Industry Week Only 23 percent of manufacturers are optimistic about the direction of the global economy, according to the Q3 2015 Manufacturing Barometer.

Business Insider American manufacturing is in recession. Production at factories fell for a second straight month, global demand has slowed, low oil prices are hammering the mining sector and related industries, and the strong dollar has made things harder for manufacturers sending goods abroad.

Industry Week Tesla is taking a major step toward autonomous cars by installing new autopilot software in North America to automatically change lanes, manage speed, and even hit the brakes.

BBC It's been a tough few weeks for the UK manufacturing sector. SSI Steel has closed its blast furnace and coke ovens in Redcar, and Tata Steel is expected to cut jobs at its sites in Scunthorpe and Lanarkshire. Thousands of jobs are likely to go.

The New York Times Multinationals around the globe have begun to look seriously at manufacturing in India, with its plentiful and inexpensive labor pool. But the investment doesn’t mean doing business in India is getting easier. Rather, it is a sign that doing business in China is getting more difficult.

Industry Week As Volkswagen struggles with its largest crisis over the global pollution cheating scandal, its car parts suppliers in Germany are bracing for deep cuts.

Time Warner Cable News Western New York has a strong manufacturing history, but Panzica said in the next 4-5 years there will be 17,000 open jobs in that industry, and the problem is finding qualified people to do the work.

ZDNet DARPA has revealed plans to create drones which disappear after delivering food or medical supplies to remote areas.

Rapid Ready Revenues from additive manufacturing hardware, software, materials, and services in non-defense, commercial, and general aviation will reach $1.7 billion in 2020 and then grow to $3.3 billion in 2022.

Manufacturing.net German researchers have teamed up with the University of Breman to create a robot that can perform basic day-to-day assignments on the International Space Station, freeing up astronauts to focus their attention on projects that require more thought.

Industry Week A research firm declared that Tesla is more in the middle of the pack for autonomous vehicle development. The automakers who are really leading are Daimler, Audi, BMW, and General Motors.

Manufacturing Business Technology Toyota, under ambitious environmental targets, is aiming to sell hardly any regular gasoline vehicles (only hybrids and fuel cells) by 2050 to radically reduce emissions.

Powder Injection Moulding International ARC Group Worldwide, Inc. has announced that its 3D printing/additive manufacturing division has further expanded its metal additive manufacturing capacity with the purchase of new machines from Concept Laser and EOS.

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

Aerospace Manufacturing and Design Lockheed Martin has received a $305.4 million contract from the U.S. Air Force for continued production of the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile and its Extended Range version.

Biz Times The Industrial Internet (also known as Industry 4.0, the Industrial Internet of Things, or IIoT) is perhaps the most valuable segment of the IoT market, with an estimated economic impact of up to $3.7 trillion, roughly one-third of the total IoT value.

Market Watch A new IDC Manufacturing Insights report focuses on technology adoption within the industry for smart manufacturing and assesses key technologies that are driving evolution beyond the current industry technology best practices of today.

The Washington Times Plans by India-based Sakthi Automotive Group for a roughly $30 million manufacturing facility on Detroit’s southwest side are moving forward.

Automation World System integrators will have to be ready to change their business model, at least in part, by offering subscription services or by focusing on other aspects of their business that may be less impacted by the smart manufacturing transformation.

PC World Like prizefighters in intense training, two groups trying to define the Internet of Things are headed for a big showdown in Las Vegas early next year. Visitors to the International CES in early January should get to see products certified by the AllSeen Alliance and the Open Interconnect Consortium. Each group is promoting its own approach to making connected devices and the applications running on them work together.