Manufacturing.net The Department of Energy awarded almost $55 million to 24 projects devoted to electric and other fuel-efficient vehicles. Eight of those projects are focused on dual-fuel or natural gas engines, which could be used in both passenger vehicles and commercial trucks. Some of these, inspired by the SuperTruck, focus specifically on improving the efficiency of heavy-duty diesel engines. The effort is part of a federal push to increase fuel efficiency and reduce petroleum consumption.

Individual session registration is available for the AGMA Fall Technical Meeting. Join us for presentations covering the following topics – Session I: Materials & Heat Treatment; Session II: Manufacturing; Session III: Gear Application; Session IV: Lubrication, Efficiency, Noise, & Vibration; and Session V: Gear Wear & Failure. Register through the Gear Expo site today!

Live Science The U.S. Air Force is offering $2 million to whoever can design a new and improved engine to power its airplanes. The competition, known as the Air Force Prize, is open to American citizens and permanent U.S. residents age 18 and older as well as corporations and research institutions in the United States. The goal of the contest is to speed up the development of a lightweight, fuel-efficient turbine engine – or jet engine – to power the aircraft of the future.

Pacific Standard The future of manufacturing may be more productive, but it won’t create many more jobs. Manufacturing, so long at the heart of the American dream, is now increasingly an industry run with automation.

Manufacturing Business Technology The Defense Advanced Research Institute, or DARPA, now has a solution for landing helicopters on choppy water and uneven terrain. The Mission Adaptive Rotor program has unveiled robotic landing gear. Instead of regular skids, the robotic landing gear consists of four articulated legs, shaped like giant steel insect legs that can fold and adapt to uneven surfaces.

Manufacturing.net The tentative contract between the United Auto Workers union and Fiat Chrysler would see the automaker invest more than $5 billion in its U.S. plants. But the plan would also focus its U.S. operations on more profitable SUVs and pickups and move a large component of the company's car production to Mexico.

Industry Week The self-driving car is coming but not as rapidly as people think, said the head of the European operations of South Korean carmaker Hyundai, Thomas Schmid, on Wednesday. Alongside the connected car, autonomous driving is one of the new buzzwords in the automobile sector.

The Buffalo News Area manufacturers say they need more skilled workers to fill openings, due to retirements or expansion plans. The program at Buffalo State aims to produce graduates with the skills employers say they struggle to find.

Manufacturing Business Technology Here’s a look at news coming from the show, including Citroen’s Cactus M, Mazda’s crossover concept, Peugeot’s plan to sell cars in Iran, and some Best in Show favorites.

Manufacturing.net Maintaining wind turbines is a critical but time-consuming business. Dedicated technicians must gather their gear, rope up, and climb hundreds of feet to inspect turbine blades and nacelles. But help is on the way: unmanned aerial vehicles, a.k.a. drones. With 270,000 wind turbines currently installed in the U.S., a dedicated operations and maintenance drone fleet could be a serious time and money saver for wind power companies

Car Scoops A UK-based company called Ilmor Engineering is the creator of a concept for a very innovative internal combustion petrol engine that has five strokes per cycle. The setup not only uses up more of the stored energy in the fuel but is apparently also cleaner and more powerful.

Harvard Business Review India is starting to attract more attention for its manufacturing potential. North American executives are increasingly looking to expand their manufacturing supply chains beyond China. To decide if India is a good candidate for your operations, it’s important to understand the opportunities of doing business in the country — as well as the challenges.

The Wall Street Journal Read up-to-the-minute news, analysis, interviews, and explanatory journalism on logistics, supply-chain management, e-commerce, and more.

Manufacturing.net Aston Martin hopes to sell around 14,000 vehicles a year by 2020 after selling 4,000 units in 2014. In an effort to reach the this goal, the British luxury vehicle manufacturer plans to begin producing its electric crossover in the coming years.

Manufacturing.net For a quarter million dollars and fewer training hours than are required to pilot most planes, you can take off in this two-seat hybrid seaplane. It's almost too easy — and the founders of Icon Aircraft are betting that flying-for-fun will be a new growth sector for the private aviation market.

Chicago Tribune Mondelez International will move some of its Oreo and other cookie production from Chicago to Mexico, resulting in 600 layoffs at its Southwest Side bakery next year. These production lines are headed to a large industrial park known as Interpuerto Monterrey, Mexico's largest "inland port." There, Mondelez has constructed one of the biggest cookie factories in the world.

Your Story IoT companies like Entrib Technologies are offering shop floor management services that provide real-time machine updates and production feedback for better plant performance. We reached out to experts from the manufacturing industry on the various aspects which IoT startups should consider to excel.