Report: Agentic AI to Reduce Entry-Level Hiring Needs
Gartner’s 2025‑2026 survey of 509 global supply‑chain leaders finds that 55% expect agentic AI to shrink entry‑level hiring, while 51% anticipate broader workforce reductions. The majority (86%) agree AI adoption will force new talent‑pipeline processes, especially among high‑performing firms that already use autonomous AI across procurement, production and logistics. Rather than blunt headcount cuts, leaders plan to redesign roles, upskill staff and integrate AI‑enabled planning tools. Gartner will discuss these findings at upcoming supply‑chain conferences in Orlando and Barcelona.
MAS Holdings Shuts Sri Lankan Factory in ‘Strategic Pivot,’ Affecting 2,200 Workers
MAS Holdings announced the closure of its Methliya plant in Sri Lanka, impacting 2,200 employees. The move is part of a strategic pivot from cut‑and‑sew to higher‑value knitting, dyeing and finishing operations to strengthen supply‑chain verticality. The company will repurpose...
Beyond Visibility: AI Redefines Logistics
The recent SupplyChainBrain webinar highlighted how generative AI is moving logistics beyond static visibility toward proactive orchestration. Speakers explained that intelligent agents can monitor, decide, and act, turning dashboards into autonomous execution engines. They presented a framework for selecting GenAI...
Smart Strategies that Will Help Australian Manufacturers Succeed in 2026
Australian manufacturers face high labour, energy and logistics costs in a small domestic market, forcing them to seek niche growth rather than volume. To stay competitive, firms must maintain deep customer insight and articulate a clear "secret sauce" that differentiates...
NORD Extends IE5+ Synchronous Motor Line with New 112 Frame Size
NORD DRIVESYSTEMS has launched the SK 112, expanding its IE5+ permanent‑magnet synchronous motor line to a 15 hp, 112‑frame size. The new motor maintains up to 95 % efficiency and offers both ventilated TEFC and smooth‑body TENV housings, the latter available with IP69K...
Shipper Purchase Orders Hold Steady Despite Tariff Uncertainty
Shippers continue to place purchase orders with Asian factories despite ongoing tariff uncertainty, according to Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka. January TEU volumes fell about 12% year‑over‑year, with imports down 13% and exports down 8%, while empty...
The 4-Stage Integration Gap Holding Food Manufacturers Back in 2026
Food manufacturers are largely stuck in a hybrid, partially connected integration state, where systems like ERP and MES exchange data inconsistently. A 2025 survey shows nearly 70% of firms cite cost as the primary obstacle to deeper digital transformation, yet...
Heron Power Snares $140 Million Series B
Heron Power announced a $140 million Series B round to launch gigawatt‑scale production of solid‑state transformers for data centers and the electric grid. The round, led by Andreessen Horowitz’s American Dynamism Fund and Breakthrough Energy Ventures, follows a $38 million Series A raised in...
New eBook From Mouser, Microchip, and Samtec Examines PCIe Design for Emerging Embedded Systems
Mouser Electronics, in partnership with Microchip Technology and Samtec, has released an eBook titled “8 Experts on PCIe for Emerging Embedded Systems.” The guide gathers insights from eight industry leaders—including Bosch, DANA, Synopsys, Tektronix and Visteon—to help engineers tackle PCIe integration...
NEW PRODUCT: FlexiSan Modular Spray System for Mobile and Efficient Equipment and Plant Sanitation
BETE introduced the FlexiSan Modular Spray System, a portable, cost‑effective solution for equipment and plant sanitation. The base model features a mobile cart with a clean‑in‑place spray header, dual blending pumps that can hold two liquids, and connects to existing...
IAG Cargo Launches AOG Service
IAG Cargo announced a dedicated Aircraft on Ground (AOG) service that operates 24/7 across its 250‑destination network. The offering targets urgent transport of aircraft parts to minimize downtime and protect schedule integrity. Intel Market Research projects the AOG logistics market...
Mantis Robotics Achieves Safety Certification for Fenceless, High-Speed Industrial Robot
Mantis Robotics announced that its MR-1 robot arm is the first high‑speed, fenceless industrial robot to earn ISO 10218‑1 and ISO 13849‑1 safety certification. The MR‑1 combines proprietary physical AI with 47 embedded safety functions, all rated PL‑d, allowing it...
Belotti, Moi Composites Launch Hybrid Additive/Subtractive Manufacturing Centers for Thermoset Composites
Belotti SpA and Moi Composites have announced a strategic partnership that embeds Moi’s short‑fiber additive manufacturing (SFM) technology into Belotti’s gantry CNC machining centers, creating a hybrid platform for thermoset composites. The solution deposits photopolymerizable, short‑fiber‑reinforced material at up to...
The New Age of Western Industrial Policy: Is There a New Playbook?
A virtual “Trade Winds” event on March 11, 2026 gathered top economists and policymakers to assess the resurgence of Western industrial policy. Speakers outlined a growing toolbox—including procurement preferences, subsidies, and public‑private partnerships—driven by competitiveness, innovation, and economic‑security concerns. The measures aim...
Five Major Shifts Shaping 2026 Manufacturing Tech Priorities
Rootstock’s 2026 State of Manufacturing Technology Survey shows five pivotal shifts in tech priorities. Workforce talent shortages have risen to become the leading barrier, increasing from 25% to 33% of respondents. AI investment is moving sharply toward supply‑chain execution and...
Bridging the Translation Gap for Regenerative Tissues
Muvon Therapeutics, a clinical‑stage company developing regenerative muscle treatments, is confronting the translation gap between academic discovery and commercial manufacturing. The firm highlights three core hurdles: co‑developing evolving regulatory frameworks, automating novel manufacturing processes, and recruiting personnel with GMP expertise....
Fermenter-Extractor-Separator Mixes Uniformly and Is Gentle on Cells
Researchers at Iowa State University have unveiled a Taylor Vortex Fermenter‑Extractor‑Separator that combines fermentation, extraction and separation in a single unit. The concentric‑cylinder design creates Taylor vortices, delivering uniform mixing while minimizing cell damage. Higher mass‑transfer rates cut gas consumption,...
Composites Sustainability Wins: CDP Recognition, EcoVadis Gold, Site Decarbonization
The composites sector saw multiple sustainability milestones in February. Gurit secured its third consecutive EcoVadis Gold Medal, placing it in the global 96th percentile for environmental performance. Shawmut Corp. joined the DOE Better Buildings & Better Plants program, committing to...
$4B Sherman Chip Fab Starts Production
GlobalWafers has launched Phase II production at its Sherman, Texas silicon‑wafer fab, a $4 billion expansion that brings total regional investment to $7.5 billion. The 12‑inch wafer line will supply Texas Instruments, TSMC and other partners producing chips for Apple. The project receives...
Air France KLM Targets High Tech Cargo with Incheon Freighter Service
Air France KLM Martinair Cargo is adding a dedicated freighter service between Amsterdam Schiphol and Incheon, launching on 30 March with three weekly Boeing 747‑400 flights. The route integrates into the carrier’s Schiphol‑Hong Kong rotation, raising the frequency to six flights per week. The...
Lubricant Viscosity Is Critical to Efficient and Reliable Manufacturing
Lubricant viscosity is a decisive factor in manufacturing efficiency, governing friction, heat generation, and energy use. Standards such as ISO and SAE provide consistent grading, while the Viscosity Index (VI) indicates how well an oil maintains its thickness across temperature...
Cold Storage Market Working Off Oversupply
Lineage reported flat Q4 revenue of $1.34 billion and a modest $6 million net profit as the cold‑storage market works through a 10% oversupply. New refrigerated space expanded 14.5% from 2021‑2025, while demand rose only 5%, creating a capacity gap that is...
German Startup Launches Gateway to Block Inverter Kill Switches
German startup Solarsecure Tech introduced the SolarSecure Vision gateway, a hardware‑agnostic device installed at the meter connection point that intercepts and validates inverter‑to‑cloud communications. The gateway blocks unverified kill‑switch commands while allowing authenticated signals, including mandatory grid‑operator directives, to pass via a...
ESAB Launches Ruffian EMP 270G Engine Drive
ESAB, together with Linde Gas & Equipment, unveiled the Ruffian EMP 270G engine‑driven welding generator at CONEXPO‑CON/AGG 2026, offering show‑only pricing and bundled accessories. The unit delivers 270 A at a 100 % duty cycle and 11 kW of generator power from a 23.5‑HP KOHLER...
Multimatic Motorsports Goes the Distance with Conflux 3D Printed Oil Cooler
Multimatic Motorsports completed a full‑distance endurance race using Conflux Technology’s 3D‑printed, configurable transmission oil cooler. The additive‑manufactured unit was produced in two weeks and delivered roughly 20% more heat rejection than the legacy cooler while fitting within the same compact...
GIT Coatings Launches XGIT-FORCE
GIT Coatings has launched XGIT‑FORCE, a graphene‑based hard foul‑release marine coating. The product claims up to 10% fuel savings and a 6% power gain compared with premium biocidal paints. Its Dynamic Phase Engineered Technology creates a durable, amphiphilic surface that...
Applied Materials to Pay $252.5M to Settle Export Violations
Applied Materials agreed to pay a $252.5 million penalty to the U.S. Department of Commerce, settling 56 export‑control violations involving illegal shipments of ion‑implanting equipment to China’s SMIC. The settlement also requires two internal audits of the company’s compliance program, and...
Orbex Releases Prime Rocket Assembly Images as Business Faces Closure
Orbex released previously unseen photographs of its Prime microlauncher being assembled, showcasing the vehicle’s carbon‑fiber and aluminum composite structures. Prime is marketed as an environmentally sustainable launch system that is roughly 30% lighter than comparable small‑sat rockets. The company announced...
Digi International Launches MCP Server to Power AI Driven Workflows for Digi Remote Manager and Genesis Users
Digi International announced the Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for its Digi Remote Manager and Genesis platforms, allowing seamless integration of large‑language‑model AI tools such as Claude. The server provides natural‑language querying, automated workflow generation, and context‑aware troubleshooting for large...
After 2019 Flood, Arkansas Port Gets $8M for Rebuild
The Arkansas River port, devastated by the 2019 flood, secured an $8.1 million federal grant to modernize its facilities and expand rail capacity. Operator Five Rivers Distribution will construct three 30,000‑square‑foot warehouses to handle freight arriving by rail. The city’s port...
DigiKey Spotlights New Products at Embedded World 2026
DigiKey will showcase more than a dozen new embedded‑system products from leading suppliers at Embedded World 2026 in Nuremberg, Germany. The booth (4A‑633) features live demos ranging from thread‑network sensor arrays to single‑pair Ethernet video streaming and AI‑enabled microcontrollers. DigiKey...
Flexxbotics Updates Beckhoff ADS TwinCAT Connector Driver in Open-Source GitHub Project
Flexxbotics has released an updated Beckhoff ADS TwinCAT connector driver in its open‑source GitHub repository, expanding compatibility to both TwinCAT 2 and TwinCAT 3 environments. The driver introduces multi‑threaded data pipelines, secure bi‑directional read/write, and a many‑to‑many interoperability model that eliminates point‑to‑point...
Hartman Seatrade Adds Two Liebherr LS 250 Ship Cranes to Its Fleet
Hartman Seatrade has equipped its newest vessels with two Liebherr LS 250 heavy‑duty ship cranes, configured for tandem operation and capable of lifting up to 500 tons combined. Each crane offers a 250‑ton capacity, 36‑metre outreach and a lightweight 150‑ton deadweight, enhancing...
China to Increase Leading-Edge Chip Output by 5x in Two Years, Report Claims — Aims to Lift 7nm and 5nm...
China plans to quintuple its leading‑edge chip output within two years, raising 7 nm and 5 nm wafer starts from under 20,000 to about 100,000 per month. The long‑term goal is to reach 500,000 advanced‑node wafers monthly by 2030. SMIC, the only...
USPS Tests Picture Proof of Delivery Capability
The U.S. Postal Service is field‑testing a new camera feature on its Mobile Delivery Device app that captures photos of delivered packages. The pilot runs in Phoenix, New York City, Dallas and Fargo, but images are not yet available to customers....
Ultraclean Self‐Assembly on Micro‐Bubble Lattice
Researchers have introduced an underwater micro‑bubble lattice that enables ultraclean self‑assembly of micro‑objects, eliminating residues during transfer. The water‑air interface of the bubbles provides capillary adhesion, preserving the original state of delicate particles. Numerical analysis identified wettability contrast and particle‑to‑bubble...
Friendshoring in Apparel: The New Strategy for Supply Chain Resilience
Apparel brands are turning to "friendshoring," a supply‑chain model that selects production sites based on shared regulatory standards, sustainability values, and political alignment rather than pure cost advantage. The approach spreads sourcing across trusted partners such as Vietnam, Egypt, Colombia...
Demography Is the Missing Variable in Supply Chain Strategy
Demographic shifts—aging populations, declining fertility, and rising one‑person households—are reshaping supply chain strategy more profoundly than traditional shocks. These trends create uneven labor availability, smaller basket sizes, and higher order frequency, forcing a move from bulk efficiency to precision fulfillment....
Climate Impulse Project Reaches Milestone Success with Main Wing Spar Testing
The Climate Impulse team successfully completed a full‑scale main‑wing spar test, proving the hydrogen‑powered aircraft’s composite structure can endure worst‑case flight loads and clearing the path for final wing production. In parallel, the VIBRIO consortium demonstrated that a vibration‑enhanced double‑belt press...
Hope’s Windows Expands Ultra-Luxury Steel Window & Door Products
Hope’s Windows announced its Old World Suite ultra‑luxury steel and bronze windows and doors have achieved certification under the Florida Building Code, including the high‑velocity hurricane zone (HVHZ) standards. The products underwent rigorous testing for wind load, impact resistance, air...
MANUFACTURING & AUTOMATION EXCHANGE (MAX) SET TO DEBUT IN NASHVILLE MARCH 24-26 AT THE MUSIC CITY CENTER
The Manufacturing & Automation eXchange (MAX) will debut March 24‑26, 2026 at Nashville's Music City Center, merging the former Assembly Show South and Quality Show into a single, cross‑functional event. MAX will showcase a broad spectrum of manufacturing technologies, from...
BMO’s Quarterly Earnings Suggest Truck Credit Might Be Improving
BMO’s first‑quarter 2026 earnings show a modest reversal in trucking‑related credit stress, with gross impaired loans falling to C$563 million and provisions dropping to $39 million. At the same time, allowances for credit losses rose to $77 million and the net transportation loan...
US Signals Steady Tariffs Ahead of China Meeting
U.S. Trade Representative Greer announced the administration will keep tariffs on Chinese imports between 35% and 50%, matching the levels set under the Trump administration. The U.S. does not plan to raise rates beyond this range and aims for continuity...
MathWorks Joins EDGE AI Foundation
MathWorks announced its membership in the EDGE AI Foundation, a consortium dedicated to energy‑efficient artificial intelligence for edge devices. The partnership will let engineers leverage MATLAB and Simulink to train, integrate, and deploy AI models on embedded hardware while validating...
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Stratasys announced a 22% year‑over‑year reliability increase for its F900 industrial 3D printer, driven by manufacturing enhancements co‑developed with its Customer Advisory Board (CAB). The CAB, composed of aerospace, defense and automotive leaders, identified production‑scale barriers and helped shape improvements...
Helm.ai Driver Achieves Vision-Only Urban Autonomy, Unlocking Scalability From Level 2+ Through Level 4
Helm.ai unveiled a production‑ready, vision‑only software stack that can power advanced Level 2+ driver assistance today and scale to Level 3 and Level 4 urban autonomy without HD maps or lidar. The system relies on the company’s Factored Embodied AI architecture, separating perception...
Discover the Latest JEC Composites Magazine Focused on JEC World 2026
JEC Composites Magazine’s latest issue serves as a comprehensive guide for JEC World 2026, highlighting key exhibitions, awards, and business initiatives. It features 20 Startup Booster winners, 11 Innovation Award recipients, and a renewed focus on SMC/BMC technologies, alongside demonstrations...
India-Europe Spot Rates Climb on Seasonal Booking Demand, Tighter Capacity
Container carriers on the India‑Europe and Mediterranean lanes have raised February spot rates sharply, reflecting heightened seasonal booking demand and constrained vessel capacity. Forwarder data show spot asks climbing $400‑$500 per TEU since January, pushing average prices from Nhava Sheva/Mundra...
Survey: Despite AI Tools, Freight Professionals Make Even More Decisions per Day
The Deep Current survey of 600 freight decision‑makers shows decision density rising despite AI adoption, with 74 % making over 50 operational choices daily and half exceeding 100. System fragmentation forces professionals to juggle five or more disconnected platforms, leading to...
H&M Pilots Dyehouse Water Recycling With Viridis
H&M Group partnered with Vancouver‑based Viridis Research to pilot an electrochemical oxidation system in Dhaka textile mills, treating wastewater from dye baths, equalization tanks, conventional treatment output and reverse‑osmosis reject streams. The trial achieved 99.56‑99.94% color removal and demonstrated the...