Walmart Expands Dairy Production with New Texas Plant
Walmart opened a 300,000‑square‑foot milk‑processing plant in Robinson, Texas, investing more than $350 million and creating over 400 jobs. The facility will produce Great Value and Member’s Mark milk varieties for roughly 650 Walmart and Sam’s Club stores across the South Central U.S. By sourcing directly from regional dairy farms, Walmart aims to shorten the farm‑to‑shelf interval, improve freshness, and stabilize pricing. The move deepens the retailer’s vertical integration strategy, complementing similar meat‑processing investments and its broader $350 billion domestic‑sourcing pledge for 2031.
Egypt Emerges as Transit Hub for Europe-Gulf Freight
Egypt is repositioning as an intermodal freight hub after Middle‑East hostilities disrupted traditional Suez‑to‑Gulf shipping. An existing ro‑ro corridor from Trieste to Damietta, operated by DFDS, now extends to Safaga and onward by ferry to Saudi Arabia’s Neom port, linking...
GFT Takes AI From Visual Inspection to Physical Action For Auto Manufacturers
GFT Technologies unveiled an AI‑powered robotic line that not only inspects automotive components but also physically removes defective parts from the assembly line. The system combines a camera‑equipped gripper, a marking robot, and a third arm that repositions or extracts...
Eval Board Simplifies GaN-Based BLDC Motor-Drive Design
Efficient Power Conversion unveiled the EPC91121 evaluation board at APEC 2026, a compact 79 × 80 mm three‑phase inverter built around its Gen‑7 EPC2366 40‑V eGaN transistor. The board delivers up to 70 A peak (50 A RMS) from 18‑30 V inputs and supports 150 kHz PWM, enabling...
Five Hidden Time Thieves Lurking in the Warehouse and Logistics
At MODEX 2026 the spotlight was on robots, AI and advanced WMS platforms, yet the article stresses that basic operational habits still steal valuable time in warehouses. It outlines five hidden time thieves—outdated whiteboards, lack of short stand‑ups, bad inventory data,...
🎥 Plasma Beyond Fusion: Powering Next Gen Semiconductor Manufacturing & Materials
The Deep Tech Live panel highlighted plasma’s emerging role as a cornerstone for next‑generation semiconductor manufacturing and advanced materials. By enabling atomic‑level manipulation, plasma is essential for the high‑performance chips required by Physical AI applications. Traditional trial‑and‑error chemistry can’t keep...
ESMC Calls for Stronger EU Industrial Accelerator Act to Boost Solar PV Manufacturing
The European Solar Manufacturing Council (ESMC) has urged the European Commission to tighten the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) to revive the EU solar PV sector. Its five‑point amendment package expands "Made in Europe" procurement to three key components, mandates at...
Continuous Composites Expands Manufacturing Footprint to Support Production-Relevant CF3D Systems
Continuous Composites has moved to a new 17,000 sq ft facility in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, more than doubling its manufacturing footprint and enabling a five‑fold increase in component output for aerospace and defense programs such as the AFWERX contract. The expanded plant...
PH7 Technologies Receives Funding From the National Research Council of Canada to Expand Opertions
Vancouver‑based pH7 Technologies is expanding its metals‑processing plant with up to $4 million in NRC IRAP funding to scale recovery of platinum‑group metals and other critical elements. The expansion will boost capacity for spent catalysts and electronic waste, while the company’s modular...
Cosco’s Profit Drops by Half as Lower Freight Rates Bite
Cosco Shipping Holdings reported a 50% plunge in first‑quarter profit, with net income falling to 5.9 bn yuan ($863 m) from 11.7 bn yuan a year earlier. Revenue slipped 11% to 51.8 bn yuan (about $7.6 bn), driven by weaker transpacific freight rates. Average container...
Adani’s Giant Copper Plant Hit by Technical Woes in First Year
Billionaire Gautam Adani’s $1.2 billion Kutch copper plant, commissioned ten months ago, has struggled with engineering setbacks that have kept it far below its 500,000‑tonne annual capacity. From April 2023 to February 2024 the facility produced only 94,000 tons of refined copper,...
TANAKA to Showcase Advanced Semiconductor Materials and Circular Economy Initiatives at SEMICON Southeast Asia 2026
TANAKA Precious Metal Technologies will exhibit at SEMICON Southeast Asia 2026 in Kuala Lumpur, showcasing a full suite of precious‑metal materials for semiconductor front‑end, packaging and testing, including bonding wires, silver sintering paste, AgSn TLP sheets, sputtering targets, probe pins,...
"Using This ‘Crop Grazing’ Technique, Yield Can Be Improved up to 20% Even on a 3rd Flush"
Alan Edwards’ Game Changer mushroom machine automates stalk cutting, punnet placement and weighing, letting pickers work with both hands. The system’s “crop‑grazing” method lets larger mushrooms be harvested first, allowing smaller ones to mature, which can lift yields up to...
Electronic Drives and Controls to Exhibit at Wire Expo 2026
Electronic Drives and Controls (EDC) announced its participation in Wire Expo 2026, scheduled for May 6‑7 in Milwaukee, where it will occupy booth #126. The company will showcase an expanded booth with a large‑format display highlighting its retrofitting projects across...
Nikon Begins Commercial Deployment of Its Next-Generation APDIS MV5X Laser Radar System Powered by Aeva
Nikon Metrology has started commercial shipments of its next‑generation APDIS MV5X Laser Radar, which incorporates Aeva’s Eve high‑precision sensor. The system delivers micron‑level accuracy, faster data acquisition and a compact footprint for automated inspection in automotive, aerospace and energy manufacturing....
Elmo Launches the Next Generation of the Elmo Application Studio (EASIII)
Elmo Motion Control has unveiled the third generation of its Elmo Application Studio, EASIII, a unified software platform for configuring, tuning, programming, and diagnosing its full line of motion controllers and servo drives. The new suite adds a modern graphical...
Coco Robotics Unveils Largest Multi-Brand Campaign on Autonomous Miami Delivery Fleet Across F1 Window
Coco Robotics announced that more than 100 autonomous delivery robots in Miami are now wrapped with brand advertising, creating the largest multi‑brand out‑of‑home (OOH) campaign to coincide with the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix. The seven participating brands—NVIDIA, Coca‑Cola, BYLT, Live...
Reflex Robotics Selects Manufacturo to Scale Robot Production With Built-In Traceability and Quality Control
Reflex Robotics, a New York‑based maker of low‑inertia humanoid robots, has partnered with Manufacturo to embed a cloud‑based manufacturing management platform into its production line. The solution creates a single system of record that captures as‑built history, tracks design revisions,...
JSW Motors Ramps up Supplier Network Ahead of New Energy Vehicle Launches
JSW Motors held its first supplier partner conference and technology showcase at its Bidkin plant, gathering over 100 component makers. Co‑organized with the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India, the event emphasized supply‑chain readiness, localisation and next‑generation new‑energy‑vehicle (NEV) technologies...
Pressure Sensors: Turning Environmental Signals Into Smart Actions
Infineon’s XENSIV DPS368 pressure sensor brings ultra‑low‑noise, capacitive barometric measurement to consumer and IoT devices. Its 2.0 × 2.5 × 1.1 mm³ form factor and sub‑µA standby current enable integration into space‑constrained wearables, HVAC units, and robotic vacuums while preserving battery life. The sensor’s gel‑protected MEMS...
Paccar, Volvo CEOs See Production Picking up From Q1 Pace
Volvo Group and Paccar CEOs said production rates are picking up after a weak first quarter, but they differ on how many build slots will be available in the coming months. Volvo idled U.S. plants 25‑30% in Q1 and plans...
AI Is Everywhere, but That Doesn’t Mean It Belongs in Your ERP
AI is ubiquitous, but most hype centers on generative, stochastic models that excel at language tasks. In food‑manufacturing ERP, only deterministic AI—built on structured, rule‑based data—can reliably handle inventory, costing, and compliance. Generative AI belongs in the user‑interface layer, helping...
Epic Group Unveils US $100 Million Net-Zero Garment Facility in Odisha
Epic Group has launched the Trimetro Manufacturing Campus in Khordha, Odisha, a $100 million garment facility that is India’s first fully net‑zero carbon and net‑zero water apparel plant. The 40‑acre campus is designed to produce 20 million garments a year for export...
Textiles Ministry Sets Up Monitoring Cell to Ensure Supply Stability Amid West Asia Crisis
India’s Ministry of Textiles has created a monitoring cell to coordinate exporters, industry bodies, and government agencies as the West Asia conflict drives raw‑material and logistics costs higher. In Surat, shipping rates have surged up to 400% and polyester fibre...
Fuel Surcharges and Slow-Steaming Making Waves for Shippers
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has forced carriers to adjust fuel surcharge practices, with Hapag‑Lloyd moving to monthly emergency fuel surcharges and reporting an extra $50 million in weekly fuel costs. Japanese carrier ONE lifted its EFS to $160...
CASE STUDY - 3D PEOPLE HELP IN CREATION OF GEOMETRICALLY COMPLEX HEAD-MOUNTED POV CAMERA
James Medcraft’s Cyclops is a head‑mounted POV camera that captures exactly what the operator sees, using custom optics and a lightweight 3D‑printed housing. The device’s geometrically complex parts are produced in PA12 via additive manufacturing, eliminating the need for costly...
Innovative FAULHABER Drive System for Smart Logistics
FAULHABER unveiled DualGear, a compact drive that fuses its BX4 brushless motor with GPT planetary gearheads, delivering two synchronous movements from a single unit. The system is offered in 42 mm and 68 mm motor lengths, allowing flexible integration into tight conveyor...
FMC Orders Record Payback by Shipping Line for Unfair Fees During Covid
U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has issued a record $45.6 million award against Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) for breaching service contracts and retaliating against the bankrupt Bed, Bath & Beyond administrator, Butterfly‑1. The decision follows three years of investigations into...
Door Open for Taiwan to Enter 'Non-Red' EU Drone Supply Chain: Expert
European policymakers are wrestling with fragmented economic‑security authority, making it difficult to build a unified "non‑red" drone supply chain that limits reliance on China. Experts say the split between EU‑wide trade rules and national defence control creates policy gaps that...
Salesforce Expands Beyond the Front Office with Agentforce Operations
Salesforce unveiled Agentforce Operations, an AI‑driven platform that automates back‑office tasks such as auditing, onboarding, and invoice processing. The company says the solution can cut cycle times by up to 70% and eliminate 80% of manual data‑entry work. Built on...
Hundreds of Internet-Facing VNC Servers Expose ICS/OT
Forescout’s latest research reveals that roughly 1.8 million RDP and 1.6 million VNC servers are exposed to the public internet, with a significant share linked to critical industries in the United States and China. Among these, 91 000 RDP and 29 000 VNC instances...
Awery Scoops a Fifth Hackathon Win
Awery Aviation Software clinched its fifth IATA ONE Record hackathon title by unveiling Voyager, a tool that delivers real‑time visibility of cargo shipment milestones. The Hong Kong‑based competition challenged developers to build solutions that integrate with the ONE Record data‑sharing standard,...
Plastic Ingenuity Using PureCycle Resin in Coffee Lids
PureCycle Technologies has teamed up with Plastic Ingenuity to embed its PureFive polypropylene resin into coffee lids, offering recycled content levels between 25% and 100%. The partnership gives food‑service brands a high‑performance, food‑safe alternative to virgin plastic while advancing circular‑economy...
Autonics CT Series Counter/Timers From AutomationDirect
AutomationDirect has added the Autonics CT series counter/timers to its catalog, offering a fast‑setup solution for counting, timing and batching tasks. The units can be programmed directly from front‑panel pushbuttons, with select models supporting RS‑485 communication through Autonics DAQMaster software....
IronHorse ES1 AC Drives From AutomationDirect
AutomationDirect has launched the IronHorse ES1 series of AC drives, targeting 0.75‑to‑2 hp three‑phase motors while accepting a single‑phase 120 V or 230 V input. The drives are built in the USA, feature a hardware‑only setup with trim pots for speed, current limit,...
Equipment Fraud: The Scams Targeting Food and Drink Manufacturers
Equipment fraud is emerging as a hidden threat for food and drink manufacturers, exploiting urgent maintenance and procurement processes. The most common schemes involve inflated or duplicate invoices, payment‑detail diversion scams, and conflicts of interest that can trigger Bribery Act...
Nomad Foods to Close Factory in Switzerland
Nomad Foods announced it will close its Rorschach manufacturing plant in Switzerland by year‑end, impacting 45 full‑time staff. The shutdown is part of a €200 m ($233 m) operational savings program targeting 2026‑2028, focusing on procurement, logistics and overhead efficiencies. Production of...
Robotics Development Platform Links EBV Ecosystem for System Design
EBV Elektronik launched MOVE, a robotics development platform that aggregates processors, AI accelerators, sensors, motion control, connectivity, memory, power and display components into a single resource hub. The platform targets engineers designing next‑generation robots across industrial automation, logistics, healthcare, agriculture...
South Korea Offers Shippers a Helping Hand with Freight Rate Discounts
South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) have launched a three‑pronged support scheme that offers 10‑20% discounts on full‑container‑load sea freight, LCL discounts on more than 20 routes via Samsung SDS, and...
UK Robotic Construction Company All3 Raises $25M in Seed Round Funding
All3, a UK‑based construction robotics startup, closed a $25 million seed round led by RTP Global to accelerate its AI‑driven building platform. The company combines site‑specific AI design, off‑site robotic factories, and autonomous on‑site robots—chiefly the four‑legged Mantis—to fabricate and assemble...
General Mills Faces Setback in Supply Chain Sustainability Push
General Mills reported a slowdown in its supply‑chain emissions reductions for fiscal 2025, cutting total greenhouse‑gas output by 14% versus a 19% decline the prior year. The dip stems from a 3% rise in operational emissions after adding electricity use...
Geely Taps Volvo’s EU Plants to Propel Regional Expansion
Geely announced it will expand production of its brands at Volvo Cars' European factories rather than build new plants, leveraging spare capacity in Sweden, Belgium and Slovakia. The move addresses China's severe automotive overcapacity and avoids the 28.8% import tariffs...
Gulf Crisis a Blip in India’s Airfreight Growth, Claim Bullish Stakeholders
India’s international air‑cargo volumes fell 6% YoY in April as Gulf airport closures disrupted routes, but the sector still posted a 5.4% annual increase for FY 2025‑26. Chennai Airport led the surge with a 12% freight rise, while Ahmedabad logged a...
Fincantieri and KAYO Launch JV to Build and Maintain Albanian Navy’s Fleet
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri and Albanian firm KAYO have signed a joint‑venture agreement in Tirana, creating a 51‑percent/49‑percent partnership to build and maintain naval vessels for the Albanian Navy. The JV will use the Pashaliman shipyard near Vlora as its primary...
Charter Market Benefits From Tonnage Shortage in ‘Fully Employed’ Box Ship Fleet
Container shipping remains effectively at full employment despite the Gulf conflict, with commercially idle capacity dropping to 0.7% of global tonnage. Alphaliner reports that at least 58 containerships, representing roughly 310,000 TEU, have been diverted or sheltered, tightening supply further....
Shahi Exports to Scale Cotton Pre-Treatment Technology
Shahi Exports, one of India’s largest garment manufacturers, has teamed up with US‑based Innovo Fiber to commercialize a low‑impact cotton pre‑treatment process. Pilot trials demonstrated roughly a 25% reduction in water usage and a 49% cut in steam consumption. The...
DSV’s Q1 Air Volumes See Continued Boost From Schenker Takeover
DSV reported 518,000 tonnes of airfreight in Q1 2026, a 55% year‑on‑year increase driven primarily by the Schenker acquisition and strong demand from technology and semiconductor customers. Air revenue rose to DKK 20.2 bn (≈ $2.8 bn), up 48%, while the Air & Sea...
Shahi Exports, Innovo Fiber Scale Tech for Low-Impact Cotton Processing
Shahi Exports has teamed with Fibre52, the biotech arm of Innovo Fiber, to launch the world’s largest industrial‑scale deployment of a low‑impact cotton pretreatment system. The drop‑in, low‑temperature process replaces caustic soda with ZDHC MRSL v3.1 and OEKO‑TEX‑approved chemistries, preserving...
The Strategic Investments Expanding CDMO Capabilities for HPAPIs and ADCs
Contract development and manufacturing organisations (CDMOs) are accelerating investments to meet soaring demand for highly potent active pharmaceutical ingredients (HPAPIs) and antibody‑drug conjugates (ADCs). The focus is on backward integration, high‑containment infrastructure, and advanced processing such as chromatography and lyophilisation...
Aerios Teams up with Wiremind to Tackle Cargo Loadability Issues
Aerios has integrated Wiremind Cargo’s Skypallet optimisation tool into its charter quoting app, enabling real‑time cargo loadability checks. The system flags size, weight and density issues at the quotation stage, eliminating manual hand‑offs between sales and loadmaster teams. By delivering...