It’s just business: manufacturing moves from HP, Flex, AIM MRO and more

The business of manufacturing never stops. Industrial companies merge, invest and strategically expand to keep competitive, even under adverse business conditions. Read on for more details on five such expansions and acquisitions made by industrial and manufacturing companies.

Partnership: HP and Volkmann announced March 3 that the companies would collaborate on a contained metal powder handling solution for metal jet printers. Under the terms of the deal, HP’s Metal Jet S100 3D printers will be compatible with specially-designed proprietary Volkmann contained metal powder management systems. In a statement, Alexandre Tartas, a global head  of sales at HP Additive Manufacturing Solutions, said the containment solution would improve device efficiency and safety.

Expansion: Nasoya announced March 11 it would spend $55 million to expand an existing tofu manufacturing plant in Ayer, Massachusetts. The expansion will add 65,000 square feet of new space and increasing the plant workforce by 20%, for a total size of 200,000 square feet and daily capacity of 400,000 pounds of tofu. The company says that, after the expansion, the tofu factory will be the largest in the world.

Partnership: Flex announced March 2 it would expand its manufacturing collaboration with AMD to produce the semiconductor manufacturer’s AMD Instinct graphics processing unit platform, which are experiencing a surge in demand alongside the use of GPUs in data centers for AI services. According to a release from Flex, the contract manufacturer has already started manufacturing the AMD Instinct in its Austin, Texas headquarters with plans to increase production.

Expansion: Yazoo Mills announced March 12 that it had finished construction of its third paper tubes and cores factory in Hanover, Pennsylvania. According to a company statement, the $14 million plant construction included relocating eight winding lines and 14 recutting machines to the new site. The plant is Yazoo Mills’ third manufacturing location.

Acquisition: AIM MRO Holdings announced March 11 it had acquired Advanced Air West Palm Beach, Inc., a manufacturer of replacement bushings, sleeves and fasteners for aerospace landing gear, for an unspecified pricev. AIM MRO company leadership noted the purchase expands its portfolio of engineered products, which also include engineered surface coatings and masking products for aerospace engines.