Archive / Production
Production
Yield, takt, changeover. The work that happens on the line — and the science behind it.
October 2026
News · Production
UK manufacturing output rose 1.2% in August as pharmaceutical production jumped 5.1%
Pharmaceuticals supplied more than half of the month's manufacturing growth. Also in this roundup: £40m for robotics adoption hubs, Schaeffler's job cuts running a year early, and new defence and chip-equipment capacity in Poland, Spain, Georgia and North Carolina.
The Industrial Brief · 17 Oct 2026 · 7 min
News · Production
Japan will put up to $21bn into two GlobalFoundries chip fabs in New York
The first 300mm fab at Malta is due online in 2029 on about $10bn of Japanese money. A second fab of similar size would need a further $10bn. The US Commerce Department also takes about 4% of GlobalFoundries.
The Industrial Brief · 16 Oct 2026 · 4 min
News · Production
Lockheed Martin puts $300m into its Texas missile parts plant
The Grand Prairie site that machines parts for PAC-3 MSE, THAAD and PrSM will grow past 735,000 sq ft, with a 24-machine Hadrian cell due to run inside the plant from early 2027 under a seven-year deal.
The Industrial Brief · 15 Oct 2026 · 4 min
News · Production
GE Aerospace will expand its Prestwick engine overhaul site, with £27m of public money alongside its own £30m
A new 55,000 sq ft building at the South Ayrshire shop that overhauls GEnx engines is due to be fully running in the first quarter of 2028. GE plans to hire about 150 people there over five years.
The Industrial Brief · 13 Oct 2026 · 5 min
News · Production
GSK and UCB back new US biologics sites as Britain opens its factory electricity relief window
GSK and UCB marked big American manufacturing bets on Friday. Renishaw finished Hall 3 in Wales. In Paris, Stellantis showed low-cost EV concepts and Volkswagen pressed policymakers on European rules.
The Industrial Brief · 12 Oct 2026 · 8 min
News · Production
Renault will put more than €10bn into France over the next five years
François Provost told France Inter on Saturday that the money depends on France's social and political climate. It is less than the €13bn spent over the past five years, while French output is due to rise by at least a quarter this year.
The Industrial Brief · 5 Oct 2026 · 6 min
Now · Production
Breyden will close its Ueckermünde brake-casting foundry at the end of the year
About 320 jobs, including temporary and agency staff, go at the iron foundry in north-east Germany, which makes castings for car brakes. Staff were told on Friday.
The Industrial Brief · 3 Oct 2026 · 1 min
News · Production
Syngenta has put 377 Grangemouth jobs into consultation
The crop-chemical plant is proposed for closure because it costs more to run than the company’s other sites. A final decision has not been taken. Scottish Enterprise gave the site £2.2 million last year to expand.
The Industrial Brief · 2 Oct 2026 · 5 min
News · Production
Rolls-Royce is putting £300 million into five British factories
Derby takes the largest share, for the civil engines, with the work due in 2028. Bristol’s military site is next. The company has not said how many jobs the money adds.
The Industrial Brief · 2 Oct 2026 · 4 min
September 2026
News · Production
Britain’s chip lab has taken on a wider job
The Newport, Bristol and Glasgow centre is now the Semiconductor Catapult. It will help firms test and package chips for AI hardware and defence. It did not open a factory, and it did not announce any new money.
The Industrial Brief · 30 Sept 2026 · 6 min
Now · Production
Honda close to a new hybrid plant in Ohio, Nikkei says
The paper puts the figure at ¥300–400 billion and the start of production at 2030. Honda has not confirmed the plant. Reuters carried the report on Thursday.
The Industrial Brief · 25 Sept 2026 · 2 min
Now · Production
Stellantis stops the Fiat 500 line at Mirafiori for ten days
From 19 to 30 October the electric and hybrid 500 line in the Turin body shop goes onto wage support. The unions put the number at 1,074. The company says output has doubled on last year.
The Industrial Brief · 23 Sept 2026 · 3 min
Now · Production
Mercedes warns two German plants could close
Michael Schiebe told a Sindelfingen works meeting that one German assembly plant and one powertrain plant would shut if costs are not brought down. Mercedes named neither site. The works council said it will fight the threat.
The Industrial Brief · 22 Sept 2026 · 3 min
News · Production
Volkswagen’s Osnabrück plant to build air defence instead of sports cars
Volkswagen’s fading plant has a deal to switch to military work. It may save 1,200 jobs. It will not replace the 100,000 VW plans to cut.
The Industrial Brief · 22 Sept 2026 · 4 min
In depth · Production
High-NA is waiting on a bigger photomask
TSMC, Samsung, Intel and ASML have agreed the industry must leave the 6-inch photomask. High-NA already throws away a third of a shift on stitching. 2031 is closer than it looks.
The Industrial Brief · 21 Sept 2026 · 8 min
News · Production
TSMC gets the land for what comes after A14
Taiwan has approved the third phase of Longtan in the Hsinchu Science Park. Three plants, first production in 2030, beyond 1.4 nanometres — in a park that already runs hot.
The Industrial Brief · 21 Sept 2026 · 4 min
News · Production
McLaren will spend £500 million, and build the engines itself
A new assembly plant, more carbon fibre in Sheffield, and the first engines McLaren has made in-house. One thousand jobs by 2032 is the company’s figure. The three thousand supply-chain jobs are the government’s.
The Industrial Brief · 17 Sept 2026 · 4 min
News · Production
US manufacturing expands for a fifth month
Industrial production has a pulse again. The interesting question is whether this is a cycle or the first print of a structural reshoring.
The Industrial Brief · 17 Sept 2026 · 4 min
News · Production
Nissan to build the Kicks at Sunderland, with no extra jobs
Nissan will spend £170 million so the Kicks hybrid can be built in Sunderland. The plant employs about 6,000 people, is running at about half capacity, and the company said the plan creates no jobs. There is no start date.
The Industrial Brief · 16 Sept 2026 · 4 min
News · Production
Siemens and Battery-NY try to industrialize the cell pilot line
A Binghamton-led battery initiative is building a standard automation stack so a research cell can become a production cell without a three-year rewrite.
The Industrial Brief · 16 Sept 2026 · 4 min
News · Production
TSMC’s 2nm ramp is now a capacity question
TSMC is scaling 2-nanometre production as AI demand pulls foundry capital spending up for the first time since 2022 — while consumer silicon stays soft.
The Industrial Brief · 12 Sept 2026 · 4 min
News · Production
Eurozone factories record their fastest month in four years
Germany climbed the global PMI table in August. For a Werkleiter the question is not the print. It is whether megawatts and skilled nights can absorb the orders.
The Industrial Brief · 1 Sept 2026 · 4 min
News · Production
Japanese factories report the strongest orders since 2018
The PMI hit 54.9 in August. Semiconductor and AI-related demand is filling lines. The constraint is whether the rest of the plant can keep up without starving other customers.
The Industrial Brief · 1 Sept 2026 · 4 min