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Tariff and Trade War Headlines
Manufacturing Saw The Most Cyberattacks Of Any Industry In 2025: IBM X-Force
The manufacturing sector represented 27.7% of all cyberattacks in 2025 — the highest percentage of all industries covered in the report, according to IBM X-Force’s latest report. Exploitation of public-facing applications was the most common way that attackers breached manufacturing systems, accounting for 32% of all observed cases. Sixteen percent used valid accounts, and 11% used external remote services, reflecting attackers’ reliance on “exploiting misconfigured or insufficiently secured access points.”
As in previous years, the Asia-Pacific region saw the most manufacturing-related incidents, accounting for 68% of attacks. North America followed at 23%, along with Europe at 5% and Latin America at 2%. The prevalence of cyberattacks in manufacturing underscores the sector’s “critical role in global supply chains and the high value of operational and intellectual property data,” the report said. It added that these factors, along with complex operational technology environments, continue to make manufacturing an attractive target for attackers in 2026.
Read more at Manufacturing Dive
Nvidia CEO Says Everything Will Be Software-Defined—But Manufacturers Aren’t Convinced
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told thousands of engineers at Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE World, “Everything will be software-defined in the future.” Then, SolidWorks CEO Manish Kumar told the same audience that most world-changing aspects of artificial intelligence have yet to be invented. This ambition arrives at a moment when manufacturing is divided by geoeconomic uncertainty, which could shape how the industry adopts AI. Devin Malone, the general manager and brand CEO of DELMIAWorks at Dassault, said global instability causes cash flow concerns for small manufacturers while large firms treat downturns as opportunities to retool and rebuild.
AI already shapes how engineers work and factories operate, but many still wonder whether it truly amplifies human capability or promises more than it can deliver. For design, SolidWorks Senior Product Manager Craig Therrien explained that the technology can reduce tedious tasks, freeing up time for engineers to explore more iterations and produce better solutions. The influence also extends into factory floors, where the question becomes whether AI can make real-time production decisions. Eric Green, the vice president of marketing for Delmia, thinks it could—but not for major decisions.
Read more at Manufacturing.Net
PepsiCo to Shutter California Frito-Lay Warehouse
PepsiCo plans to shutter a Frito-Lay distribution plant in California, the latest closure for the snacking giant as it aims to bring production in line with lagging demand. The facility in Rancho Cucamonga is scheduled to cease operations on June 6, PepsiCo said in a WARN notice filed with the state of California. The move will result in 248 layoffs. PepsiCo ended manufacturing operations out of the Rancho Cucamonga plant in 2025, but said at the time it would continue distribution and warehousing operations at the location.
The company said in a statement to Food Dive that it now intends to shift “these operations to a new distribution center in the local community to better serve our customers and consumers.” PepsiCo has closed several plants across its network during the last year, including snacking facilities in Florida and New York. Frito-Lay’s portfolio has seen demand slip as inflation prompts consumers to cut back on how much they buy. The snacking giant has also been hit by shoppers turning away from processed foods and toward healthier offerings with recognizable ingredient lists.
Read more at Supply Chain Dive
EV Customer Satisfaction Hits Record-High: JD Power
Electric vehicle sales have significantly slowed since the expiration of federal EV tax credits last fall, with January sales of new EVs declining nearly 30% year over year. At the same time, current EV owners are more satisfied with their vehicles than ever before, according to JD Power’s 2026 U.S. Electric Vehicle Experience (EVX) Ownership Study, released Feb. 18. The annual study, now in its sixth year, focuses on the first year of EV ownership and its index score measures satisfaction for both premium and mass-market segments.
The study found that 96% of current EV owners would consider purchasing or leasing another battery-powered model when shopping for their next vehicle. Owners of premium brand EVs reported a sizable increase in satisfaction with an average score of 786 points (on a 1,000-point scale), which was 30 points higher than last year’s score of 756, per JD Power. Mass-market owner satisfaction rose more modestly, increasing two points from 725 to 727. The availability of public chargers was the most improved factor influencing customer satisfaction across both the mass-market and premium EV segments, the study found.
Read more at Ward’s Auto
CECO To Buy Thermon Group In $2.2B Deal
Filtration technology provider CECO Environmental Corp. has agreed to acquire Thermon Group, a maker of heat tracing cables, boilers and other industrial equipment, as part of a $2.2 billion cash-and-stock deal. The Texas-based companies said the combination will expand CECO’s portfolio beyond air pollution control, fluid handling and filtration equipment to better handle growing demand in power generation, industrial reshoring and energy transitions.
The transaction, which is expected to close in mid-2026, was unanimously approved by both companies’ boards of directors. CECO said it will continue to be led by CEO Todd Gleason and traded under its current name on the Nasdaq stock exchange following the deal’s approval. The transaction will create a more “balanced” company in terms of revenue, Gleason said in an earnings call Tuesday. Up to 80% of CECO’s revenue comes from mid- to long-cycle projects, he said. Thermon has more short-cycle sales, which could help drive steadier margins and productivity for CECO.
Read more at Manufacturing Dive
Pratt Plans $200M Expansion for Engine Parts
Pratt & Whitney is planning a $200-million expansion at its Columbus, Ga., commercial and military engine complex, to add a seventh isothermal forging press. The additional production capacity will support a 30% increase in production volume for critical engine parts, including rotating compressors and turbine disks. Isothermal forging is a closed-die process in which the dies and the workpieces are heated to the same temperature, so that forming can take place without loss of temperature in the workpiece. It’s a preferred process for forming engineered parts, including jet-engine and other aerospace components in high-density lightweight alloys.
The complex includes the Columbus Engine Center, which performs maintenance on PW1100G-JM, V2500, PW2000, F117, and F100 turbofan jet engines; and Columbus Forge, which produces compressor airfoils and nickel and titanium forgings. Those parts are finish-machined for installation as rotating parts for military and commercial engines. Increasing capacity will support Pratt & Whitney’s future supply requirements for both civilian and military aircraft engines. Pratt’s F135 engine powers the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which is in the midst of a planned “technology refresh” to accommodate more advanced warfare capabilities. The upcoming investment follows a recent $70-million expansion that added systems and machinery to support Pratt’s Industry 4.0 strategy.
Read more at American Machinist
Whirlpool To Lay Off Over 300 At Iowa Plant As Machinists Union Try To Save Jobs
Whirlpool plans to lay off 341 employees at its manufacturing facility in Amana, Iowa, beginning March 9, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification post on the state’s workforce development agency. The impacted workers are represented by Local Lodge 1526 of the International Association of Machinist and Aerospace Workers union, according to the company’s WARN letter dated Feb. 17.
The appliance manufacturer will move production to Whirlpool’s facilities in Mexico, Sam Cicinelli, IAM’s general vice president of the Midwest territory, said during a press conference on Wednesday. In an emailed statement on Thursday, Whirlpool said the Amana plant is “a vital part” of its manufacturing footprint. The upcoming Amana layoffs add to the 250 employees Whirlpool let go in July 2025.
Read more at Manufacturing Dive
EU Auto Sales Start 2026 With A Slump
Europe’s car industry began the year with new-vehicle registrations falling 3.9% in January from the same month last year to 799,625. According to a Feb. 24 report from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, the slump was driven by a continuing fall in registrations of pure internal-combustion-engine powertrains. The sector, combining both gasoline and diesel engines, fell to a market share of 30.1%, down from 39.5% in January 2025. Gas-powered cars were hardest hit, falling by 28.2% with the biggest drops seen in major markets including France, down 48.9%; followed by Germany with a 29.9% drop; Italy, down 25.5%; and a decline of 22.5% in Spain.
Meanwhile, hybrid-electric powertrain vehicles remained the EU’s most popular consumer choice with registrations rising to 308,364 units, supported by growth in Italy, up 24.9%; a 9% increase in Spain, and a small 1.8% decline in Germany. Overall, hybrid models accounted for 38.6% of the total EU market. PHEVs have now leapfrogged diesel in market share compared to January 2025 taking 9.8% of the market share, up from 7.4% for the month last year. Battery-electric vehicle registrations showed steady growth, claiming a 19.3% market share from 14.9% one year earlier.
Read more Ward’s Auto
‘Bigger Ramifications Than Venezuela’: Markets Brace For Impact After U.S. Strikes Iran
Market watchers are bracing for turbulence after the U.S. confirmed it has launched “major combat operations” in Iran, a move investors say could carry far greater market consequences than the recent run of geopolitical flare-ups. Markets have been unfazed and accustomed to absorbing recent geopolitical and economic shocks and headlines, including Trump’s announcement of a hike in U.S. tariffs on all imports to 15%, as well as the administration’s capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
“This has definitely bigger ramifications than Venezuela,” said Florian Weidinger, CIO at Santa Lucia Asset Management. “Venezuela was a production story. [Iran] is a chokepoint story,” said Kenneth Goh, director of private wealth management at UOB Kay Hian in Singapore. Located in the gulf between Oman and Iran, the strait is recognized as one of the world’s most important oil choke points. About 13 million barrels per day of crude oil transited the Strait of Hormuz in 2025, accounting for roughly 31% of global seaborne crude flows, according to data from market intelligence firm Kpler.
Read more at CNBC
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