Congress Has Months to Get on the Same Page About TSCA, Experts Say
Congress must act before Sept. 30 to reauthorize the TSCA service‑fee fund and decide on sweeping reforms to the 2016 Lautenberg chemical‑safety amendment. Chemical trade groups argue EPA’s new‑substance reviews are dragging beyond the statutory 90‑day window and that funding cuts are eroding the agency’s capacity. The House draft would eliminate citizen petitions and tighten definitions, while the Senate version proposes tiered reviews to accelerate approvals for critical chemicals. Both proposals face partisan resistance, leaving manufacturers scrambling for clarity.
How Manufacturers Are Testing Physical AI Before Making Big Investments
Manufacturers are turning to dedicated AI testing labs—such as TCS’s Gemini Experience Centers, Microsoft’s AI Co‑Innovation Lab, and Deloitte’s Smart Factory—to evaluate physical AI before committing to costly deployments. These sites let firms experiment with robots, sensors and data‑ops platforms...
From AI Insights to AI Action: What’s Changing in Manufacturing
Artificial intelligence is transitioning from pilot projects to core manufacturing operations as firms grapple with supply‑chain disruptions, labor shortages, and margin pressure. AI now not only analyzes data but also takes action, automating workflows and adjusting production in real time....
Why Growing Manufacturers Are Rethinking the Systems Behind Their Operations
Manufacturers are accelerating product launches, e‑commerce expansion, and AI adoption, but legacy spreadsheets and siloed tools are fragmenting data and slowing fulfillment. Modern cloud‑based ERP systems consolidate orders, production, and shipping into a single source of truth, delivering real‑time visibility...
Agile Robots to Tap Into New Sectors with Latest Acquisition
Agile Robots has completed the acquisition of Thyssenkrupp Automation Engineering assets, rebranding the unit as Krause Automation. The deal adds roughly 650 staff and opens doors to consumer electronics, medical technology, and logistics markets. Agile Robots, which generated about €200 million...
Trump Slashes EPA Budget but Requests More for Environmental Permitting Reform
President Trump’s FY2027 budget slashes the EPA’s discretionary budget by 52%, lowering it to $4.2 billion, but earmarks new money for permitting reforms. The plan adds $14 million for the NEPAssist web‑based permitting tool and $33.6 million for the NEPA Implementation Program, a...
Over 1,300 Winchester Workers Strike at Olin Plant in Missouri
On April 4, about 1,350 International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers members at Olin’s Winchester ammunition plant in Independence, Missouri, walked off the job after rejecting the company’s contract proposal. The union says the offer fell short on wages, mandatory...
Virginia Governor Signs 4 Laws Establishing Manufacturing Grant Programs
Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger signed four bills establishing manufacturing grant funds that together allocate up to $448 million toward new projects. The grants support Avio USA’s solid‑rocket motor plant, Hitachi Energy’s transformer facility, Eli Lilly’s active‑pharmaceutical‑ingredient site, and AstraZeneca’s drug‑manufacturing complex. Combined,...
Trump Again Proposes Eliminating Manufacturing Extension Partnership
President Donald Trump’s FY 2027 budget proposal seeks to eliminate the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), a NIST‑run program that aids small and medium‑sized manufacturers. The cut is part of a broader $993 million reduction to NIST, which would also scrap its Circular...
Uncertainty Reigns for Manufacturers Seeking Tariff Refunds
More than a month after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down most of the Trump administration’s IEEPA tariffs, manufacturers are scrambling to recover the duties they paid. Only a handful of the roughly 300,000 affected firms have sued in the...
Why Choosing Between Ultrasound and Vibration Is Costing Manufacturers Downtime
Manufacturers still treat ultrasound and vibration monitoring as separate, siloed systems, leading to missed early warnings and costly downtime. SKF research shows up to 80 % of bearing failures stem from lubrication issues that ultrasound can detect weeks before vibration alarms...
Manufacturing Employment Bounces Back in March, Adding 15K Jobs
U.S. manufacturing employment rebounded in March, adding 15,000 jobs—a 400% year‑over‑year increase after earlier losses. The transportation equipment and fabricated metal products sectors drove most of the gains, while the chemical industry posted the largest decline. Unemployment in manufacturing rose...
ACMI, John Hopkins University Collaborate to Build Manufacturing Workforce in US
The American Center for Manufacturing and Innovation (ACMI) has teamed up with Johns Hopkins University’s Whiting School of Engineering to create safety‑focused training and career pathways in energetics and advanced manufacturing. The collaboration will initially target ACMI’s National Security Industrial...
Eaton to Establish Data Center-Focused Segment
Eaton announced a new global data‑center segment, appointing Angie McMillin as president, to unify its scattered data‑center teams. Sales in the Electrical Americas unit rose 16.1% to about $13.3 billion in 2025, driven by data‑center momentum. The move follows a $9.5 billion...
A Year Into Tariffs, US Businesses See Declining Sales, Plan Price Increases: KPMG Survey
A year after the Trump administration’s tariff wave, KPMG’s February 2026 survey shows U.S. firms facing shrinking margins, higher operational costs and a growing tendency to shift tariff burdens onto customers. Thirty‑four percent of companies now pass more than half of...
