# manufacturing
Latest news and articles about manufacturing
Total: 26 articles found
Robot Hype Fades: Zhejiang Rongtai Rebrands Its Thailand Project, Shifts From ‘Robot Parts’ to Insulation and Lead Screws
Zhejiang Rongtai has revised a Thailand investment, replacing a plan to produce robot components with two projects focused on insulation/fire‑proof materials and industrial lead screws. The move reflects regulatory and operational considerations and is likely to cool the investor enthusiasm that pushed the stock sharply higher amid a robot‑focused narrative in 2025. The success of the new, split projects will hinge on execution, demand for lead screws, and whether the company can translate its materials market lead into higher‑margin manufacturing.
China’s Investment Keeps Limping Forward as Private and Foreign Outlays Stall
China’s January–February fixed-asset investment rose a modest 1.8% year-on-year to RMB 5.27 trillion, driven chiefly by state-led infrastructure, mining and utilities. Private and foreign investment contracted, and regional disparities persist, leaving growth dependent on continued public spending and policy efforts to revive business confidence.
Apple Accelerates India Push: iPhone Production Jumps to About 55 Million, Now Accounts for a Quarter of Output
Apple raised iPhone assembly in India by about 53% last year, producing roughly 55 million units — nearly a quarter of its global iPhone output. The shift boosts India’s role in global electronics manufacturing, improves supply-chain resilience for Apple, but does not yet replace critical component suppliers concentrated in East Asia.
China’s Consumer Prices Spike After Lunar New Year as Producer Inflation Continues to Recover
February’s data show China’s consumer prices rose sharply month‑on‑month after the Lunar New Year while producer‑price declines continued to narrow. The bounce is concentrated in services and selective industrial sectors, reflecting a seasonal consumption burst and policy‑driven improvements in supply and demand conditions.
Hisense Chairman Urges State 'Intelligent‑Agent' Platforms as AI Shifts to Industrial Deployment; Humanoid Robots Still Years from the Home
Hisense chairman Jia Shaoqian told China’s Two Sessions that AI is transitioning from hype to industrial application and urged the state to build shared “intelligent‑agent” platforms and an industrial knowledge base to convert tacit factory know‑how into actionable assets. He cautioned that humanoid robots remain immature for household use and recommended measured, demand‑led investment rather than chasing short‑term hype.
China’s Industry Minister Says ‘AI + Manufacturing’ Is Non‑Negotiable — A Big Push for Smart Factories and Standards
China’s industry minister announced a government push to make “AI + manufacturing” compulsory, urging firms to embed AI across sectors and cultivate flagship industrial applications. The plan emphasizes both practical scenario development and international cooperation on governance while balancing security and human control.
China’s February PMI Signals Holiday Lull and Uneven Recovery: Big Firms and High‑Tech Hold Up While SMEs Slip
February’s PMI data show a modest slowdown in China’s economic activity: manufacturing PMI slipped to 49.0% while non‑manufacturing activity edged up to 49.5%, leaving the composite index at 49.5%. Large and high‑tech firms are expanding, but small and medium enterprises and parts of the services sector remain weak, highlighting an uneven recovery amplified by the Lunar New Year holiday.
China Declares 2025 a Make-or-Break Year for Domestic Humanoid Robots
Lou Qinjian, spokesman at China’s NPC, called 2025 a decisive year for domestic humanoid robots to achieve both technical breakthroughs and real-world deployment. The country’s industry is making rapid strides in hardware, datasets and pilots, but still faces major engineering, regulatory and social challenges before humanoids become widely useful.
Honor Shows a Dancing Humanoid at MWC — Phone Makers Are Racing Into Robotics
Honor unveiled its first humanoid robot at MWC, performing a short “space‑dance” to showcase its ambitions beyond smartphones. The demo highlights a wider move by major handset makers into embodied AI, a market that still faces substantial technical and commercial hurdles but promises strategic payoff if solved.
China's Two-Speed Powerhouses: Why Jiangsu Is Closing In on Guangdong
Jiangsu narrowed the GDP gap with long‑time leader Guangdong to RMB 349.5 billion in 2025, driven by faster industrial growth and a broad, city‑level distribution of manufacturing clusters. Guangdong retains advantages in patents, corporate R&D and population inflows, leaving the contest a contrast between manufacturing scale and innovation concentration.
Back from Beijing, Germany’s Chancellor Sounds the Alarm on Productivity
After returning from his first official visit to China, Chancellor Merz warned that Germany’s productivity is inadequate and current work practices impede economic prosperity. His comments reflect concerns about competitiveness amid China’s rapid industrial mobilisation and signal potential pressure for economic and labour-market reforms in Berlin.
China’s Economic Heavyweights Rebalance: Provinces Pivot from Factories to Services
At their annual “new spring” meetings, China’s leading provinces are prioritizing the integration of production‑oriented services with manufacturing to revitalise growth. Guangdong, Shandong and Zhejiang are explicitly targeting service‑led upgrades, while other regions combine business‑environment fixes with bets on emerging industries.