global manufacturing industry

Dutch chip-equipment maker ASML has said it is not selling its chipmaking machines in Europe, warning that the region risks falling behind the United States, China and India in the semiconductor industry. The remarks have drawn attention in India and China, where ASML's role in global chip supply chains is a sensitive topic amid ongoing export-control tensions and competition to build domestic chip manufacturing capacity.

Two Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers have announced a deal, a sign that the country's crowded EV market is entering a phase of consolidation. The agreement comes as intensifying price competition and overcapacity push weaker players toward mergers, partnerships or exits, and analysts see it as an early marker of broader restructuring in China's auto industry.

A new policy outlook examines the state of U.S. solar photovoltaic manufacturing and the opportunities for deeper cooperation between American and European industry. It outlines the current domestic manufacturing landscape, policy drivers shaping the sector, and how transatlantic partnerships could strengthen supply chains for solar components on both sides of the Atlantic.

China's automotive market, crowded with dozens of competing manufacturers locked in a price war, is reportedly moving toward consolidation as weaker automakers are expected to merge, exit, or be absorbed by larger rivals. The shift would reshape one of the world's largest car markets, where overcapacity and fierce discounting have squeezed margins across the industry.

The global fleet of industrial robots operating in factories has reached five million units, a milestone in the automation of manufacturing. The figure reflects years of steady adoption across industries such as automotive, electronics and logistics, with strong demand from major manufacturing economies. Observers see it as evidence of how deeply robotics has become embedded in modern production lines.

ASML, Europe's most valuable chip technology company, reportedly has no customers on its home continent, with an executive stating plainly that the company is not selling anything there. The Dutch firm dominates the global market for advanced lithography machines used to make cutting-edge chips, but its buyers are concentrated in Asia and the United States, leaving Europe essentially absent from advanced chipmaking.

China installed 59% of all industrial robots deployed worldwide in 2025, underscoring its dominance in factory automation. The figure highlights how far the country has pulled ahead of other manufacturing economies in adopting robotics, driven by large-scale investment in its electronics, automotive and general industries sectors as it pushes to offset a shrinking workforce.

VSMC has opened a new semiconductor fabrication facility in Singapore dedicated to specialty chips. The fab expands Singapore's role in the global chip supply chain and adds capacity for makers of non-standard, application-specific semiconductors. Industry watchers are tracking the move as part of broader investment in Southeast Asian chip manufacturing amid ongoing supply chain diversification.

A chip fabrication plant run as a joint venture between Vanguard International Semiconductor (VIS) and NXP Semiconductors has entered its initial production stage. The facility marks a key milestone for the partnership, which focuses on expanding chip manufacturing capacity, and is being followed closely by industry watchers tracking global semiconductor supply.

Reports claim the United States has overtaken Japan in the global robotics race, a notable shift given Japan's long-standing dominance in industrial robotics. Details on what metrics drove the change, such as installations, patents, or investment levels, were not provided in the coverage reviewed. Observers of the robotics industry are likely weighing what this means for manufacturing competitiveness and technology leadership between the two countries.

Nutrition industry publication Nutritional Outlook is highlighting what it calls the safety versus efficacy gap, a tension between supplement ingredients shown to be safe and those proven effective. The piece raises questions about how products are formulated and marketed when safety data outpaces efficacy evidence, a recurring debate among regulators, manufacturers and consumers in the global nutrition sector.