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Trade Wars
Amazon Announces $100M Manufacturing Facility In Indiana
Amazon on Thursday announced plans to invest over $100 million on a new manufacturing facility in Greenwood that's expected to create 300 manufacturing and engineering jobs by the end of 2028. The 585,000-square-foot facility, which Amazon said "will produce products that power Amazon's fulfillment and robotics network across North America," will be located at 1175 Collins Road, just east of Interstate 65 and south of East Main Street in Greenwood.
The facility will include advanced fabrication, robotic welding, automated powder coating and assembly operations supported by artificial intelligence-powered manufacturing systems, Amazon said. New jobs expected at the facility include Computer Numerical Control operators, welders, powder coating technicians, assemblers, manufacturing engineers and program managers, with an average salary of almost $100,000 per year, the company said.
Read more at WTHR
India's Akasa In Talks With Boeing To Order 200 737 MAX Aircraft
ndia's third-largest airline, Akasa Air, is in talks to order more than 200 Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab 737 MAX jets, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. A decision on the order is expected early next year, with terms likely finalized in the second half of 2027, the report said, adding that the purchase would support Akasa's fleet growth beyond 2032. Akasa Air and Boeing did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.
The report comes as the Mumbai-based budget carrier expands its fleet of Boeing's fuel-efficient jets. The airline, which began operations in 2022, operates 43 Boeing 737 MAX jets and has orders for 226 more aircraft for delivery over the next decade. Akasa is targeting a 30% capacity increase by March 2027 and is weighing participation in the government's emergency credit guarantee scheme, its finance chief said in June.
Read more at Reuters
Dutchess IDA Ready To Grant PILOT For IBM Quantum-Computing
One week after the Dutchess County Industrial Development Agency approved a preliminary resolution for a payment in lieu of taxes for IBM’s quantum-computing facility, the IDA board is scheduled to consider and approve the final resolution for the incentive.
The board has scheduled a special meeting for Tuesday, September 29, to grant approval for the PILOT and sales tax exemption on the $2.5 billion project. It will be constructed on the IBM campus on South Road in the Town of Poughkeepsie. IBM consultant Eric Stavriotis has said this project would create “the center of gravity” for IBM’s quantum-computing development.
Read more at Mid-Hudson News
Space Force Weighs Options to Boost Supply Chain Amid Production Surge
As the Space Force eyes a possible fivefold increase in the number of satellites it operates on orbit, defense officials are looking for ways to shore up the industrial base to support that growth, which is expected over the next three to five years. USSF officials have been telling space companies in recent months to invest in new infrastructure and production capacity to prepare for an increase in demand for satellites and other space systems.
In April, the head of Space Systems Command, Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, said a significant portion of the Space Force’s historic $19 billion procurement budget for fiscal 2027 would go toward contracts for new satellite lines and an expansion of existing constellations. “If a company is nominally making 10, we want you to be prepared to make 40,” he said at the time. “We want industry to make the investments in capitalization and facilitation, and in return you’re going to get these large production contracts.”
Read more at Air and Space Forces
Honda’s Hybrid Plan May Include a New Ohio Plant
Honda Motor Co. plans to build a new hybrid vehicle assembly plant in Ohio, according to reports in Japan but not confirmed by the automaker. A U.S.-based representative for Honda reiterated that "No decisions have been made at this stage regarding a new plant in the U.S." The reported Ohio project would have a budget of $1.9 to $2.53 billion, and target a start-up date in 2030, the original report noted. Recently Honda made it known that a reaffirmation of the U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement on free trade would be a significant factor in determining its capital investment plans.
Earlier this year Honda issued a new “roadmap” for its automotive portfolio, committing to reallocating development and manufacturing resources toward hybrid vehicles due to strong near-term demand. It said it plans to launch 15 hybrid models globally by FY2030, with North America as the primary market. Currently Honda offers hybrid versions of its Accord, Civic, CR-V, and Prelude models. And a new hybrid system is expected to be introduced in 2027.
Read more at American Machinist
Tesla Poised To Scale Production Of Heavy-Duty Semi Trucks With Opening Of Nevada Factory
Tesla opened its first factory for high-volume production of the Semi, a heavy-duty electric truck, in Sparks, Nevada, on Thursday, as CEO Elon Musk aims to push into big rigs. The company first unveiled its Semi in 2017, and started selling the trucks in very limited quantities to early customers, including anchor client PepsiCo., in 2022. A livestream of the ribbon-cutting event aired Thursday evening. The factory opening comes as Tesla’s core business of electric vehicles faces increased competition across the globe, and as soaring diesel costs present a potential opening for a transition to EVs in commercial trucking.
On Tuesday, industry coalition ZET SCALE said it “selected Tesla as its primary original equipment manufacturer” for an initial order of 2,500 Semi trucks, with the aim of ordering more than 10,000 electric trucks from an array of providers. Trucking firm Einride also recently said it agreed to order 500 Tesla Semi trucks for its fleet with some deployments planned this month. Tesla doesn’t list a price for the Semi, but the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) reported recently that the higher-end long-range trucks have been priced at around $290,000.
Read more at CNBC
Boeing Flags 737 Max Software Glitch Affecting Some Automated Approach Functions
Boeing said it flagged a software glitch last month on some 737 Max aircraft that could affect certain landing procedures, as the manufacturer seeks federal approval for the fourth and final model in its best-selling aircraft family. The Federal Aviation Administration said Saturday that it is assessing the problem and “will take immediate action if it identifies a safety concern” and that it will review Boeing’s proposed fix.
Boeing said the issue could arise after a missed approach when pilots alter a preprogrammed flight path, and that pilots must take additional steps to use automated tools on subsequent approaches. The company said that pilots are trained to land without the automated system. “We are working directly with airlines to formalize a procedure that will allow pilots to reenable automated vertical navigation should this situation occur,” Boeing said. U.S. airlines told CNBC that they do not have Max 8 and Max 9 airplanes with the updated software tied to the glitch in their fleets. Airlines can revert some Maxes to the older software version.
Read more at CNBC
Electric Vehicle Sales Are In A Slump, But High-Speed Public Charging Station Installations Are On A Hitting Streak.
Even though EV vehicle sales are in a slump (largely due to the end of federal tax credits last year), public EV charger installations are on a hitting streak. That’s because of an ambitious industry push to install more public chargers in the U.S. As of August, according to the Alternative Fuels Data Center, the U.S. had more than 80,000 public EV charging station locations and over 250,000 individual charging ports. Thousands of new ports are being added each quarter.
It may seem counterintuitive to install more public chargers when EV deliveries are soft. But many in the industry say more chargers will yield more EV sales. After all, car shoppers’ main reason for passing on buying an EV is charger availability, according to JD Power. While many EV buyers install home chargers — typically a 240V Level 2 — apartment dwellers and others often lack on-premises charger access. Public charging is for them. It’s also a must for road trippers.
Read more at Ward’s Auto
‘100% to 99% Chance’ El Niño Lasts 6 Months: What Does That Mean For You?
In a briefing to the media this week, Columbia University climate scientist Azhar Ehsan presented a chart showing probability of El Niño lasting until spring was “100% to 99%. I wrote near-certain but it’s 100%,” he said. Ehsan is not alone in his predictions. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center agrees El Niño is 100% sticking around for about six more months. This El Niño isn’t just expected to be long but also strong. It’s accelerating faster than any El Niño in recorded history and expected to reach “super” strength in the fall or winter.
As we head into winter, how El Niño plays out will be very different for the northern half of the country and the southern half. Broadly speaking, the northern states will be drier and warmer than normal, while southern states will be cooler and wetter. “We can still get occasional shots of colder air that drop into the central U.S., and we’re still going to get cold air to go across the northern Plains, and yes, there’s still going to be at least some snow across the northern part of the U.S., but the overall pattern does not favor a whole lot of snow across the northern U.S.,” said Brian James, Nexstar chief meteorologist.
Read more at The Hill
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