The global demand for 3D printed components is on the rise because of reduced weight; since geometry-oriented structures and lattice structures can be employed in the space industry to reduce weight, there is a decreased environmental effect and increased return on investment.

SPARKS, NV—Panasonic is expected to noticeably increase lithium-ion battery cell production for Tesla at the Gigafactory 1 site in Nevada, which is jointly operated with Tesla.

FLINT, MI—General Motors plans to invest more than $1 billion to re-tool two manufacturing sites in Flint, Michigan, to prepare for a new generation of its internal combustion engine heavy-duty (HD) trucks.

KARIYA, Japan—Denso Corp. has launched a pilot program to test a new energy management system at its assembly plant in Nishio, Japan, as part of efforts to eliminate CO₂ emissions from the facility.

ETOWAH, TN—Piedmont Lithium is building a $600 million factory here that is scheduled to start production in 2026 and could produce enough lithium hydroxide to make 600,000 batteries annually.

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX—Tesla has begun construction of a $1 billion factory here to produce lithium hydroxide for electric vehicle batteries. 

REGENSBURG, Germany—BMW’s assembly plant here has become the first automotive factory in the world to use an end-to-end digitalized and automated process for inspection, processing and marking of painted vehicle surfaces in standard production. 

PLANO, TX—Siemens Digital Industries Software and Daimler Truck AG are collaborating to implement a state-of-the-art digital engineering platform built using the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio of software and services. The new platform will enable Daimler Truck to explore a future of commercial vehicle innovation and the efficient product development and life cycle management of trucks and buses and will be rolled out globally across Daimler Trucks’ engineering hubs, brands and business segments.

MUNICH—Siemens and Microsoft are harnessing the collaborative power of generative artificial intelligence (AI) to help manufacturers drive innovation and efficiency across the design, engineering, manufacturing and operational life cycle of products. 

BENTON HARBOR, MI—As part of a commitment to sustainable operations, Whirlpool Corp. has achieved zero waste to landfill status at the gold or platinum level at all of its large manufacturing sites worldwide.