Manufacturing Weekly Brief: June 17–23, 2025
This week, the manufacturing world continued to navigate evolving trade landscapes and embrace new technologies. We’re seeing a strong focus on cybersecurity, supply chain resilience, and advanced automation. Here’s a quick rundown of the most important developments.
-
Tariff Talk: Toyota & Rivian’s Flexible Playbook
Executives from Toyota and Rivian are stressing the need to stay nimble in a world of fluctuating trade policies. They shared how focusing on core objectives and streamlining internal communication helps them navigate tariffs, which are a real cost burden to the industry. For example, Rivian is still pushing ahead with building delivery vans in the U.S. for European use by Amazon, even with duties, because market demand is strong. This approach shows that in a turbulent global business environment, manufacturers are prioritizing flexibility and adaptability over rigid, long-term plans, indicating a strategic shift towards risk mitigation in supply chain management.
Published: June 23, 2025
Flexibility key in tariff turmoil: Toyota, Rivian execs | Automotive Dive -
CMMC Rollout: Is Your Firm Ready?
For any manufacturing firm working with the U.S. Department of Defense, or planning to, the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) is no longer something to put off. New contracts will require firms to meet specific CMMC levels, often needing third-party assessments. Many companies are taking a “wait and see” approach, but the certification process is lengthy and rigorous, often taking months of preparation, meaning delaying could cost you future contracts. This passive stance presents a significant, unacknowledged risk, as the CMMC is described as a “pass-fail assessment that leaves no room for interpretation”.
Published: June 23, 2025
CMMC Roll Out—Is Your Firm Ready? - Industry Today - Leader in Manufacturing & Industry News -
5 Steps to a Nimble Manufacturing Supply Chain
In today’s unpredictable world, supply chain agility isn’t just a buzzword; it’s essential for manufacturers to stay afloat and grow. A recent article outlined five key steps to achieve this, from adopting a “composable mindset” to leveraging automation, AI, and machine learning. The goal is to move beyond reacting to disruptions and instead plan for them, ensuring faster, smarter decisions and better inventory management. This emphasis on agility, continuous planning, and risk assessment signals a fundamental shift in supply chain management away from static, efficiency-focused models towards dynamic, resilient, and adaptive networks.
Published: June 20, 2025
5 Steps to Supply Chain Agility in Manufacturing - Industry Today - Leader in Manufacturing & Industry News -
How Plant Automation is Changing Human Work
Good news for those worried about robots taking over: it turns out plant automation isn’t necessarily eliminating entire workforces, but rather changing how humans work. In industries like food and beverage, robotics and automation are making tough jobs easier, which is a positive shift. This challenges the common narrative of widespread job displacement by automation, suggesting a more collaborative future where technology augments human capabilities, particularly in physically demanding or repetitive tasks.
Published: June 23, 2025
https://www.industryweek.com/newsletter/685581676acba163c8796043 -
New Autonomous Metrology Suite Speeds Up Quality Control
Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division just launched its Autonomous Metrology Suite, a new software built on their cloud platform, Nexus. This tool is designed to make quality control faster and easier by taking the coding out of CMM workflows, directly addressing the shortage of skilled metrologists. The suite standardizes inspection programs directly from CAD data and provides real-time quality data through a cloud dashboard. This development enables a continuous digital thread for quality data, shifting quality control from a post-production inspection step to an integrated, real-time feedback loop throughout the manufacturing process.
Published: June 18, 2025
https://metrology.news/autonomous-metrology-suite-delivers-manufacturing-quality-at-speed/
Tools & Tips
Always good to keep an eye on new tools that can make our lives easier or our operations smarter. Here are a couple that popped up this week:
-
Humanoid Robot for Industry
Hexagon just introduced AEON, a humanoid robot developed specifically for industrial use. This isn’t just a cool gadget; it’s designed to help with labor shortages and can handle tasks like manipulation, inspection, reality capture, and even supporting human operators. AEON combines Hexagon’s sensor technology with AI and spatial intelligence, promising exceptional agility, versatility, and enhanced safety on the factory floor.
http://robotics.hexagon.com/ -
High-Speed Line Scan Sensor for Inspection
New Imaging Technologies (NIT) released their NSC2301 SWIR InGaAs line scan sensor, designed for demanding industrial inspection applications. This sensor boasts high resolution (2048 x 1) and impressive speed (over 80 kHz line rates), making it perfect for quickly spotting defects in fast-moving production lines, like silicon wafers or hot glass. This continuous improvement in foundational sensor technology is critical for the advancement of smart factories and Industry 4.0.
www.new-imaging-technologies.com
Fun Fact
Did you know manufacturing is a massive driver for the U.S. economy? It really has a significant ripple effect! For every $1.00 spent in manufacturing, there is a total impact of $2.64 to the overall U.S. economy. Additionally, for every one worker in manufacturing, 4.8 workers are added to the overall U.S. economy, including indirect and induced impacts. Furthermore, for every $1.00 earned in direct labor income in the manufacturing sector, $3.92 in labor income is added to the overall U.S. economy. These numbers highlight manufacturing’s foundational and far-reaching role beyond its direct output. The sector’s health is critical for overall economic prosperity and job growth, making it a powerful argument for policies that support domestic manufacturing and underscore its value to the broader economy.
We’d love to hear from you! Have you participated in any Manufacturing events or utilized new Manufacturing tools recently? Share your experiences or insights with us—we’re featuring selected community voices in next week’s edition.