🤖 Advanced Manufacturing #9

This week in the Advanced Manufacturing space, Vishay Intertechnology is investing $323.7M to expand the UK’s largest semiconductor facility in Newport, creating 500 high-skilled jobs and strengthening South Wales’s Compound Semiconductor Cluster. Laservall is committing $300M to scale its R&D team sixfold in Hong Kong, aligning with the region’s industrialization strategy. In Taiwan, TSMC is launching a new fabrication plant in Kaohsiung, adding 7,000 jobs while maintaining its global leadership amid geopolitical tensions. Daimler Truck North America is investing $285M in its Michigan plant to expand electric powertrain production, securing 436 jobs and advancing zero-emission trucking.

In advanced manufacturing upskilling, Pennsylvania’s Department of Labor & Industry has allocated $2.4M to career readiness programs, ensuring students gain hands-on training in manufacturing, healthcare, and tech. In India, a new BTech ECE program from NCU, IIT Mandi, and NSDC will develop semiconductor design talent, supporting the country’s $100B chip market ambitions. Meanwhile, the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce is launching Greater ROC Global to address workforce shortages by integrating global STEM talent into the advanced manufacturing sector. On the policy front, the NSW Government has unveiled an Innovation Blueprint, setting a $17B growth target and 100,000 new jobs by 2035. With new funding mechanisms like a Commercialisation Fund and Strategic Investment Fund, the plan aims to accelerate emerging technologies and venture capital investment.

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Advanced Manufacturing Labor Market Trends

💾 Vishay Invests $323.7M in UK’s Largest Semiconductor Facility. US tech giant Vishay Intertechnology is expanding its Newport semiconductor plant with a $323.7M investment, creating 500 high-skilled jobs and supporting South Wales’s Compound Semiconductor Cluster. Backed by the UK’s Automotive Transformation Fund, the facility will produce Silicon Carbide chips, necessary for EV battery efficiency and charging speeds. The investment supports the UK’s advanced manufacturing growth, reinforcing its position in semiconductors.

🔬 Laservall, a global leader in high-precision laser interconnect solutions, will invest $300M over five years, doubling its R&D team by 2026 and expanding sixfold by 2028. The move aligns with Hong Kong’s new industrialization strategy, backed by funding schemes to promote smart manufacturing. This not only reflects the company's commitment to innovation but also its unwavering confidence in Hong Kong's I&T industry 

🏭 TSMC reaffirmed its commitment to Taiwan with a new fabrication facility in Kaohsiung, set to start volume production in Q3 2025. The facility will create 7,000 tech jobs, ensuring Taiwan remains a global semiconductor hub despite TSMC’s $100B US expansion. As a key manufacturing partner to Nvidia, Apple, and Qualcomm, TSMC is central to the US chip industry, and bringing more of its production to US soil would solve a major supply chain risk for those firms. Taiwanese Premier Cho Jung-tai praised TSMC for keeping its roots in Taiwan, as the company continues balancing local growth with global expansion amid geopolitical pressures. 

🚛 Daimler Truck North America is modernizing its Detroit Diesel plant in Redford, Michigan, with a $285M investment to expand electric powertrain production while maintaining diesel output. The project will create 436 new jobs, including unionized roles with competitive wages. Construction begins in early 2025, with battery and e-axle production ramping up in 2026. Daimler is also partnering on a high-speed EV truck charging network, cementing Michigan’s role in zero-emission trucking. 

>90% Increase in Robotics Installations In The Automotive Industry

🤖 Annual industrial robot installations in the automotive sector nearly doubled from 69K in 2013 to 135K in 2023, driven by electric vehicle production requiring advanced manufacturing and automation. 

⚡ The electrical/electronics industry’s robot installations soared from 36K to 126K between 2013 and 2023, fueled by demand for semiconductors, consumer electronics, and EV/renewable energy batteries.

👷 China, the top industrial robotics market, is rapidly adopting dark factories to counter labor costs and shortages, boosting output through full automation with minimal human intervention.

Upskilling/Reskilling Initiatives

🏗️ The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry is investing $2.4M to expand career readiness programs for high school students. Through the Schools-to-Work Program (STWP), this funding aims to expand pre-apprenticeships, classroom training, and job shadowing opportunities, providing students with critical tools to transition successfully from education to employment.12 organizations will help students gain hands-on experience in manufacturing, healthcare, and tech.

👷 A new BTech ECE program focusing on Semiconductor Design & Technology has been launched by NCU, IIT Mandi, and NSDC to support India's $100B semiconductor market by 2030. The curriculum blends theory with hands-on training, with IIT Mandi providing VLSI, chip manufacturing, and testing modules. NSDC supports with industry training & funding, ensuring graduates are job-ready, and fostering India’s semiconductor self-reliance.

🌍 The Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce has introduced Greater ROC Global, a talent development program tackling workforce shortages in healthcare and advanced manufacturing. Partnering with inSpring, the initiative recruits will focus on STEM talent for Rochester’s manufacturing sector and help them earn degrees and certifications and integrate into the workforce. 

Policy Initiatives

📌 NSW Government Unveils Innovation Blueprint with $17B Growth Target. The NSW government has released its Innovation Blueprint, outlining a plan to grow the tech sector by $17B and create 100,000 jobs by 2035. The blueprint proposes new funding mechanisms, including a Commercialisation Fund and a Strategic Investment Fund, to boost emerging technologies and venture capital.

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