LUDLOW, MA—Meredith-Springfield Associates Inc., a plastics manufacturer specializing in blow-molded bottles, recently broke ground to add 5,000 square feet of light manufacturing space to its plant here.

WESTBROOK, ME—Systems integrator Lanco Integrated has named Bob Kuniega as its new CEO. Kuniega takes over for Ed Karabec, who led the company from September 1989 until he retired in August 2021.

At the Hannover Messe virtual trade show in April, Festo showcased a modular assembly system for EV battery modules and battery packs.

LOUISVILLE, KY—GE Appliances, a Haier company, has graduated the first engineer from its new Industry 4.0 Development Program, which targets recent engineering college graduates or midcareer employees who want to work at the company’s nine smart factories in the U.S.

WASHINGTON—President Biden has proposed a rule that would change the way the federal government assesses products made in America.

DETROIT—Lear Corp. plans to invest $48 million to build a new automotive seat assembly operation here that could create hundreds of new manufacturing jobs.

BUCKEYE, AZ—Kore Power Inc. is building a $500 million assembly plant here to produce lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicle charging stations, microgrids, utilities and other applications.

Short-cycle applications have a wide range of requirements. Manufacturing engineers must consider numerous aspects of transfer systems: Can the system move forwards and back again? How flexible is it? What sizes and weights can be transported? Can it be expanded if necessary?

The components in the pneumatic systems of production lines are subject to wear that can lead to leakage. When leaks go undetected, they can affect machine performance, increase energy use, raise operating costs and expand carbon footprints. Integrating a smart pneumatics package can prevent these rising costs and emissions. One critical part of this package is a smart sensor. The Emerson AVENTICS Series AF2 Flow Sensor helps engineers identify leaks in real time and address them quickly, which optimizes airflow, reduces costs and improves overall equipment effectiveness.

MALTA, NY—GlobalFoundries has announced plans to expand production at its existing semiconductor facility here and build a new facility to double the site’s current capacity and help address the global chip shortage.