Manufacturing Dive

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. OSHA has updated and extended its National Emphasis Program on heat hazards for workplaces in the U.S., according to an April 10 news release. The previous NEP, originally issued in April 2022 and extended in 2025, officially expired April 8. But on April 10, OSHA issued an updated NEP that is now slated to run through 2031.

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. China is outspending the United States in the race to develop cutting-edge chips needed for artificial intelligence and other key technologies, industry representatives said at a hearing of the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade. To compete, the U.S. must build more domestic capacity in all phases of the semiconductor supply chain, they said.

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. A former packaging segment leader will take over the top spot at Dow upon the exit of Chair and CEO Jim Fitterling. Chief Operating Officer Karen Carter will assume the CEO role on July 1, and Fitterling will become executive chair of the board at that time. Carter will also become a board member. Karen Carter, chief operating officer at Dow Courtesy of Dow Carter has more than 30 years of experience at Dow.

Manufacturers are moving faster than ever: launching new product lines, expanding into e-commerce and investing in automation and AI-driven tools. Growth is on the table. But as complexity rises, many companies run into the same problem: The systems and processes at the center of their operations can’t keep up. With so much at stake, manufacturers are rethinking how they approach these crucial systems.

Artificial intelligence is quickly moving from pilot projects to core operations in manufacturing. As companies face ongoing supply chain disruption, labor shortages, and margin pressure, AI is emerging as a practical way to improve productivity, efficiency and decision-making at scale. What is changing now is not just the ability to analyze data. It is the growing ability to act on it.

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Although President Donald Trump’s initial budget proposal would slash the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s discretionary budget authority by 52% to $4.2 billion, it seeks additional funding for permitting reform, a long-time priority for manufacturers.

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. President Donald Trump’s initial budget proposal for fiscal year 2027 eliminates funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, which supports small and medium-sized U.S. manufacturers looking to grow or improve their operations.

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Agentic AI and robotics are among the most transformative opportunities for efficiency gains in modern manufacturing. But as automation scales, it raises a question that may not be top of mind for manufacturers: What are the energy costs?

For decades, condition monitoring has forced trade-offs: vibration or ultrasound, online or offline, continuous or periodic data. Over time, those trade-offs start to feel normal, even inevitable. Entire maintenance strategies have been built around the idea that you have to pick a signal, pick a tool and accept the blind spots that come with it.

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Although frontline manufacturing leaders are vital for successfully adopting artificial intelligence, many employees say their leaders are not ready to lead AI-driven change, according to a new survey by consulting firm PwC and the Manufacturing Institute. It also found that excluding frontline leaders from design and rollout can cause AI initiatives to fail.