resin 3D Printing at Industrial Scale
Photocentric has launched the Super Jeni, a modular resin 3D‑printing system that integrates 124 printers across seven automated modules for washing, rinsing and curing. The expanded platform can output over 1.2 million small parts every eight hours, equating to roughly 3.6 million...
OM in the News: Running a Factory on Recycled EV Batteries
Rivian will power its Normal, Illinois factory with more than 100 second‑life EV batteries, creating the largest repurposed‑battery storage system for a U.S. automaker. The 10 megawatt‑hour installation will supply on‑site electricity during peak‑demand periods, reducing reliance on the grid and...
Oxbo Opens $60.5M U.S. Headquarters and Advanced Harvester Facility in Bergen, New York
Oxbo, a Netherlands‑based agricultural equipment maker, opened a $60.5 million, 200,000‑sq‑ft headquarters and advanced harvester plant in Bergen, New York. The purpose‑built campus consolidates U.S. production and corporate functions, featuring laser‑cutting, powder‑coating, a test track and a showroom for high‑value crop...
LPBF Aluminum Alloy Adds Heat Resistance And Ductility
Researchers have introduced a laser‑powder‑bed‑fusion (LPBF) aluminum alloy that maintains high strength and creep resistance up to 400 °C without any post‑build heat treatment. The alloy forms a nanometer‑scale intermetallic network at cell boundaries during solidification, using common elements like silicon...
Beneficiation Needs Supply: Why Zimbabwe’s Mining Industrialisation Agenda Stands on a Broken Supply Chain
Zimbabwe’s new beneficiation policy bans raw mineral exports and pushes processing plants to stay domestic, but the supply chain needed to keep those plants running is collapsing. Local equipment costs are three to four times higher than Chinese imports, and...
NVIDIA Isaac GR00T Foundation Model for Surgical Robotics
NVIDIA unveiled the Isaac GR00T foundation model at GTC 2026, targeting adaptive, autonomous robotics in surgical and industrial settings. The model leverages large‑scale synthetic simulations and multimodal inputs—vision, motion, and force—to train robots on complex physical tasks. Early adopters such...
Most Companies Can’t See Past Their First Supplier. That’s a Problem.
A McKinsey report released in January 2026 surveyed 100 global supply‑chain leaders and examined 188 KPIs, revealing that 95% of companies have visibility into tier‑one suppliers but only 42% can see tier‑two or deeper—a decline since 2022. Rising tariffs, shifting...
What Is Product (or Master) Data Management?
Product Data Management (PDM) and Master Data Management (MDM) are central functions that collect, standardize, and maintain product‑related information such as part numbers, specifications, bills of materials, and vendor data. The article explains how these teams act as the single...
Time Synchronization Issues Between PLC, SCADA and Historian
Accurate time alignment among PLCs, SCADA servers, and historians is critical for reliable plant operations. Clock drift can cause PLCs to run seconds ahead of SCADA, leading to misleading alarm timestamps. Divergent time zones or daylight‑saving settings further desynchronize logs,...
Can Lean Manufacturing Really Help Supply Chain?
Lean manufacturing, long associated with factory floors, is increasingly being applied to supply‑chain operations. Core lean tenets such as eliminating waste, defining customer value, and using Just‑In‑Time (JIT) production help firms cut excess inventory and reduce costly rush periods. The...
How Trump’s Protectionism on Aluminum Works in Two Pictures
President Trump’s Section 232 tariffs on aluminum started at 10% in 2018 and were increased to 50% in 2025, eliminating most exemptions. Instead of boosting domestic output, primary smelting fell from dozens to just four plants, with only two operating at...
The US Industrial Economy Is Now Booming DESPITE High Oil Prices | Craig Fuller
Freight volumes in the United States have rebounded sharply since late 2025, signaling a resurgence in the industrial economy despite record‑high oil prices. Craig Fuller of FreightWaves describes the current environment as one of the strongest manufacturing markets in years,...
Edible Garden Announces $2.66 Million Iowa Investment for RTD Beverage Production Facility
Edible Garden announced a $2.66 million investment to build a ready‑to‑drink (RTD) beverage production line at its Iowa facility, partnering with Tetra Pak to tap the $842.5 billion global RTD market. Q4 2025 revenue rose modestly to $4.1 million, driven by new accounts such...
Wärtsilä Gas Solutions to Supply Cargo and Fuel Systems for Two New VLEC Vessels
Wärtsilä Gas Solutions has secured a contract from Hyundai Heavy Industries to supply cargo handling and fuel gas supply systems for two new Very Large Ethane Carrier (VLEC) vessels being built for a Malaysian shipowner. The order, booked in Q4 2025,...
The Beginning of Prompt-Based Manufacturing? A Look at Wonder 3D
Autodesk launched Wonder 3D in early 2026 as part of its Flow Studio suite, offering text‑to‑3D and image‑to‑3D generation with editable outputs. The tool creates base meshes that can be retextured, remeshed, and exported, emphasizing interoperability over black‑box generation. By accelerating...
Embraer Honours Top-Performing Suppliers at 2026 Conference
Embraer honored its best‑performing suppliers across ten categories at the 2026 Embraer Suppliers Conference, held under the theme “Moving Forward as One.” The awards recognize partners that helped drive operational efficiency and strong results during 2025, a year of robust...