ASSEMBLY Magazine

08/09/2026

Can the light bulb become an American-made product again?

GoodBulb has opened a factory in Fargo, North Dakota, that the company says is the only U.S. facility assembling A19 LED light bulbs. After eight years of development, the company hopes to restore domestic production of one of America's most common household products.

Read more:
https://www.assemblymag.com/articles/100162-goodbulb-brings-a19-led-bulb-manufacturing-back-to-the-us

FARGO, N.D. — GoodBulb has opened a factory in Fargo that the company says is the only U.S. facility assembling A19 LED light bulbs.

08/09/2026

Airbus expands A320 production with a new assembly line in France.

The new final assembly line in Toulouse uses digital controls, automated logistics and robotics as Airbus works toward producing 75 A320-family aircraft each month.

Read more:
https://www.assemblymag.com/articles/100274-airbus-inaugurates-new-assembly-line-in-france

TOULOUSE, France—Airbus has inaugurated a second final assembly line for the A320 jetliner at its Jean-Luc Lagardère assembly plant here.

08/08/2026

Does selling more vehicles mean you're the most efficient automaker?

Not necessarily.

Read more:
https://www.assemblymag.com/articles/100196-toyota-tesla-and-byd-rank-among-worlds-best-for-revenue-and-profit-per-employee

BYD might produce and sell more EVs than Tesla, but Tesla operates with significantly fewer employees and generates higher revenue per worker model.

08/07/2026

🚢 The future of shipbuilding may not be built inside a shipyard.

HII just committed up to $900 million in production work to two robotics companies.... but there's a catch. They only get the work if they can prove their physical AI systems meet the quality, cost and production standards required for U.S. Navy shipbuilding.

Instead of buying robots, HII is buying manufacturing performance.

The companies will develop autonomous systems for:
⚙️ Welding
🛠️ Grinding
🎨 Painting
🔎 Inspection
🏗️ Assembly

If successful, the work will begin with smaller steel structures before expanding to larger ship modules.

This could become a blueprint for how manufacturers adopt physical AI: don't pay for promises: pay for production.

https://www.assemblymag.com/articles/100299-hii-commits-up-to-900-million-to-expand-physical-ai-in-shipbuilding

ARLINGTON, Va. — HII has signed long-term, performance-based production agreements with Path Robotics and GrayMatter Robotics worth up to $900 million as the shipbuilder seeks to expand automation across U.S. Navy programs using physical AI and autonomous manufacturing technologies.

08/07/2026

BMW achieves its fastest new plant ramp-up ever.

Just nine months after series production began, BMW's Debrecen, Hungary, plant has built 50,000 vehicles. The automaker says the manufacturing lessons learned there are now being shared across its global production network.

Read more:
https://www.assemblymag.com/articles/100268-bmw-achieves-fastest-new-plant-ramp-up-in-company-history

08/07/2026

🚨 Elon Musk isn't just building AI anymore. He's building the factories that build the AI.

That's the real story.

SpaceX and Tesla plan to invest $16.8 billion to build Terafab, a massive U.S. semiconductor manufacturing complex that will make, package and test AI chips under one roof.

And those chips aren't just for servers.

They're intended to power:
🤖 Optimus humanoid robots
🚖 Tesla Cybercabs
🚀 SpaceX's space-based data centers

The race for AI may ultimately be won by whoever controls manufacturing.

https://www.assemblymag.com/articles/100298-spacex-tesla-to-build-168-billion-ai-chip-manufacturing-complex-in-texas

BIRMINGHAM, Mich. — SpaceX and Tesla plan to invest an initial $16.8 billion to build a massive semiconductor manufacturing complex in Texas that will produce advanced artificial intelligence chips for applications ranging from humanoid robots to autonomous vehicles and space-based data centers.

08/07/2026

AI is changing how engineers are trained.

Temple University and Demco Automation are partnering to give engineering students hands-on experience using AI to design and build robotic assembly systems for real manufacturers.

Read more:
https://www.assemblymag.com/articles/100273-temple-demco-automation-collaborate-to-teach-ai-for-manufacturing

08/06/2026

New defense plant ramps up production in record time: https://brnw.ch/21x4JUl

COLUMBUS, OH—Anduril Industries Inc. recently rolled out its first semiautonomous jet fighter at its new factory here.

08/06/2026

AI, digital twins and virtual reality technology help BMW mass-produce EV batteries: https://brnw.ch/21x4JnL

WOODRUFF, SC—BMW Group is in the process of ramping up high-voltage battery production at a new factory here.

08/05/2026

🎧 Midweek Listen: Why do so many lean manufacturing initiatives fail?

Lean isn't about tools or checklists. According to Dr. Terra Vanzant-Stern, success depends on leaders understanding what's really happening on the plant floor, building trust with employees and using collective intelligence to drive continuous improvement.

🎙️ Listen to the latest ASSEMBLY Audible episode and read the companion article:
https://www.assemblymag.com/articles/100243-podcast-why-lean-manufacturing-failsand-what-leaders-are-missing

📅 Want to dive deeper? Dr. Vanzant-Stern will expand on these concepts during an ASSEMBLY webinar on August 13 at 2 p.m. ET. Register today and learn practical strategies for making lean work in your organization.

Lean manufacturing doesn’t fail because of the tools—it fails when leaders lose touch with the plant floor. Dr. Terra Vanzant-Stern, author of Leaner Manufacturing: How to Make the Lean Production Process Easier, Faster, and More Cost-Effective, explains why trust, engagement and collective inte...