Week 28 in Manufacturing News

The World Economic Forum (WEF) has revealed its top ten emerging technologies of 2019; Pressures On China’s Manufacturing Sector Will Impact The West and other stories.

Pressures On China’s Manufacturing Sector Will Impact The West

The tariff tension between the Trump and Xi administrations has greatly pressured the Chinese manufacturing sector this year. While cutting prices is one way to offset a 25% tariff – possibly the only way – that’s just not sustainable.

China has been investing in manufacturing infrastructure for the past three decades, and it is the fruit of that investment that can not be replicated in other southeast Asian countries.

Read the full story on Forbes.

UK manufacturing production rises 1.4% m/m in May, misses estimates

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) published the UK industrial and manufacturing production data on Wednesday, with the overall industrial activity showing a smaller-than-expected improvement in the month of May.

Manufacturing output arrived at +1.4% m/m in May versus +2.1% expectations and -4.2% booked in Apr, while total industrial output came in at +1.4% vs. +1.5% expected and -2.9% last.

Source: FX Street.

Industry 4.0 and scalability in food technology and manufacturing

Organisations of all sizes are at a critical juncture in planning the future of their manufacturing operations. One sector benefiting from this shift is the alcohol industry that is seeing a shift in consumer demand towards more craft brewers and micro-distilleries.

Source: Manufacturers’ Monthly.

Top 10 emerging technologies that could transform manufacturing

The World Economic Forum (WEF) has revealed its top ten emerging technologies of 2019.

• Bioplastics for a Circular Economy
• Social Robots
• Tiny Lenses for Miniature Devices
• Disordered Proteins as Drug Targets 
• Smarter Fertilizers Can Reduce Environmental Contamination
• Collaborative Telepresence 
• Advanced Food Tracking and Packaging 
• Safer Nuclear Reactors
• DNA Data Storage 
• Utility-Scale Storage of Renewable Energy

Source: World Economic Forum.