SoftBank Is Reportedly in Early Talks to Back an $800m Agile Robots Round
SoftBank is in early discussions to contribute more than $300 million to an $800 million financing round for Munich‑based Agile Robots. The Japanese conglomerate previously led the startup’s $220 million Series C in 2021, which made Agile Robots Germany’s first robotics unicorn. Agile Robots, founded by German Aerospace Center researchers, now employs over 3,200 staff across Germany, China and India and builds robot arms, warehouse systems and humanoids. The deal reflects SoftBank’s broader push into physical AI, following its $5.4 billion acquisition of ABB’s industrial robotics unit and a planned €75 billion AI data‑center push in France.
Should You Lease or Finance Warehouse Automation Equipment?
Warehouse operators face mounting pressure to adopt automation such as AGVs, conveyors, and robotic sorters, turning capital‑intensive equipment from a luxury into a survival tool. The core dilemma is financing: leasing offers low upfront costs, built‑in upgrades and maintenance, while...
US Forwarders Hit Out at Plans to Cut Customs Operations
U.S. airforwarders, airlines and supply‑chain groups warn that the Department of Homeland Security is considering scaling back Customs and Border Protection processing at several major gateway airports, especially those designated as sanctuary cities. The proposed cuts could force carriers to...
Adani Group Plans 5Mta Greenfield Cement Plant in West Bengal
India's Adani Group announced a $29.3 million investment to build a new 5 million‑tonne‑per‑annum greenfield cement plant in Kharagpur, West Bengal. The 198‑acre site has cleared state industry approval and awaits cabinet clearance, with commissioning expected within the next few years. The...
JDR Opens Subsea Cable Factory in Blyth
JDR Cable Systems inaugurated a new subsea cable factory in Cambois near Blyth, UK, backed by a £130 million (~$165 million) investment from parent TFKable Group. The plant expands capacity for inter‑array, interconnector and export cables and supports R&D on high‑voltage AC...
Haddy Adopts Siemens Xcelerator for Local Manufacturing
Siemens announced that U.S. additive‑manufacturing firm Haddy is deploying the Siemens Xcelerator digital platform to scale its locally focused, circular‑material production across furniture, marine and defense sectors. Haddy’s network of AI‑driven microfactories uses robotic large‑format extrusion and recyclable feedstock, with...
Laser Projection Technology Reduces Errors While Improving Manufacturing Quality
SL Laser is expanding its laser projection technology to streamline manufacturing by projecting CAD data directly onto workpieces, eliminating templates and manual measurements. The system offers millimeter‑level positioning accuracy and can be mounted permanently or on mobile rails for flexible...
Metrology in Motion – Bringing Autonomous Inspection to the Factory Floor
Industrial metrology is shedding its lab‑bound legacy as autonomous robots, drones and AI‑driven scanners move inspection onto the factory floor. Mobile platforms equipped with structured‑light, laser and photogrammetry sensors now perform real‑time dimensional checks on large or complex parts, cutting...
Lang Technik USA Scales Up (And Down) In New Facility
Lang Technik USA opened a 23,000‑square‑foot facility in Hartland, Wisconsin on May 12, 2026, signaling a deeper commitment to the U.S. market. About half of the space houses roughly $14 million of inventory ready for immediate shipment to American manufacturers. The plant will...
Automakers Stockpile Cars Because of Iran War
Automakers are rapidly increasing on‑hand vehicle inventories as the conflict in Iran threatens key raw‑material supplies and logistics routes. Over the past month, manufacturers have added roughly 1.2 million cars to dealer lots and regional distribution centers. The buildup reflects concerns...
Industrial Growth at 4.9% in April as New 2022-23 Base Series Debuts
India's Industrial Production Index (IIP) rose 4.9% in April 2026, the first reading under the new 2022‑23 base year, easing from a 5.7% gain a year earlier. Manufacturing drove the expansion, posting a 6.2% rise, while mining fell 5.1%. Capital...
From Truganina to Major Projects: Mapei’s Push to Localise Manufacturing in Australia
Global building‑materials giant Mapei has broken ground on a new manufacturing plant in Truganina, Melbourne, costing about $60 million Australian (≈ $40 million USD). The facility will expand local capacity, adding up to 100 products and advanced recyclable packaging, while leveraging automation, solar power...
PH Manufacturing Regained Ground in May
Philippine manufacturing rebounded in May as the S&P Global PMI rose to 50.8, moving back into expansion territory after a dip to 48.3 in April. The uptick was fueled primarily by stronger domestic demand, while export orders fell sharply, marking...
How Morocco Overtook S/A as Africa’s Industrial Powerhouse After 15 Years
Morocco has surpassed South Africa as Africa’s top industrial economy, according to the African Development Bank’s 2025 Africa Industrialisation Index. The kingdom’s score rose to 0.8415 in 2024, edging out South Africa’s 0.8396, driven by aggressive state‑backed policies, export‑led manufacturing...
Near-Stabilisation of Business Conditions in Turkish Manufacturing Recorded by May PMI
Turkey's Istanbul Chamber of Industry Manufacturing PMI edged up to 49.8 in May, its strongest level since March 2024 but still below the 50.0 expansion threshold. The modest rise reflects a tentative rebound in production and a pickup in export...
Manufacturing Supply Chains Under Pressure as Land Constraints Reshape Australian Warehousing Strategy, Says Dematic
Dematic warns that tightening industrial land near Australia’s major cities is forcing manufacturers, retailers and logistics operators to treat warehouse design as a strategic, board‑level issue. With CBRE projecting industrial vacancy to peak at 3.6% in the second half of...
Silicon Valley's New Slogan: Let's Get Physical
Silicon Valley is shifting from conversational AI to "physical AI," with major players unveiling humanoid robot initiatives. Nvidia announced a standardized robot blueprint, expected in late 2026, while OpenAI and Meta ramped up hiring and acquisitions to accelerate their robotics...
Australia’s First RNA Manufacturing Facility Opens in NSW
Australia’s first dedicated RNA research and manufacturing hub opened at Macquarie University’s Innovation Precinct, delivering a 4,500‑square‑metre, state‑of‑the‑art complex. The $96 million AUD (≈$63 million USD) NSW Government investment equips the site with pDNA and mRNA production suites, lipid‑nanoparticle encapsulation, and pilot‑scale...
AI in Production at the Industrial Edge: A Repeatable Path with Red Hat and Intel
Industrial AI projects often stall at the pilot stage because edge sites face limited resources, spotty connectivity, and scarce local support. Red Hat Device Edge supplies a consistent Linux foundation and lightweight Kubernetes (MicroShift) to standardize far‑edge operations, while Intel’s Verified...
We Needed Automation to Reshore Our Supply Chain
TAC Industries reshored the metal hardware for its Air Force cargo nets by partnering with a domestic supplier that fully automated assembly. The automation cut the cost gap, slashed lead times from six months to one, and boosted throughput 2.5...
Datanomix Brings Production-Tested AI to Automate 2026
Datanomix will showcase its production‑tested AI suite at Automate 2026 in Chicago, demonstrating tools that run on live shop‑floor data rather than static demos. The company’s three AI products—FactoryMate™, TMAC ai™ with Caron Engineering, and G‑Code Cloud™ + DNC—already operate on customer machines, delivering...
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Humanoid-Bosch Deal Highlights What’s Next for Australia’s Robotics-Driven Logistics Market
UK startup Humanoid has partnered with Bosch to mass‑produce its HMND 01 industrial robots, moving the technology from prototype to manufacturing scale. The deal arrives as Australia’s logistics sector ramps up automation, highlighted by Amazon’s A$750 million (≈$500 million) robotic fulfillment centre near...
Sam Altman Is Quietly Backing a Stealth Startup That's Building Software for Robots and Cars
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, through his venture firm Hydrazine Capital, is backing a stealth startup called Alfred, founded by a former Tesla designer and an ex‑Meta Reality Labs engineer. Alfred is raising capital at a $40 million valuation to build a...
Lockheed Opens Scalable Factory to Build Next Generation Interceptor
Lockheed Martin inaugurated a new $250 million assembly plant in Courtland, Alabama, dedicated to building the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) for U.S. missile defense. The digital‑centric, modular production line can be scaled up quickly to meet future Pentagon demand, complementing a...
Reindustrialization: How Startups Are (Already) Helping Manufacturers Improve Performance
EDF Pulse Ventures, EDF Group’s corporate venture arm, is leveraging deep‑tech startups to modernize manufacturing and energy operations. Its portfolio includes Siteflow, which digitized maintenance workflows and cut operation time by 80% at EDF Hydro Alpes, and Yxir, an AI‑driven...
Autonomous Vessel Developer Signs Construction Partnership to Boost Production
Maritime Tactical Systems (MARTAC) has inked a partnership with Florida‑based Mystic Powerboats to expand production of its autonomous unmanned surface vehicles, including the Devil Ray and MANTAS platforms. Mystic contributes a 100,000‑square‑foot facility equipped for advanced carbon‑fiber hull construction, enabling...
From 15 Hours to One Minute: How AI/ML Is Speeding up GM's Development
General Motors is deploying AI‑driven simulation tools that collapse traditional CFD, FEA and other virtual analyses into a single probabilistic workflow. By training models to emulate complex physics, GM has cut finite‑element runs from 15 hours to about one minute, enabling...
Australia Signs $86m Deal for Domestic Production of Guided Missile Parts
The Australian government has signed a A$120 million (US$86 million) contract with Lockheed Martin Australia to begin domestic production of Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) missile components. Moog Australia will design and build the missile’s control actuation system, while Melbourne‑based AW Bell will...
Olectra Targets EV Bus Fleet Expansion, Bets on 55-Tonne EV Trucks with ₹600 Crore Capex Plan
Olectra Greentech, India’s top electric‑bus maker, posted FY 2025‑26 revenue of ₹2,312 crore (≈$28 million) and is targeting ₹4,000‑4,500 crore ($48‑$54 million) turnover by FY 2026‑27. The firm will spend ₹400‑500 crore ($48‑$60 million) over the next two years on a 55‑tonne electric tractor‑trailer, a 38‑tonne tipper and...
Enhancing Industrial Automation: Why Compact Mini PCs Are Quietly Becoming the Default Choice for Robotic Controllers
Industrial automation is increasingly adopting compact mini PCs to replace bulky controllers, driven by space constraints and the need for continuous operation. The Hystou M9, built on Intel 12th/13th‑Gen i5/i7 CPUs, fits inside existing cabinets while delivering real‑time control, vision...
George Procopiou Inks 12 VLCC Newbuildings at China’s Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding
Greek shipowner George Procopiou’s Dynacom Tankers Management signed a contract for 12 new Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) with China’s Hudong‑Zhonghua Shipbuilding, bringing its total Chinese VLCC order to 30. The deal, valued at about $1.48 billion, was announced at the...
Toyota: Improving Supply Chain Resilience Without Abandoning Lean Discipline
Toyota is reshaping its legendary lean manufacturing system to embed supply‑chain resilience without discarding just‑in‑time efficiency. The automaker is introducing strategic buffers, diversifying suppliers, and deploying continuous intelligence to gain real‑time visibility across its network. Lessons from the recent semiconductor...
The Lab Digitisation Blind Spot in African Manufacturing’s Digital Transformation
African manufacturers are accelerating digital adoption, deploying ERP, smart factories, and supply‑chain platforms, yet quality laboratories remain paper‑based. This lab digitisation blind spot creates compliance risks, delays export certifications, and can lead to rejected shipments. Cloud‑based lab management solutions such...
ORNL Develops Error Correction System to Enhance 3D Printing of Large Composite Parts
Oak Ridge National Laboratory has unveiled an AI‑driven controller that monitors and corrects temperature deviations in large‑area composite 3D printing in real time. The system combines low‑cost thermal cameras, computer‑vision algorithms, and a digital‑twin model to automatically adjust nozzle speed...
Apex Lubrication LLC Chooses Solace to Bring Real-Time AI Intelligence to Industrial Conveyor Operations
Apex Lubrication LLC, together with Mighty Lube, is deploying Solace Agent Mesh across its OmniView machine‑learning platform to deliver real‑time conveyor health monitoring. The integration adds predictive maintenance alerts, on‑premises LLM‑driven analysis, and automated reporting that feed directly into ERP...
2026 Plant Engineering Product of the Year Winners Announced
The 38th annual Plant Engineering Product of the Year awards unveiled 28 winning solutions that span reliability, safety, efficiency and sustainability. Winners were chosen by the magazine’s readership, who voted on products introduced to North America in 2025. One product...
Toray Expands NCAMP Qualifications for Aerospace-Focused Cetex TC1225 LM-PAEK
Toray Advanced Composites announced an expanded NCAMP qualification for its Cetex TC1225 LM‑PAEK thermoplastic composite, now including unidirectional (UD) tape prepreg alongside woven formats. The qualification, achieved using automated fiber placement (AFP) and a suite of seven processing methods, marks...
Barilla to Invest $170M in New York Facility Expansion
Barilla announced a $170 million expansion of its Livingston County, New York plant, adding new production, packaging lines and warehouse capacity. The first phase, slated for completion by March, will create 90 jobs, while a second phase will further increase output. This...
SEG Solar Is Building a Third Solar Panel Assembly Facility in Texas
SEG Solar announced a third solar‑panel assembly plant in Texas, adding 4.6 GW of capacity and bringing total U.S. manufacturing output to 10.6 GW annually. The 1.15‑million‑square‑foot facility, located next to the 4 GW Tomball site, will be completed in March 2027 with production...
Port of Charleston to Increase Automotive Cargo Capacity
South Carolina’s Port of Charleston is upgrading its rail links and vessel‑parking facilities to boost automotive cargo capacity. The Columbus Street Terminal already moves more than 250,000 vehicles per year, supporting just‑in‑time supply chains for manufacturers such as BMW, Mercedes‑Benz...
What Anthropic’s Two Recent Announcements Mean For Manufacturers
Anthropic announced a $1.5 billion‑backed enterprise AI services venture that will embed Claude engineers directly within manufacturers’ operations, starting with the private‑equity investors’ portfolio companies. The firm also launched Resolve, an AI‑driven predictive‑maintenance solution built on Claude that ingests sensor, log...
Xenia Launches Thermoplastic Composites for Large Scale Additive Manufacturing
Xenia has launched a new portfolio of reinforced pellet‑based thermoplastic composites tailored for large‑scale additive manufacturing (LSAM). The materials feature low coefficient of thermal expansion, high rigidity, and temperature resistance up to 260 °C, enabling accurate, dimensionally stable tooling. A range...
The Companies That Build Fast Will Win the Physical AI Race
Physical AI firms face a critical bottleneck: turning a prototype into a production‑ready part quickly. The article argues that supply‑chain decisions made early—especially around sourcing and manufacturing readiness—determine whether a program can iterate at software‑like speed. Digital manufacturing platforms that...
Egypt and China’s Cloud Chain Plot $2bn ‘Carbon-Neutral’ Textile City
Egypt’s Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade met with China’s Cloud Chain delegation to unveil plans for a carbon‑neutral textile industrial city, the first of its kind in the MENA region. The master plan covers 4.5 million m² and calls for a...
Peopoly Introduces GIGA 800 Pellet 3D Printer
Peopoly has launched the GIGA 800 FGF printer, a large‑format pellet‑extrusion system aimed at industrial tooling, automotive fixtures, and architectural design. The machine offers an 800 × 800 × 800 mm build volume and starts at $15,000 USD (EXW). It runs on open‑source Klipper firmware, integrates Orca Slicer profiles,...
JinkoSolar Shipped 86.8 GW of Modules in 2025, Securing Lead in Global Sales for the Seventh Time
JinkoSolar reported 86.8 GW of module shipments for 2025, marking its seventh consecutive year as the world’s top solar‑module seller. The Tiger Neo product line alone accounted for more than 220 GW of the company’s cumulative 400 GW shipped by the end of Q1 2026....
Manufacturing Capacity Planning Tools: How to Protect Throughput When Skilled Capacity Is the Constraint
Manufacturers are shifting from simple machine‑centric capacity planning to managing scarce skilled resources, approvals, and supplier dependencies. New capacity‑planning tools provide a unified demand‑supply model, forecast overload, and enable value‑based scenario analysis to prioritize work that maximizes throughput. Research from...
A Spatter-Aware, Data-Driven Closed-Loop Framework for Real-Time Monitoring and Adaptive Control in Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing
The study introduces a low‑cost, real‑time closed‑loop framework for Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing that combines spatter detection, parameter control, and quality prediction. Using a modified YOLOv11 model with CBAM attention and CIoU localization, the system detects tiny spatter particles with...
Most Companies Are Moving Production Overseas—Here’s Why 1 Is Coming Back
GE Appliances, now owned by Chinese giant Haier, is relocating its front‑load washer and washer‑dryer production from China to a renovated 900,000‑square‑foot facility in Louisville, Kentucky. The $490 million investment will revive Building 2 of the GE Appliance Park, creating roughly 800...
Scaling Automation in Contract Manufacturing: Interview with Rodrigo DallOglio of Flex
Flex announced an expanded partnership with Teradyne Robotics, allowing the contract manufacturer to both deploy advanced robotics in its own plants and produce key robot components for Teradyne customers worldwide. The move reflects Flex’s strategy of scaling automation from single‑site...