Welcome to the first IndustryWeek's Weekly Reads for July 2025, given that we didn't publish our Top 10 list last Friday due to the Independence Day holiday. Additionally, the July 4 day off also means that this week's edition of our most-consumed content covers the past two weeks, or 14 days, rather than the typical week, or seven days.
And, to totally confuse the issue, our No. 1 item isn't a "read" at all, it's a video hosted by our very own technology editor, Dennis Scimeca. With that, please enjoy our Top 10 and then peruse the wealth of additional manufacturing content available on the IndustryWeek.com website.
Build or Buy Your MES? Lessons from Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence: If off-the-shelf manufacturing execution systems don't fit the bill, developing your own MES provides real advantages.
Behind the EV Slowdown: The bankruptcy filing of the automotive supplier Marelli is just the latest in a downward trend.
Employee Ownership Could Help Solve a Manufacturing Crisis: Even small shops with 15 employees or fewer could be good candidates for the succession planning approach.
EV Notes: Lucid’s New Factory and Polestar’s $200M Investment: Also: Solid-state batteries are on the verge of a new era.
IW U.S. 50 Best Manufacturers: Allison Transmission Tops List: Many new faces join the top manufacturers list, most notably building materials company Armstrong World Industries Inc.
Planning for the Unplannable: What Supply Chain Leaders Should Be Doing Now: You don't know from one day to the next what the tariff news will bring. How do you find any kind of business stability?
June Jobs Report: Manufacturing Loses 7,000 Jobs: According to the latest BLS data, manufacturing has lost 89,000 workers in 12 months, more than any other sector in the same time frame.
IW U.S. 500: Top Semiconductor and Equipment Companies (slideshow): The worldwide semiconductor industry grew. U.S. companies largely did not partake.
GE Appliances Invests $490 Million to Create Advanced Laundry Plant at Kentucky Headquarters: This significant investment will reshore the production of some clothes washers from China.
Detroit 3 Automakers Killed Passenger Cars: Big Mistake: Ford, GM and Stellantis were guided by government EV policies that encouraged light trucks. Now, that strategy is outdated.
