Manufacturing News and Headlines
Manufacturing News and Headlines
Association for Advancing Automation (A3) has introduced an on‑demand Introduction to Industrial Robotics course, a 2.5‑hour program aimed at professionals across manufacturing and operations. The curriculum offers a vendor‑neutral, system‑level view that blends business and technical concepts, with pricing set at $50 for members and $75 for non‑members through June 30, 2026. No prior robotics experience is required, positioning the course as a rapid upskilling option. It is the first of a planned series of A3 education offerings.
DHL Global Forwarding is boosting its Asia‑Europe capacity by launching weekly freighter flights from Shanghai to Leipzig and from Liège to Hong Kong, leveraging the DHL Express network. The routes will be operated with Boeing 777F aircraft and include a Tel Aviv stopover...
Humanoid’s HMND 01 Alpha wheeled robot completed a live‑production logistics proof of concept with SAP and Martur Fompak, demonstrating autonomous picking and delivery in an automotive factory. The robot received task orders from SAP’s Business AI, navigated to pallets, retrieved KLT...
Image annotation outsourcing in the Philippines has moved from simple 2D labeling to high‑precision 3D spatial engineering, supporting LiDAR, radar and camera sensor‑fusion for robotics. Teams now employ "Spatial Technicians" who deliver sub‑millisecond synchronization, panoptic segmentation and temporal tracking across...
Nova Chemicals announced the first commercial order of its Syndigo rPE‑IN3 recycled polyethylene, shipping roughly 200,000 pounds to Sigma Plastics in Shelbyville, Kentucky. The resin will be used in Sigma’s Sustain360 stretch‑film line for retailers and distribution centers, marking a milestone...
Siemens introduced its Teamcenter Digital Reality Viewer and Digital Twin Composer in India as part of an Industrial AI Operating System built with NVIDIA. The tools combine Siemens’ industrial software with NVIDIA’s Omniverse libraries and accelerated AI infrastructure to create...
Caterpillar Inc., the world’s largest construction‑equipment maker, posted a record $67.6 billion in full‑year 2025 revenue and a 17.2% adjusted operating margin despite $1.7 billion in tariff headwinds. The company is expanding its power‑generation business, supplying natural‑gas and diesel generators to data...
A research team at the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology has introduced a crystal‑solvate (CSV) pre‑seeding technique that precisely engineers the buried bottom interface of inverted perovskite solar cells. The method deposits rod‑like PDPbI₄‑DMSO nanocrystals on SAM‑modified substrates,...
Rice University researchers have created electric heating elements from carbon‑nanotube fibers (CNTFs) that outperform traditional metal‑alloy heaters in gas‑flow applications. By exploiting CNTFs' high specific power loading, lightweight strength and superior thermal conductivity, the team built filament, array and textile‑style...
Bangladesh’s ready‑made garment sector, responsible for nearly 80% of the country’s export earnings, is moving water‑reuse from pilot projects to mainstream operations. The industry targets a 20% cut in total wastewater across the Greater Dhaka watershed, where 5.3 million cubic metres...
India’s industrial production index accelerated to a 5.2% year‑on‑year gain in February 2026, outpacing the 4.0% forecast and the 2.7% growth recorded a year earlier. Manufacturing led the surge with a 6.0% increase, while mining and electricity showed modest deceleration....
Mercedes‑Benz Trucks has begun sales of its electric eArocs 400 construction truck, available for order in 13 European countries. Production will start at the Wörth plant in Q3 2026 with the Paul Group installing the drivetrain, targeting a small series of 150...
Rolls‑Royce SMR and Swedish nuclear services firm Studsvik have signed a memorandum of understanding to deepen cooperation across Studsvik’s full suite of nuclear services for small modular reactors. The MoU will evaluate Studsvik’s capabilities in fuel qualification, plant life management,...
Agibot announced the production of its 10,000th humanoid robot, a milestone that underscores a rapid shift from niche pilots to large‑scale commercial deployment. The company accelerated production from 5,000 to 10,000 units in just three months, a four‑fold speed increase...
Ferroglobe South Africa warned it could shut all smelters if reduced electricity tariffs are not secured by 1 April. Electricity costs have surged more than 900% since 2007, now exceeding 50% of production expenses and eroding profitability. CEO Marco Levi said...
Toyota reported a 3.9% drop in global production for February, delivering 749,673 vehicles, marking the fourth consecutive month of decline. The slowdown was driven by an 11.5% plunge in Chinese output and a 2.6% dip in domestic Japanese production, both...
Lufthansa Cargo unveiled its summer freighter schedule, adding a second weekly transpacific flight from Ho Chi Minh via Shanghai to Los Angeles and reinstating a weekly service to Delhi, bringing Indian connections to six per week. The carrier also boosted its North American...
Ukrainian drone maker General Chereshnya and U.S. firm Wilcox Industries have announced a joint venture to produce first‑person‑view (FPV) and interceptor drones on U.S. soil. The partnership will localize component manufacturing and seek Blue UAS certification to satisfy Pentagon and...
Rise Baking Company announced a 115,000‑square‑foot expansion of its Pleasant View, Utah facility, boosting its manufacturing capacity and aligning production with growing demand for items such as pies and cookies. The project will bring the plant’s total footprint to roughly...
Manufacturers are turning to advanced technologies to boost product traceability, a critical factor for quality control and regulatory compliance. The guide outlines six methods—including RFID tagging, blockchain ledgers, IoT sensors, barcode/QR scanning, centralized databases, and integrated quality checks—to create end‑to‑end...
Aimplas, the Spanish Plastics Technology Centre, launched the EU‑funded BioSupPack consortium to turn brewery spent grain into high‑performance bioplastics. The 18‑partner project validated PHB and PHA materials, including 99 % biobased coatings and compostable barrier films, and demonstrated enzymatic recycling of...
China’s Jushi has commissioned a 100,000‑tonne‑per‑year electronic glass fibre line at its Huai’an zero‑carbon intelligent manufacturing base, the world’s largest of its kind. The new line lifts Jushi’s share of the global electronic glass fibre market to roughly 28%, reinforcing...
Industrial firms are replacing reactive and preventive upkeep with data‑driven maintenance models powered by IoT. Predictive maintenance uses sensor data to forecast equipment failures, while prescriptive maintenance adds decision logic that recommends or automates optimal actions. The transition relies on...
Geothermal Engineering Ltd (GEL) has deployed Watson‑Marlow 630 and Qdos peristaltic pumps to dose acids, alkalis and transfer lithium brine at its United Downs geothermal‑lithium plant, which began commercial zero‑carbon lithium carbonate production in February 2026. The pumps provide precise,...
Fraunhofer ISE demonstrated that metallurgical gases from Thyssenkrupp’s Duisburg steel plant can be turned into methanol in a pilot plant, leveraging a digital twin to fine‑tune the process. Over 5,000 operating hours, the simulation identified optimal inlet temperature, recycle ratio...
The Canadian and Quebec governments are negotiating to keep Glencore's Horne copper smelter open after the miner threatened closure over new arsenic‑emission rules. Quebec proposed delaying the 15 ng/m³ limit until 2029, while Ottawa is reviewing a roughly C$150 million ($111 million USD)...
Siemens announced a $165 million investment to expand manufacturing in North and South Carolina, targeting the booming AI and data‑center market. The rollout includes new carbon‑neutral facilities in Raleigh and Wendell, NC, and expanded plants in Spartanburg and Roebuck, SC, adding...
Industrial humidification systems are engineered for continuous operation in large‑scale facilities, delivering precise relative humidity across expansive production floors. The guide highlights adiabatic and dry‑fog technologies, which add moisture efficiently without raising temperatures, and stresses the role of high‑precision sensors...
The Indian government approved 29 electronics component projects under the Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme, committing roughly $855 million (₹7,104 crore) in capital. The approved initiatives, led by firms such as Dixon Display, Lohum Cleantech and Indo‑MIM, aim to produce goods worth about...
Liebherr announced that its new 100‑ton R 9100 G8 mining excavator is now available for purchase and will enter series production in the June quarter for the backhoe version and September for the face shovel. Field validation at PT Madhani...
SmartRay has launched the ECCO X 050G, a new 3D sensor that extends the ECCO X family to handle highly reflective and transparent surfaces such as glass. The compact unit delivers up to 40 kHz scan rates, 2.2‑2.9 µm vertical resolution and 163 million points...
SecurePrint3D, founded in 2023, unveiled a patented hardware‑enforced print‑authorisation system designed to close the authorisation gap in distributed additive manufacturing. The technology embeds cryptographic controls directly into 3D printers, ensuring only approved digital files can be produced. Founder Ranjith Gopalakrishnan...
HCL Software released CAMWorks 2026, adding native Swiss‑type CNC functionality that automates complex programming, synchronizes multiple machine axes, and includes a segmentation manager for long‑part machining. The update also integrates tightly with SolidWorks, 3DExperience SolidWorks and Solid Edge, allowing toolpaths to update...
Western Australia has launched its first nuclear foundations training program to ready the state’s manufacturing and industrial workforce for the AUKUS nuclear‑powered submarine initiative. The $2.5 million Australian‑dollar (about $1.65 million USD) Defence Industry Reskilling and Upskilling Grants will fund up to...
IDTechEx’s new report estimates that 21‑34% of the world’s platinum‑group metals (PGMs) come from recycled scrap, driven largely by spent automotive catalysts. Companies such as Umicore, DOWA, Johnson Matthey and Tanaka Precious Metals can recover platinum, palladium and rhodium at purities...
World Steel Association data show global steel production slipped to 141.8 million metric tons in February 2026, a 2.2% decline year‑on‑year and 3.7% below January. China, which supplies over half the world’s steel, posted a modest 1% month‑over‑month increase but remained...
More than 100 Chinese companies, including battery giant CATL and EV maker BYD, are racing to mass‑produce perovskite solar cells. The sector already boasts gigawatt‑scale production lines, such as UtmoLight’s 1.8 million‑cell annual facility and GCL Optoelectronic’s $724 million plant targeting 2 GW....
ABx Group’s subsidiary ALCORE Limited has lodged an Environmental Effects Report for its hydrogen fluoride pilot plant in Bell Bay, Tasmania, marking a regulatory milestone. Civil design is complete, a building permit has been applied for, and the first equipment...
JX Advanced Metals Corp. announced a plan to invest roughly ¥100 billion ($623 million) each year, targeting its chip‑related material businesses as semiconductor demand surges. The new annual budget represents an increase from the ¥90 billion average spent over the past three years....
Ohio-based Werk‑Brau Co. has joined the Sweden‑originated Open S Alliance, which seeks to create a universal standard for automatic excavator couplers. The alliance aims to deliver clarity, safety and true compatibility across the attachment marketplace. By adopting the Open S standard, Werk‑Brau...
Athens‑based Erasmus Shipinvest has placed an order for up to eight kamsarmax newbuilds at China’s Jiangsu New Hantong Ship Heavy Industry, breaking its long‑standing reliance on Japanese yards. The firm order includes four 82,000 dwt vessels priced at about $37 million each,...
Sustainability Victoria has opened Round 6 of the Victorian Circular Economy Recycling Modernisation Fund, offering manufacturers grants from AU$50,000 (≈US$33,000) up to AU$1 million (≈US$660,000). The funding targets equipment for recycling soft plastics, e‑waste, tyres, liquid paperboard and textiles, aiming to boost...
The Australian Defence Department signed a Letter of Intent with German warhead manufacturer TDW GmbH to explore local production and maintenance of warheads for the Naval Strike Missile and Joint Strike Missile. The deal is part of a broader $850 million...
6K Additive announced a $1.1 million purchase order for its Nickel 718 superalloy powder from an OEM with annual revenues above $100 million, with deliveries slated through September 2026. The contract adds to the company’s first‑quarter 2026 backlog and underscores accelerating demand for...
Industrial AI is moving from pilot projects to production, with 61% of manufacturers, transport and utility firms already deploying the technology. However, only 20% have achieved mature, scaled adoption, largely because coordination between IT and OT teams remains fragmented. Cisco’s...
A planetary gearbox, also known as an epicyclic drive, uses a central sun gear, multiple planet gears, and an outer ring gear to share load and deliver high torque in a compact package. The arrangement provides efficiency often above 95%...
General Motors revived the 2027 Chevrolet Bolt EV by leveraging advanced virtual crash testing, allowing the company to skip most physical prototype collisions. The 3‑D simulation platform, enhanced with GM‑specific add‑ons, generated detailed force data that satisfied new safety regulations...
French factory closures rose nearly 30% in 2025, with 160 plants shutting versus 121 in 2024. The surge is linked to intensified competition from Asian manufacturers, new US tariffs on European steel and aluminum, and higher energy costs. New factory...
The U.S. Army has issued a $44.6 million solicitation for engineering support to modernize its ammunition industrial base over the next five years. The multi‑award IDIQ contract will allow several firms to provide services such as production program management, performance analysis,...
Guardian Bike Company, based in Seymour, Indiana, now produces about 2,000 children’s bicycles daily using robots and a $1.2 million fiber laser, pricing them between $150 and $400. CEO Brian Riley is lobbying the Trump administration to extend the 50 % steel...
