MOBILE, AL—Continental Motors Group Ltd. has broken ground on a nearly 275,000-square-foot engine and parts manufacturing facility at the Brookley Aeroplex here. The factory will include new equipment and an area dedicated to new manufacturing techniques and processes such as additive manufacturing and automation.

ANDOVER, MD—Defense contractor Raytheon Co. on Monday launched a new manufacturing facility here that's meant to support the production of cutting-edge radar technology for the U.S. Navy. With 50-foot-high ceilings and a 40-ton bridge crane built into the roof, the building is specially designed for the testing and assembly of the SPY-6 line of radar arrays.

RIDLEY PARK, PA—Boeing announced last week that it’s manufacturing facility here will take on a $4.2 billion contract to build 58 variants of V-22 Ospreys for the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and government of Japan over the next 6 years.

DECATUR, AL—Production is expected to start later this year at the new GE Aviation facility in Limestone County, according to a company spokesman. The factory will be the only U.S. location to mass produce silicon carbide  materials.

Increasing demand for smart devices and embedded intelligence is driving manufacturers in a variety of industries to invest in new production tools and technologies. Additive manufacturing, advanced sensors, augmented reality, cloud-based computing, collaborative robots and digital twins are just a few of the many trends transforming factory floors today.