🤖 Advanced Manufacturing #19
HolonIQ is tracking reskilling and upskilling efforts as automation, robotics, and AI reshape the industry. With demand for specialized skills accelerating, continuous learning is key to driving innovation, boosting efficiency, and building a future-ready workforce.
This week in Advanced Manufacturing, GlobalFoundries announced a $16B investment to expand chip production in New York and Vermont, backed by Apple and AMD to boost AI and domestic supply chains. Thrustworks opened a new additive manufacturing facility in Germany, focusing on the space and defence sectors with advanced refractory alloys. Flex partnered with MIT to drive AI and automation innovation in manufacturing through hands-on collaboration.
In Upskilling, Rotary Solutions is investing $5M to automate and upskill its Indiana plant workforce, while Mosca opened a new facility in Malaysia, emphasizing local talent development. Relatedly, Siemens is expanding its skills-based training program to fill 800 advanced manufacturing jobs by 2026. On the policy front, India eased SEZ rules to attract semiconductor investments by reducing land requirements and enabling domestic sales with duties, supporting growth in high-tech manufacturing.
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Advanced Manufacturing Labor Market Trends
🧠 GlobalFoundries Launches $16B US Chip Investment to Boost AI & Reshore Supply Chains. GlobalFoundries will invest $16B to expand semiconductor manufacturing and advanced packaging in New York and Vermont, supporting the rapid rise of AI and US-based chip production. Backed by tech giants including Apple, AMD, and SpaceX, the initiative strengthens domestic supply chain resilience and AI-enabling technologies. The plan includes $3B in R&D for silicon photonics and GaN power solutions, reinforcing GF’s role in next-gen chips for data centers, communications, and edge devices.
🚀 Thrustworks Opens AM Facility to Power Space & Defence Sectors. Thrustworks has launched a new additive manufacturing facility at Mönchengladbach Airport, Germany, targeting the space and defence sectors with advanced propulsion and hypersonic hardware. Specializing in refractory alloys like C103 niobium, tungsten, and Inconel, the site integrates pre-processing, PBF-LB printing, post-processing, and QC under one roof. Strategically located near RWTH Aachen, the facility strengthens Thrustworks’ role as a critical supplier for aerospace innovation and sovereign defence manufacturing.
🤖 Flex & MIT Partner to Advance AI-Driven Manufacturing Innovation. Flex is partnering with MIT on its Initiative for New Manufacturing (INM), aimed at transforming production through AI, automation, and sustainability. INM focuses on four pillars: reimagining technologies, improving human productivity, scaling ventures, and strengthening resilient supply chains. MIT students will gain hands-on experience at Flex sites, while faculty and engineers will collaborate with Flex’s Brazil-based R&D center to develop next-gen manufacturing tools and systems.
China Has Outpaced the Next Four Countries in Industrial Robot Installations Since 2013
🤖 China installed over 5x more industrial robots than any other country in 2023, cementing its global automation and advanced manufacturing lead.
📈 China’s robot installations first surged in 2013, with a steep rise post-2020, with the present total equal to more than the combined total of the next four countries.🌍 The rest of the top five: Japan, South Korea, the US, and Germany, have remained relatively flat, highlighting a growing global gap in industrial automation capacity.
Upskilling/Reskilling Initiatives
🏭 Rotary Invests $5M in Indiana Plant for Automation and Workforce Upskilling. Rotary Solutions is investing over $5 million to install an automated production line at its Madison, Indiana, facility, increasing output and improving lead times. The project includes training and upskilling current and new employees to support long-term talent growth. As part of VSG’s global strategy, the expansion will create new jobs and boost production, with completion scheduled for early 2026.
🏗️ Mosca Opens Advanced Manufacturing Facility in Malaysia with Focus on Local Talent. Mosca GmbH has opened a new advanced manufacturing facility in Ulu Tiram, Johor, where strapping systems and materials are produced. The company prioritizes hiring and upskilling local talent, offering advanced training in Germany and career opportunities for underserved communities. This marks Mosca’s third expansion in Malaysia since 2009, strengthening the country’s role as a destination for high-tech manufacturing investment.
🛠️ Siemens Skills-Based Training Program Targets Manufacturing Workforce Gaps. Siemens' skills-based training program prepares individuals from diverse backgrounds for roles in advanced manufacturing. Developed by former educators, the program blends classroom, lab, and hands-on factory training. Focused on soft skills over prior experience, it supports hiring for 800 new jobs by 2026 at Siemens’ Fort Worth facility and is being expanded nationwide to address workforce shortages and improve employee retention.
Policy Initiatives
🏢 Indian Government Eases SEZ Policy to Catalyze Semiconductor and Electronics Manufacturing. The Indian government has amended Special Economic Zones (SEZ) rules to promote advanced manufacturing in semiconductors and electronics. Key policy changes include reducing the minimum land requirement from 50 to 10 hectares, allowing domestic sales with duties, and relaxing land encumbrance norms. These revisions aim to attract capital-intensive, high-technology investments and support the growth of a resilient semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem.
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