GlobalFoundries Sues Tower Semiconductor for Patent Infringement
GlobalFoundries filed two patent infringement lawsuits against Israel‑based Tower Semiconductor, alleging violation of 11 patents covering analog, radio‑frequency and silicon‑photonics manufacturing processes. The complaints were lodged with the U.S. International Trade Commission and the Western District of Texas, seeking injunctions on Tower’s imports and sales in the United States. GlobalFoundries, which holds over 8,000 patents and reported fourth‑quarter revenue of $1.83 billion, says Tower’s products for mobile, automotive and aerospace markets infringe its technology, while Tower, with $440 million revenue, denies the claims.
Hyundai Translead, Siemens, Fanuc and Others Announce US Expansions
A wave of capital commitments is reshaping U.S. manufacturing as AeroVironment, Fanuc America, Hyundai Translead, Siemens and TerraPower announce multi‑hundred‑million‑dollar expansions. AeroVironment will pour over $30 million into three Albuquerque sites, while Fanuc earmarks $90 million for a 840,000‑sq‑ft robot facility in...
China Opens Probes Into US Trading Practices
China’s Ministry of Commerce announced two investigations into U.S. trade practices, focusing on alleged disruptions to global supply chains and restrictions on green product trade. The probes respond to recent U.S. Section 301 investigations targeting Chinese overcapacity and forced‑labor rules. Over...
Smart Manufacturing Has an AI Problem — Just Not the One You Think
Manufacturers have rapidly embraced AI, with generative‑AI usage climbing from roughly 10% to over 60% of plants in just two years. While AI now predicts failures, optimizes schedules and forecasts demand, the real hurdle is that these models often operate...
BlueOval SK Delays Layoffs at Kentucky Battery Plant
Ford and SK On are winding down their $11.4 billion BlueOval SK battery joint venture, prompting a delay in the planned layoffs at the Glendale, Kentucky plant. The initial cut of roughly 1,500 workers, slated for mid‑February, has been pushed back, with...
Toyota Suppliers Seek Relief From USMCA Review
Toyota is mobilizing its extensive U.S. supplier network ahead of the federal review of the United States‑Mexico‑Canada Agreement set to start July 1. The automaker warns that current tariff structures, including a potential 25% levy on auto parts, are straining more...
Niron Magnetics Begins Site Selection for $1.8B Magnetics Plant
Niron Magnetics has launched a formal site‑selection process for a new high‑volume iron‑nitride magnet plant in the United States. The proposed $1.8 billion facility would cover 1.6 million sq ft, create more than 700 jobs and produce up to 10,000 tons of permanent magnets per...
Energy Department Offers $500M to Scale Critical Minerals Production
The U.S. Department of Energy announced up to $500 million in grants to expand domestic production of critical minerals for advanced batteries, marking its third funding round since 2022. The Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation will fund up to...
Senate Divided on How to Fix TSCA
The Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee released a draft reform bill, the Toxic Substances Control Act Fee Reauthorization and Improvement Act of 2026, aiming to streamline the EPA’s new‑chemical review process. Chemical manufacturers argue that the current EPA timeline...
Applied Materials and SK Hynix Forge R&D Partnership in Silicon Valley
Applied Materials announced a long‑term R&D partnership with SK Hynix at its upcoming $5 billion EPIC Center in Silicon Valley. The collaboration will focus on memory‑chip performance, new materials, process integration and advanced packaging to meet AI‑driven demand. EPIC, already hosting Samsung...
Building Manufacturing Capacity when the Grid Can’t Keep Up
Data centers powered by AI are set to consume over 1 GW each by 2035, rivaling city‑scale loads and crowding the electric grid. This surge forces manufacturers into direct competition for limited capacity, stretching utility connection timelines to 1.5–2 years and turning...
How Manufacturing Data Intelligence Enables Upstream Teams to Ride the Industry 4.0 Wave
Manufacturers are finally turning attention to upstream functions—knowledge management, procurement and data reuse—by applying AI‑driven data intelligence. While 80% of executives earmark 20% of improvement budgets for smart manufacturing, most legacy ERP/PLM systems remain siloed, forcing engineers to spend a...
Oshkosh Defense, Marine Corps Establish Advanced, Digital Manufacturing Partnership
Oshkosh Defense has signed a public‑private agreement with the U.S. Marine Corps’ Marine Depot Maintenance Command to enable advanced, digital manufacturing of vehicle parts. The deal creates a digital manufacturing exchange (DMX) where technical data is transmitted and additively manufactured...
5 Ways to Protect Manufacturing From Cyberattacks
Manufacturers remained the most targeted sector in 2025, according to IBM X‑Force, driven by high‑value intellectual property and legacy systems that are hard to patch. Experts warn that many firms treat operational technology separately from cybersecurity, lack robust identity controls,...
CSL Breaks Ground on $1.5B Illinois Immunoglobulin Plant Expansion
CSL‑Behring broke ground on a $1.5 billion expansion of its Kankakee, Illinois manufacturing complex, slated to be operational by 2031. The project will add at least 300 pharmaceutical positions and roughly 800 construction jobs, with the state offering more than $200 million...
As Trump Tariff Refund Process Takes Shape, Importers Remain Uncertain
U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced it will create a refund process for Trump‑era tariffs invalidated by the Supreme Court, aiming to launch within 45 days. The agency has not yet detailed how importers will file refunds in the Automated...
Automation in Manufacturing Will More than Double by 2030: PwC
PwC’s latest outlook finds manufacturers will more than double automation, AI and advanced‑technology use by 2030, with the median adoption rate climbing from 26% to 68% of operations. Adoption in production and product design is already high, while business support...
The Forces Rewiring Modern Manufacturing
Manufacturing is undergoing a digital overhaul where connectivity, data and automation dictate factory efficiency, product consistency, and uptime. Unplanned downtime now averages $260,000 per hour, contributing to roughly $1.5 trillion in global losses each year. Tata Communications frames the CIO agenda...
