US manufacturing activity expanded for a third consecutive month in March, with the Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing PMI measuring 52.7, up slightly from 52.4 in February. New orders dropped from 55.8 to 53.5, while production rose 1.6 points to 55.1. Supplier deliveries increased 3.8 points to 58.9, and employment contracted 0.1 points to 48.7. Institute for Supply Management
As the medical device industry heads into 2026, it finds itself at a pivotal moment shaped by rapid technological change, regulatory scrutiny, and ongoing economic uncertainty. Innovation remains the industry’s defining trait, but the path from concept to commercialization is becoming more complex and, in many cases, more fragile. Artificial intelligence is now embedded in everything from diagnostics and imaging to remote monitoring and surgical tools. While AI promises transformative capabilities, it also introduces new layers of risk and ambiguity during development. Questions around data quality, algorithm transparency, bias, and ongoing performance monitoring are increasingly difficult to separate from core product design, raising the stakes for manufacturers long before a device ever reaches the market. Medical device manufacturing and reshoring efforts | Medical Economics
They run on light and are the world’s smallest, fully programmable, autonomous devices. Now researchers at Penn and the University of Michigan have created the world’s smallest, fully programmable, autonomous robots, packing significant capacities into a device smaller than a grain of salt. These are parsimonious little things, barely visible to the naked eye yet able to sense their environment, respond to it and move around in complex patterns. As described in a new paper in the journal Science Robotics, they run on infinitesimally small quantities of energy and gain power from light. Tiny robots do have potential medical functions and a second area of potential use could be in manufacturing tiny devices such as computer chips with intricate circuitry. Scientists Create Robots Smaller Than a Grain of Sand – WSJ
For years, manufacturers have been told the future of Industry 4.0 lives in the cloud. Cloud-first AI may be powerful, but for many manufacturers, it’s too disruptive, too risky, or simply incompatible with day-to-day requirements on the shop floor. As we head into 2026, we’re seeing an inflection point. Manufacturers are embracing a new model of AI: lightweight, on-premise agents that integrate directly with existing systems rather than replacing them. These systems don’t require a rip-and-replace strategy or a costly cloud migration. Instead, they work with what’s already there. It’s a more grounded, incremental approach that aligns with how factories actually operate and how leaders actually make decisions. This shift is happening for three reasons at: The Next Wave of Industry 4.0 | Quality Digest
Tariff implications and geopolitical tensions impact global supply chains, forcing manufacturers to think about how they manage inventory and minimize the effects of inflation. To address these conditions, manufacturers are turning to innovations, including mobile robots, that can offer more predictability for warehouse operations. Robots can work continuously to keep the flow of goods moving. With the ability to move hundreds of cases an hour, they can ensure that daily goals are met even as order-fulfillment demands increase. Automating this inbound process can alleviate several challenges for manufacturers. Mobile Robots Future-Proofing Supply Chains | advancedmanufacturing.org
In 2026, focus is shifting from excitement over what AI can do in manufacturing to a more mature, considered understanding of what human-machine collaboration should look like in practice. Industries that gained first-mover advantage by adopting cognitive, connected processes are developing a deeper awareness of the challenges, complexities and cultural changes created by Industry 4.0. So here are what I believe will be the key trends driving the next phase of the industrial revolution as we head into 2026. 6 Defining Manufacturing Trends Of 2026
We’re talking about Manufacturing Day, described on the organizer’s website as a “national grassroots movement that demonstrates the reality and future of modern manufacturing careers.” And while manufacturing may no longer lead the nation in total employment as it did in Henry Ford’s time, it remains one of the most productive and strategically vital sectors of the U.S. economy—contributing nearly $3 trillion to GDP, employing more than 13 million Americans, and keeping the country secure, supplied and strong. That’s why hundreds of high schools, vocational-technical colleges, Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) centers, and—perhaps most importantly—machine shops, sheet metal fabricators, plastic injection molders and other members of this proud industry open their doors on the first Friday of October each year to students, parents and educators for MFG Day, a celebration of modern manufacturing and the people who make it possible. Manufacturing Day: Inspiring the Next Generation of Makers | Manufacturing Week | advancedmanufacturing.org
Traditional audits still have merit, but often they miss live inefficiencies. Artificial Intelligence tools reduce human error and generate immediate insights that could mean measurable savings. Automation is not new to manufacturing but the scope of the technology is leading to novel applications as industry leaders rethink energy management. Traditional audits still have merit, but often they miss the live inefficiencies that persist in production systems. Artificial Intelligence tools reduce human error and generate immediate insights that could result in measurable savings for those systems. Can AI Help Conduct an Energy Audit and Find Savings Opportunities? | Enterprise Data | American Machinist
President Trump’s team is weighing a plan to spur the construction of factories and other infrastructure in a bid to jump-start the American manufacturing sector, according to documents and people familiar with the discussions. Under the plan, the administration would use money from a $550 billion investment fund established as part of trade negotiations with Japan to invest in the development of semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, critical minerals, energy, ships and quantum computing. Some of the projects would be granted preferential treatment from the government, including expedited regulatory review. The administration is considering granting leases to companies that would give them access to federal land and water. Trump’s Team Explores Government-Backed Manufacturing Boost – WSJ
ABB announced today that it will invest a further $110 million in the United States in 2025 to expand the R&D and manufacturing of its advanced electrification solutions as customers focus on improving energy efficiency and uptime while reducing their energy costs and will create nearly 200 new jobs . ABB will invest $15 million to create a new production line for Emax 3 in its Senatobia, Mississippi site. A $30 million project will double the footprint of ABB’s Richmond, Virginia facility adding a new test center, warehouse and new assembly lines. In Arecibo, Puerto Rico, an investment of more than $30 million will increase the size of the facility to accommodate three new production lines. A $35 million investment will increase the capacity of ABB’s manufacturing facility in Pinetops, North Carolina. From 2022-2024, ABB invested around $500 million in its US business. ABB has a presence in all 50 states. Today, approximately 75-80% of the revenues ABB generates in the US are from products manufactured in the US. ABB to Invest $110M in US Manufacturing – tEDmag
The Statue of Liberty was made with copper but due to oxidation, it turned green.
When the “Lady in the Harbor” first arrived in New York in 1886, she didn’t look like the mint-green icon we know today. In fact, for the first twenty years of her life, she stood as a towering, metallic beacon of reddish-gold. Designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and engineered by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, the statue was a gift from France to America. To build her, Bartholdi chose copper for three practical reasons:
When she was unveiled on October 28, 1886, her skin—made of 300 copper sheets roughly the thickness of two pennies—shone with a bright, metallic brown luster. The transformation from “penny-colored” to “patina-green” wasn’t planned. Bartholdi actually expected the statue to age into a deeper, darker red. However, the unique environment of New York Harbor—a mix of salt air, moisture, and industrial pollution—triggered a process called oxidation.
The Timeline of Change:
While we now view the green color as iconic, it actually serves a vital structural purpose. The layer of verdigris (the green patina) acts as a protective shield. It seals the copper underneath, preventing the metal from further corrosion and weathering. By the time the color fully changed, a new generation of immigrants had arrived in America seeing a green statue.
