RWE Installs CO2-Reduced Steel Tower and Recyclable Blades at Thor
RWE has installed an offshore wind turbine at Denmark’s Thor wind farm using a reduced‑CO₂ steel tower and recyclable rotor blades. The turbine is part of the 1.1 GW project, which began delivering power to the Danish grid and will host 72 turbines by the end of 2026. Siemens Gamesa’s GreenerTower steel is certified to emit no more than 0.7 t CO₂‑eq per tonne, while 120 recyclable blades will be fitted on 40 turbines. A new service building at Thorsminde is expected to generate 50‑60 local jobs.
Container-Sized AI 'Pods' Could Be the Answer to Dragging Data Centre Plans, HPE Says
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) is mass‑producing container‑sized AI “pods” that function as miniature data centres, with a factory capable of delivering a unit in a matter of months. The modular pods bundle compute, storage, networking and cooling into a single...
PPC Boosts Sustainable Cement Production with 20MW Solar Launch
PPC Ltd has commissioned two 10 MW solar farms at its Slurry and Dwaalboom cement plants in South Africa, delivering renewable power directly to the production lines. The behind‑the‑meter installations, built with Sturdee Energy, use bifacial panels and single‑axis trackers to...
Chip Industry Week In Review
Intel announced three major moves: joining Elon Musk’s Terafab AI‑robotics fab targeting 1 TW of compute, expanding its multi‑year AI and cloud partnership with Google to include custom IPUs, and showcasing the world’s thinnest GaN chiplet from its foundry. Broadcom will...
Unacem Chile Signs Cement Production Agreement with Transex
Unacem Chile has signed an agreement with Cementos Transex to manufacture cement at the Puente Alto plant in the Santiago metropolitan area. The deal lets Unacem use existing capacity, enhancing logistics and avoiding fresh capital investment. In the fourth quarter...
Double-Double Structures Offer Simplified Design, Testing and Manufacturing
The Double-Double laminate replaces the traditional Quad ply schedule with a 0°/‑60°/60°/0° sequence, creating a homogeneous composite that behaves like steel. Its repeatable building block eliminates the need for cross‑plies and allows ply drops without altering mechanical performance, making tapered...
Globant and CMPC Launched an AI-Based Supply Chain Traceability Solution Compliant with EU Deforestation Regulation
Globant has deployed an AI‑driven supply‑chain traceability platform for CMPC, a global pulp, paper and packaging leader. Built on SAP Business Technology Platform and SAP Clean Core, the solution automates document extraction and compliance workflows, shrinking manual traceability from up...
Design and Application of a Photo‐Thermal Dual‐Curable Resin for Architected Microwave Absorbers in the X‐Band via DLP Printing
Researchers have engineered a photo‑thermal dual‑curable resin that can be shaped by DLP 3D printing and then thermally post‑cured, delivering a low dielectric constant (ε′<3.0), ultra‑low loss (tan δ<0.01), glass transition above 200 °C and tensile strength over 80 MPa. The resin was...
TCL Unveils AI-Powered Manufacturing Facility in China
TCL has launched a $280 million AI‑powered air‑conditioner smart factory in Guangzhou, marking its 100 million‑unit milestone. The 303‑acre complex can produce 8 million units a year, roughly one unit every seven seconds, through three fully automated lights‑out lines. An on‑site AI supercomputing...
Geocycle to Invest US$125m in Latin America Co-Processing Capacity
Geocycle, Holcim's waste‑management unit, announced a $125 million investment to boost co‑processing capacity across Latin America by 2030. The funding builds on a $55 million spend that created 14 waste‑to‑fuel facilities, now delivering roughly 30% of the region’s thermal energy needs. In...
Government Gives £380m Grant to Agratas Gigafactory
The UK government has pledged a £380 million grant (about $483 million) to Agratas for a new battery gigafactory in Somerset. The plant will produce lithium‑ion cells for Jaguar Land Rover, Agratas’s anchor customer, and is slated to employ over 2,200 workers...
Meet the Swiss Founder Building Robots that Make Crêpes
Swiss startup Maus Robotics, founded by 28‑year‑old Robert Hennig, has built an automated crêpe‑making robot that can serve a fresh crepe every 90 seconds. The prototype, developed during Hennig’s EPFL PhD, costs roughly $5,400–$6,500 in hardware and uses a patented...
Valeo Inaugurates ADAS Camera Production at Sanand
Valeo has inaugurated a high‑definition surround‑view camera production line at its Sanand plant in Gujarat, India. The line will supply advanced driver‑assistance (ADAS) and advanced rider‑assistance (ARAS) vision systems to domestic OEMs. It forms part of a broader Sanand expansion...
China Reminds Battery Makers to Avoid Excess Capacity Growth
China has summoned its leading electric‑vehicle and stationary battery manufacturers for a second time in just over three months, urging them to curb capacity expansion. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other agencies addressed 16 firms, calling for...
Stellantis Circular Unit Targets Third Dismantling Centre
Stellantis’ circular‑economy arm SUSTAINera reported a 51% jump in its reuse business for 2025 and is set to launch a third vehicle‑dismantling centre in a new region, adding to sites in Turin and São Paulo. The subsidiary’s B‑Parts e‑commerce platform now...
India Inc Ramps up Exports as Iran Ceasefire Reopens Middle East Trade
India Inc is rapidly reactivating exports to the Middle East following a two‑week Iran ceasefire that reopened the Strait of Hormuz. Pharma, packaged‑food and electrical‑goods manufacturers report rising demand as regional inventories are restocked and reconstruction projects loom. Companies such...
10 Minutes to Influence U.S. Manufacturing Policy
The Reshoring Initiative and Regions Recruiting have launched a 10‑minute survey aimed at original equipment manufacturers and contract manufacturers to capture current reshoring and foreign direct investment trends. The questionnaire also probes how upcoming 2025 federal manufacturing policies could influence...
Fabs & Labs: Filtronic
Filtronic has inaugurated a new state‑of‑the‑art headquarters, design centre and manufacturing facility at NetPark in Sedgefield, County Durham. The complex includes advanced cleanroom environments tailored for high‑frequency components used in space, defence and communications applications. By consolidating R&D and production...
How to Scale Production With the Right Adjustments at the Right Times
Scaling volume machining requires timing adjustments to the data the machine provides. The first part should be used only to validate the setup, correcting gross errors and chatter while ignoring subtle deviations. Between parts two and ten, a small population...
Riber Delivers Strong Earnings Growth in 2025
Riber posted 2025 full‑year results showing a modest 2% dip in revenue to €40.3 million (about $44 million) but a 27% jump in net income to €5.2 million ($5.7 million). The company’s operating margin improved to 13% of sales, aided by a favorable product...
AI Compute Boom Propels Foundry 2.0 Market to $360 Billion
The AI‑driven compute boom is pushing the Foundry 2.0 market toward a $360 billion valuation in 2026, with advanced nodes and CoWoS packaging remaining scarce. TSMC raised its 3 nm capacity target to 165,000 wafers per month and aims for a 44% market...
Commentary: Rising Oil Prices Create an Opportunity for Recycled Plastic
Rising oil prices are pushing virgin polyethylene, polypropylene and PET resin costs higher, eroding the long‑standing price advantage of new plastic over recycled material. The surge creates a window for recycled resins to compete on economics as well as sustainability,...
Manufacturing-Led AM Market Reaches $16B in 2025 – Report
Additive Manufacturing (AM) revenues reached $16.0 billion in 2025, marking a 10.2% year‑over‑year rise and outpacing the 8.3% growth recorded in 2024. Metal AM generated $6.27 billion while polymer AM delivered $9.79 billion, together accounting for the bulk of market value. AM services...
Amaero Plans to Double Production After Receiving $7.8m Titanium Powder Order
Amaero (ASX:3DA) announced a A$7.8 million (~US$5.1 million) titanium‑powder contract for FY2027, matching its FY2026 sales volume. To fulfill the order, the company will double its production capacity in FY2027 by commissioning two EIGA Premium atomisers, with a third slated for June 2026....
Read the March/April 2026 Issue of Plant Engineering
The March/April 2026 issue of Plant Engineering spotlights critical maintenance topics, from valve lubrication and corrosion prevention to AI‑driven operational technology. It highlights how proper lubrication extends valve life, how corrosion can trigger surprise costs, and why seals matter in compressed‑air...
Amaero Reports New Manufacturing Agreement Backed by $7.8M Titanium Powder Order
Amaero Ltd announced a manufacturing agreement that includes a A$7.8 million (≈ $5.1 million USD) purchase order for titanium alloy powders, with quarterly shipments from July 2026 to June 2027. The contract, tied to a private‑equity‑backed advanced‑materials customer, may exceed the minimum commitment as demand...
Tesla Finally Makes Move Fans, and Investors, Have Been Waiting For
Tesla is contacting suppliers to develop a new, smaller electric SUV that will be about 18 inches shorter than the Model Y and priced below its $39,990 base. The vehicle will initially be built at the Shanghai plant, with plans to...
Can Japan Regain Shipbuilding Might with US$6.3 Billion Funding Plan?
Japan announced a plan to inject up to 1 trillion yen (≈US$6.3 billion) into its shipbuilding industry. The funding aims to revive a sector that has slipped behind China in capacity and market share. Officials view shipbuilding as both an economic engine...
Buses Found Using Chinese Chips
Taiwanese bus operators Da Nan Bus and Shin‑Shin Bus discovered that 82 of their 244 electric buses were equipped with Huawei‑affiliated HiSilicon chips, violating a contractual ban on Chinese components. The chips, used in around‑view monitor systems, were allegedly concealed...
Muscat Trailers: Focusing on Progress
Muscat Trailers, a century‑old Australian industrial firm, is launching a new road‑preservation product line aimed at the growing demand for preventive maintenance. The range, developed with long‑time partner Etnyre International, includes the Crack Seal Pro and Pavement Saver Pro machines...
Untitled
Mezzanine Safeti‑Gates, Inc. secured a U.S. registered trademark for its new RobotGate® safety system (registration No. 8,198,482). The trademark marks the company’s second brand, following the earlier Roly® gate, and underscores its focus on protecting workers and automation assets. Executives will...
Shenda Auto Parts Breaks Ground on New Energy Vehicle Project in Suzhou Suxiang Cooperation Zone
Shenda Auto Parts broke ground on a new‑energy‑vehicle (NEV) project in Suzhou’s Suxiang Cooperation Zone, committing roughly 160 million yuan (about $22 million) to a 26,000‑square‑meter complex. The facility will combine offices, R&D labs, and production lines focused on thermal‑management systems and electronic...
From Reactor Designs to Real Projects: SMRs Enter the Execution Era as AI Power Demand Accelerates
The small‑modular reactor (SMR) sector is shifting from design hype to concrete execution, with vendors securing licensing approvals, fuel contracts, supply‑chain partners and financing. In Q1 2026, companies such as X‑energy, GE Hitachi, NuScale, Oklo, Holtec and Rolls‑Royce moved beyond announcements...
ZYT and Lisheng Technology Form Strategic Partnership on Intelligent Driving
ZT Y and Lisheng Technology signed a strategic partnership on April 3, 2026 to co‑develop intelligent driver‑assistance systems. The agreement covers chip adaptation, system integration and large‑scale manufacturing, with joint projects on mainstream automotive‑grade chips and a multi‑chip ecosystem to...
PickNik Releases MoveIt Pro 9 to Improve AI-Driven Robotics in Variable Environments
PickNik launched MoveIt Pro 9, adding AI‑driven scan‑and‑plan capabilities that let industrial robots perceive and adapt to variable environments in real time. The update introduces AI perception filtering, point‑cloud alignment, automated contour extraction, and collision‑aware motion planning. Early adopters such as Autowash,...
Tankers Lift Global Orderbook to 17-Year High
The global shipbuilding orderbook reached 191 million compensated gross tonnes (CGT) at the end of Q1 2026, representing 17% of the world fleet—the highest level since 2011, Bimco reported. New tanker contracting jumped 40% year‑on‑year, with a three‑fold increase in orders and...
Frozen Veg in New Zealand: The Data Behind McCain and Wattie’s Cuts
McCain and Wattie's announced factory closures and job cuts in New Zealand's frozen‑vegetable sector. They cite soaring energy and labour costs and a sharp drop in frozen‑veg demand, with households spending only about $8 USD per year on frozen peas. Despite overall...
Japan's Itochu and Sankyu to Buy Singapore Plant Repair Firm SWTS
Japanese trading house Itochu and logistics group Sankyu announced a joint acquisition of Singapore‑based plant maintenance specialist SWTS. The deal, reported by Nikkei, aims to broaden both firms' service offerings across Asia’s industrial sector. SWTS, which maintains oil refineries and...
Volkswagen Killing U.S. ID.4 and Could Be Readying a New Pickup
Volkswagen will cease production of the ID.4 electric compact SUV at its Chattanooga plant by the end of the month, reallocating the line’s capacity to the upcoming 2027 Atlas SUV. The company says the current ID.4 inventory will sustain North...
Carbon Nanotube Fiber Sensors Achieve Record Measurement Error Below 0.1%
Skoltech researchers, together with Chinese and Iranian collaborators, demonstrated carbon nanotube fiber (CNTF) sensors that achieve a record‑low measurement error of under 0.1%, far surpassing the typical 2% error of commercial sensors. The study, published in iScience, proves CNTFs can...
Strait of Hormuz: How Food and Beverage Companies Can Navigate the Latest Developments
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted key inputs for food and beverage manufacturers, notably polyethylene and aluminum used in packaging, global fertilizer supplies, and freight costs driven by soaring oil prices. These shocks create three primary challenges:...
Target Fuels Next-Day Delivery Expansion with Shipt
Target is expanding its Shipt‑powered next‑day delivery service, called Target Last Mile Delivery Direct, to 20 additional metropolitan areas this spring. By the end of 2026, more than 100 stores across 50 markets will ship orders directly from the retail...
Leveling up Industry 4.0
The March/April 2026 EDN issue spotlights the next wave of Industry 4.0, highlighting event‑based vision, wide‑bandgap power electronics, smart motor‑control ICs, edge AI, and new cybersecurity mandates. Event‑based sensors reduce latency and data load, while SiC and GaN devices boost efficiency...
Logisnext Americas Opens Customer Experience Center at Houston Campus
Logisnext Americas inaugurated a Customer Experience Center at its Houston headquarters, providing a hands‑on venue for customers and dealers to explore the company’s material handling, automation, and fleet solutions. The 10,000‑square‑foot space features equipment test drives, training rooms, and exhibits...
The Struggle to Diversify Rare Earth Supply Chains
Demand for rare earth magnets has doubled since 2015, and the International Energy Agency projects a 30% increase by 2030. China now controls roughly 60% of mined production, over 90% of refining, and 95% of permanent‑magnet output, creating a single‑source...
MODEX 2026: Peak Technologies Introduces Peak Automation Intelligence
Peak Technologies launched Peak Automation Intelligence at MODEX 2026, an AI‑powered platform that delivers real‑time visibility and automated data capture across warehouses, distribution centers and manufacturing operations. Built on machine‑vision, smart optics and mobile computing, the solution tracks every pallet,...
Project44 Unveils Fleet of AI Agents at Customer Event Decision44
Project44 unveiled a suite of AI agents at its Decision44 event, promising to compress the traditional three‑step logistics workflow—truth, decision, action—into seconds. After a decade and $1.5 billion in R&D, the company now leverages a data graph of over 1 billion daily...
Third-Generation Leader Guides Volvo Truck, Plant Evolution
Volvo Trucks North America poured $400 million into a comprehensive overhaul of its New River Valley plant in Dublin, Va., ahead of the launch of the latest VNL long‑haul and VNR regional‑haul models. Serial production of the revamped VNR began in...
MODEX 2026: Linde Material Handling Debuts Connected Fleet Platform, Electric Lift Truck
Linde Material Handling unveiled its myLinde fleet management platform, featuring AI‑powered natural‑language chat, at MODEX 2026, alongside the new E18‑E20 electric counterbalance forklift. myLinde aggregates telematics data into a cloud dashboard covering safety, service, utilization and energy performance, delivering real‑time...
TD Cowen: 26% of Carriers Would Use AI Instead of Freight Brokers
TD Cowen’s first‑quarter carrier survey shows 26% of U.S. trucking firms would replace human freight brokers with AI‑driven load‑booking tools, while another 40% would rely on AI for simpler shipments. The remaining 28% prefer to keep brokers for all loads,...