MCLEAN, VA—Last week the The Association for Manufacturing Technology announced that machine tool orders jumped 14 percent in November 2021, the latest month for which data is available.

ATLANTA and TEMPE, AZ—Market researchers at Deloitte Consulting LLP and the Institute for Supply Management recently disclosed their positive outlooks for manufacturing in 2022.

WESTMINSTER, CO—Ball Aerospace will soon complete work on an expansion to its Aerospace Manufacturing Center here, adding around 122,000 square feet to increase the building size to more than 490,000 square feet.

SCHAFFHAUSEN, Switzerland—TE Connectivity has acquired the force-guided narrow safety relay from the Phoenix Contact Group as part of a long-term partnership agreement.

FLINTSHIRE, Wales—Airbus recently completed the first full-size prototype for the company's 'Wing of Tomorrow' research program, which is being undertaken at its Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre here.

DERWOOD, MD—Xometry, which operates an on-demand industrial parts marketplace, has acquired Thomas, a product sourcing and ecommerce platform, for $300 million.

WASHINGTON—The latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business from the Institute for Supply Management indicates the U.S. manufacturing sector grew slightly in November, while the overall economy expanded for an 18th consecutive month.

CAMPBELL, CA—High-performance-rocket manufacturer Launcher recently purchased a Sapphire Velo3D 3D metal printer to specifically print engine turbopump parts in titanium, including fuel pumps, flight turbine housings and orbiter pressure vessels.

ALEXANDRIA, VA—FANUC America and the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council have decided to co-market the stackability of their respective industry-recognized certifications to meet the acute shortage of skilled industrial robotics and automation operators.

FRANKFURT, Germany—The market for professional service robots reached a turnover of $6.7 billion worldwide, a 12 percent increase from 2020, according to the "World Robotics 2021–Service Robots" report by the International Federation of Robotics.