NIST Nominee Punts on MEPs, and Manufacturing Franchisees Wanted: So That Happened

Editor’s note: Welcome to So That Happened, our editors’ takes on things going on in the manufacturing world that deserve some extra attention. This will appear regularly in the Member’s Only section of the site.

Wanted: Component Manufacturing Franchisees 

An ambitious startup has secured a $50 million funding round to advance its goal of revamp a large part of the Western world’s industrial base, specifically small-scale component manufacturing, via a franchise model focused on its soup-to-nuts software. 

The leaders of London-based Isembard Ltd. said the money they’ve secured from an investor group led by Union Square Ventures will help them set up 25 factories by the end of this year via partnerships with “exceptional operators.” Those facilities can be ground-up plants or conversions of existing factories and be run by Isembard’s Mason OS software, which rolls scheduling, machining, assembly, quality checks, final delivery and more into one platform. 

Founder and CEO Alexander Fitzgerald and his team—who have taken inspiration from noted 19th-century engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel—are aiming to plug a growing, demographics-driven gap in component manufacturing. In a release announcing their $50 million in funding, they said small firms account for 95% of the market but “are rapidly disappearing” as their owners retire or plan to do so. That dynamic, they said, is being exacerbated by growing demand from aerospace and defense firms as well as the broader energy investment and reshoring megatrends. 

“Manufacturing is the origin of our security, prosperity and sense of purpose as nations,” Fitzgerald said. “This Series A enables us to open more factories, invest in MasonOS, support exceptional franchisees and recruit the best engineers across Europe and the United States. Our mission is to forge industrial acceleration.” 

— Geert De Lombaerde 

STEM Skills, Community Service Steer Senior to $5K Scholarship Success 

Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas has announced Isha Sahnan, a high school senior in Conroe, Texas, as the winner of the 22nd Annual Cat Lift Trucks Scholarship program. The $5,000 scholarship recipient, who plans to pursue a degree in computer science, was evaluated based on academics, leadership abilities, community involvement, financial need and three short essay prompts. 

“We’re proud to support students for more than two decades in their educational pursuits, recognizing that they represent the next generation of leaders in the material handling industry,” says Ross Vanderlaan, vice president of corporate planning at Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas. 

In addition to serving as president of both Oak Ridge High School Student Council and the Interact Club, Sahnan founded and organized the Summer STEM Camp to teach middle school students about coding, robotics and engineering. 

“Isha’s interest in STEM and engineering, and her passion for using technology to uplift others makes her a role model for her fellow students to grow in their interests,” says Vanderlaan. 

Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas surprised Sahnan at her high school with a $5,000 check and Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo tickets for her and her family. 

“With this scholarship, I’ll be able to not only dedicate myself to my studies, which will help turn my ideas into impactful solutions, but will also be able to help relieve financial pressure for my family and enable me to support and provide for my parents in the future,” says Sahnan. 

—Anna Smith 

No End to Counterfeiting and Piracy 

Earlier this month the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative released its annual review of online and physical markets that allegedly assist or engage in “substantial” trademark counterfeiting or copyright piracy.  

One key takeaway: A substantial number of markets continue to participate in substantial counterfeiting and copyright infringement activities. 

The 2025 Review of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy identified 37 online markets and 32 physical markets engaging in these activities. This compares to 38 online and 33 physical markets outlined in the 2024 review, for a net reduction of two.  

The USTR points out that the list isn’t exhaustive, nor does it indicate legal violations.  

The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation expressed frustration with the review’s findings. In a statement, ITIF senior policy analyst Eli Clemens said, “The USTR’s decision not to include Chinese online marketplaces like Temu, AliExpress, and SHEIN on the 2025 Notorious Markets List sends the wrong signal about accountability for facilitating counterfeit goods. These platforms consistently fail to identify or delist probably counterfeits, allowing these goods to remain available and accumulate significant sales. They operate within China’s industrial policy environment that incentivizes global market share growth and tolerates counterfeiting.” 

Also not included on the list were markets such as TikTok Shop, Facebook and Instagram, platforms with which stakeholders have expressed concerns, the Notorious List review noted.  

“As with other markets listed in this NML, stakeholders raise concerns with the high volume of counterfeit products available in these marketplaces, fraudulent advertisements and popular influencers promoting counterfeit goods, and ineffective enforcement measures to limit counterfeit sales and deter repeat offenders,” the report states. “USTR will continue to monitor and engage with such platforms.” 

A PDF of the 2025 Notorious Markets List is available here.  

— Jill Jusko

NIST Nominee Punts on Manufacturing Extension Partnerships 

Last week, U.S. senators quizzed Arvind Raman, President Donald Trump’s nominee for director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), on where he stands on the nation’s Manufacturing Extension Partnerships that support small- and medium-sized manufacturers.  

Raman, who is dean of mechanical engineering at Purdue University (which has its own MEP program), responded that “I know MEP programs have broad partisan support and that they’ve done a lot of good, but at the same time there are concerns.” 

Since Trump’s first term, the administration has moved to defund the MEP program despite bipartisan support and Congress’s vote to allocate the funds. Congress has thwarted those attempts, although Ohio’s MEP has effectively been defunded pending audit findings expected to surface sometime in the spring.  

At the confirmation hearing, Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno said, “I’ve not heard proper justification,” for the $6.1 million federal funding freeze for Ohio’s MEP offices.  

Moreno added that although he has “a great relationship with the Commerce Department from Secretary [Howard] Lutnick on down,” on the defunding of Ohio’s MEP, “I’ve gotten almost no information on what’s actually going on.” 

Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington also voiced concern. 

“Will you support the Manufacturing Extension programs that are in law and under NIST?” asked Cantwell. 

Raman would not say yes or no. “I’m fully committed to this administration’s priorities to reindustrialize America, bring manufacturing back,” he said. “That being said, I have been aware that there have been some inspector general concerns regarding the extension program.”

—Laura Putre