Manufacturing Wire

Hasbro has disclosed a cyberattack that is actively disrupting its order management and shipping operations. The toymaker is still in the assessment phase, working to determine whether proprietary company data was exfiltrated during the breach. The incident adds to a growing list of consumer goods manufacturers facing operational disruption from cyber intrusions.

iAutomation has been authorized as a regional distributor for Festo, covering the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast United States. The agreement expands iAutomation's product portfolio to include Festo's pneumatic and electric automation components. This extends Festo's distribution reach in the eastern U.S. through an established regional automation distributor.

Shippers using FedEx and UPS are facing mounting pressure from fuel surcharges, which can add significant cost to outbound freight budgets. Experts recommend a combination of negotiating volume discounts, reducing dimensional weight penalties, and diversifying carrier relationships to include regional and alternative carriers. The goal is to create structural cost relief rather than absorbing surcharges as a fixed line item.

Roland DGA has introduced the LO-640-F3, a 64-inch UV flatbed printer capable of handling substrates up to 9.5 inches thick across a range of materials including glass, metal, plastic, wood, and leather. The system is designed for wide-format direct-to-substrate printing applications in industrial and commercial environments. UV flatbed technology cures ink on-contact with UV light, eliminating solvent off-gassing and reducing drying time relative to conventional inkjet processes.

Getac has been recognized on CRN's Edge Computing 100 list for its rugged Copilot+ PCs designed to run AI workloads locally without reliance on cloud connectivity. The devices target deployment in defense, utilities, and field service environments where network access is intermittent or unavailable. The recognition highlights growing vendor focus on hardened edge hardware capable of handling inference and AI-assisted tasks at the point of work.

SONOFLOW CO.55 SD V3.0 is a non-contact ultrasonic flowmeter from SONOTEC designed for single-use bioprocessing applications, with particular emphasis on low-flow process development and fill-and-finish operations. The instrument features a touchscreen interface for real-time flow monitoring and on-the-spot parameter adjustment without process interruption. The V3.0 series targets pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturers running disposable fluid path systems where contamination risk from wetted sensors is a concern.

Datakit has released version 2026.2 of its CAD translation and interoperability software, introducing SOLIDWORKS configuration reading, glTF metadata support, and ARM architecture support for the Solid Edge reader. These updates expand the software's ability to handle multi-configuration CAD assemblies and modern 3D web formats. The release targets engineering and manufacturing organizations that rely on cross-platform CAD data exchange across their design and production workflows.

The Trump administration is imposing 100% tariffs on patented pharmaceutical drug imports, with initial implementation targeting several major pharmaceutical companies on July 31 and full-scale rollout beginning in September. The measure is designed to pressure drug manufacturers to shift production to U.S.-based facilities. The scope and timeline suggest significant near-term disruption across pharmaceutical supply chains.

The Trump administration has adjusted tariff rates on steel, aluminum, and copper, maintaining a 50% levy on goods made entirely of those metals while reducing the rate to 25% for certain derivative goods, effective April 6. The policy distinguishes between primary metal products and downstream manufactured components that incorporate these materials. The change affects a broad range of industrial inputs across multiple manufacturing sectors.

Boeing, Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, and Honeywell Aerospace have signed contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense to increase weapons production capacity. The agreements follow a March meeting between major defense contractors and President Trump, with the ramp-up tied to U.S.-Israel military operations against Iran. Specific contract values and production targets have not been fully disclosed.

The Chemical Engineering Plant Cost Index (CEPCI) annual average for 2025 has risen above the 2024 figure, driven by sustained inflationary pressures. The CEPCI is a widely used benchmark for estimating capital costs of chemical process plants and industrial facilities. The full data remains behind a paywall, but the headline confirms continued upward cost pressure on industrial capital projects.

Williams-Sonoma has explicitly excluded any potential tariff refunds or rollbacks from its 2026 financial projections, according to executives speaking on a recent earnings call. The home goods retailer is treating current tariff levels as a fixed cost variable rather than a temporary condition. This signals the company is building its sourcing, pricing, and operational strategies around the assumption that elevated duties will persist.

Norea Capital has announced an equity stake in Global Tardif, a Quebec City-area manufacturer specializing in standard and custom-designed elevator production. The investment represents a private capital infusion into a niche vertical transportation manufacturer operating in the Canadian market. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Canada's manufacturing sector has shed 51,800 jobs over the past 12 months, leading all industries in employment losses. The decline is attributed to a combination of U.S. tariffs targeting steel, aluminum, and automotive products, along with broader population and labour market shifts. The overall Canadian labour market is characterized as static, with manufacturing bearing a disproportionate share of the contraction.

Unifor, Canada's largest private-sector union, has raised serious concerns over Stellantis' reported plans to convert the idled Brampton Assembly Plant into a knock-down kit (CKD/SKD) assembly operation, potentially in partnership with a third party first identified by Bloomberg. The Brampton plant, which previously built Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, and Dodge Challenger vehicles, has been idle since production ended in late 2024. A knock-down kit model would involve assembling vehicles from pre-manufactured component sets rather than full in-house manufacturing.

SEMI is projecting growth in global 300mm fab equipment spending for 2026 and 2027, with investment expected to remain geographically distributed across major semiconductor manufacturing regions through 2029. The 300mm wafer format represents the current standard for high-volume logic and memory chip production, making fab equipment spending in this segment a direct indicator of capacity expansion plans across the industry.

Intel is repurchasing Apollo Global Management's 49% equity stake in its Fab 34 semiconductor facility in Leixlip, Ireland for $14.2 billion. The transaction reverses a sale-leaseback-style joint venture Intel entered roughly two years ago when the company needed liquidity to fund its aggressive capital expansion program. Regaining full ownership consolidates Intel's control over one of Europe's most advanced chip manufacturing sites, which produces Intel 4 process node wafers.

IBM and Arm are collaborating on enterprise AI hardware targeting dual-architecture systems, software virtualization, and data-intensive mission-critical workloads. The partnership combines IBM's enterprise compute infrastructure with Arm's processor architecture, aiming to expand AI deployment options for large-scale industrial and enterprise environments. The collaboration addresses growing demand for flexible, high-throughput AI inference and processing at the infrastructure level.

NH3 Clean Energy Ltd. has contracted Linde Engineering to perform Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) for the WAH2 clean ammonia production project in Western Australia. The engagement also includes evaluation of downstream execution models — EPC, Build-Own-Operate, or Operations and Maintenance — giving Linde a potential pathway to deeper project involvement. Clean ammonia produced via green hydrogen electrolysis is positioned as both an exportable energy carrier and a decarbonized feedstock for industrial processes.

Diesel prices nationally are showing signs of stabilization, but California's on-highway diesel costs surged approximately 35 cents week-over-week to roughly $7.22 per gallon. The divergence between California and the broader national average creates an uneven cost landscape for manufacturers operating in or shipping through the state. This spike compounds already elevated operating costs for facilities dependent on diesel-powered freight and material handling equipment.