H1 headline goes here - NO IMAGE

paragraph style text goes here  

Advancing Design Quality Management 2026 Hits Chicago in April

Advancing Design Quality Management 2026 is a three-day conference bringing together quality, technical, operations, and firm leaders from top architecture and engineering organizations to redefine how design quality is delivered in an era of increasing project complexity.

Taking place April 13–15, 2026 at the Crowne Plaza Chicago West Loop, the event explores how firms can modernize QA/QC programs, integrate AI responsibly, and strengthen technical accuracy under accelerated delivery timelines.

Attendees will gain practical strategies for unifying standards across regions, building stronger pipelines of quality-minded designers, reducing risk, and improving profitability. With workshops, case studies, and peer-led discussions, the conference offers actionable insights into elevating firmwide quality practices and embedding dependable workflows into daily design operations.

For more information and to register, visit https://advancing-design-quality-management.com/?utm_source=quality-magazine&utm_medium=media-partner&utm_campaign=press-release&utm_content=content/ev-69797.

Octave Launches New Brand Built Around Unleashing Intelligence at Scale

Drawing on decades of expertise, the potential Hexagon spin-off helps organizations navigate uncertainty and manage change across the world’s most critical infrastructure.

Octave, the potential software spin-off from Hexagon AB, unveiled its new brand identity, marking a major step toward its transition into an independent company. Comprised of Hexagon’s Asset Lifecycle Intelligence and Safety, Infrastructure & Geospatial divisions, alongside the Bricsys, ETQ and Projectmates businesses, Octave’s brand signals a clear vision of purpose and mission to unleash intelligence at scale.

The new brand unifies a market-leading portfolio that solves and simplifies complexity across the entire lifecycle, from design and build to the operation and protection of people, property, and assets.

“Octave exists to help customers make better decisions when complexity is high and the stakes matter,” said Mattias Stenberg, chief executive officer of Octave. “We aren't just launching a logo; this is a commitment to help organizations achieve the outcomes that matter most. When failure isn’t an option and success is essential, Octave provides the clarity and accountability leaders need to realize their most critical outcomes."

Industrial and infrastructure organizations are facing escalating complexity and uncertainty across their operations. Today’s leaders face a world of operational chaos, fragmented systems and data they can’t trust.

Octave meets these challenges by transforming fragmented data into decisive action, helping leaders cut through the noise and turn unpredictability into a competitive edge.

The Octave portfolio is powered by domain-specific artificial intelligence that helps organizations achieve crucial outcomes across the lifecycle that were previously difficult to address.

By connecting the flow of data into one contextualized platform and leveraging domain specific artificial intelligence, Octave solutions provide the intelligence required to optimize performance across four core pillars:

• Design: Supports 3D modeling, engineering analysis, simulation and geospatial intelligence. Allows teams to create information-rich digital representations that serve as the basis for downstream activities.
• Build: Connects engineering, procurement, fabrication, construction, and commissioning workflows. Octave solutions coordinate materials, track progress, manage changes and improve cost and schedule predictability.
• Operate: Unifies operational data, historical information, maintenance activities, quality systems and worker tools. This enables real-time insight, predictive intelligence, and improved asset and system performance.
• Protect: Elevates public safety, physical security and industrial cybersecurity. This includes incident response, emergency management, situational awareness, digital security and regulatory compliance.

As part of Octave’s new brand, the company also launched its new website and a social media presence to bring to life how Octave supports critical assets and people across the globe.

The spin-off of Octave remains subject to an ongoing separation process and final approval of the board and shareholders, as well as other conditions, consents and regulatory approvals. There can be no assurances a separation, spin-off or listing will occur.

For more information, visit octave.com.

December 2025 US Cutting Tool Shipments Totaled $215M, Up 17.1% From December 2024

Shipments of cutting tools, measured by the Cutting Tool Market Report, a collaboration between AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology and the U.S. Cutting Tool Institute (USCTI), totaled $215 million in December 2025. The total increased 4.3% from November 2025 and 17.1% from December 2024. For full-year 2025, shipments totaled $2.56 billion, up 2.5% from 2024.

Alan Richter, editor-at-large of Cutting Tool Engineering, said, “Growth in the aerospace and automotive sectors indicates cutting tool demand should continue the gains seen during the last quarter of 2025 through at least the first half of 2026. The upcoming IMTS – The International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago will stimulate positive activity for the second half of the year.” Eli Lustgarten, president of ESL Consultants, said: “2025 marked the fifth straight year of higher orders since the trough in 2020. The ISM Manufacturing index signaled expansion for the first time in 12 months in December 2025. Cutting tool demand is likely to improve by about 5% to 10% in 2026, with lagging unit sales finally catching up to dollar-sales growth. Aerospace and defense should remain strong; data centers and energy are projected to be robust; and construction markets should also improve. The key to the magnitude of improvement in 2026 may be the auto sector, which was relatively flat in 2025 and continues to face supply chain issues and weakening electric vehicle demand.”

For more information, visit amtonline.org.

Red Bull Ford Powertrains Uses Hexagon Tech to Ensure Super-High-Performance of Its First-Ever F1 Powertrain

Advanced measurement technologies from Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence Business Area have been instrumental in the development and production of the first-ever powertrain produced by Red Bull Ford Powertrains.

Ready for the dramatic rule changes for chassis and engines governing the 2026 F1 season, Red Bull Ford Powertrains has used Hexagon’s ultra-high accuracy coordinate measuring machines (CMMs), 3D laser scanners and software to achieve the sub-micron tolerances necessary for the manufacture, testing and assembly of its entirely new high-performance 1.6 litre V6 turbo hybrid powertrain.

The new regulations require all cars to be completely redesigned for an era of more “agile, competitive, safer and more sustainable” racing. While the new rules increase reliance on electrical energy, altered aerodynamics and changes to wings will produce less downforce, placing new performance demands on the car’s power unit. The front wings are simplified, while the undersides of cars have lost Venturi tunnels that generated a huge amount of grip.

To meet these new rules, Red Bull took the bold decision in 2021 to build its own powertrain from scratch at the Red Bull Technology Campus in Milton Keynes, later in 2023 welcoming Ford Racing on board as technical partner to become Red Bull Ford Powertrains.  Oracle Red Bull Racing remains responsible for production of the chassis and the significant alterations necessary for race compliance in 2026.

From the start of engine production four years ago, Hexagon’s high precision metrology technologies – including the Leitz PMM-C Precision CMM and Leica Absolute Scanner AS1 – have proved integral to achieving the thousandth-of-a-millimetre tolerances required to deliver the race-ready power unit on time. They have accelerated testing and inspection along the entire R&D phase right through to prototyping, test-rig testing and production at Red Bull Ford Powertrains facility in Milton Keynes. Each of the many thousands of moving engine components has been constantly measured and tested over repeated cycles.

The Leitz PMM-C CMMs are used right across the manufacturing and build areas and are the only equipment capable of dealing with the accuracy, repeatability, and flexibility that Red Bull Ford Powertrains requires in power unit manufacture. The portable AS1 3D scanner is used with an Absolute Arm to scan the outer surfaces of the power unit’s crankcases and Energy Recovery System (ERS) installations for quality control.

The RB22’s s livery was revealed earlier this year at a spectacular show in Detroit, the historic home of Ford, ready for the new season which started with the Australian Grand Prix on March 6-8. Hexagon branding returns to the lower sidepod of the RB22, reflecting the new phase in the nearly two-decade long partnership. 

“Hexagon’s shared passion for extreme accuracy and performance has been vital to this ambitious project," said Ben Hodgkinson, Technical Director, Red Bull Ford Powertrains. "With every element built from scratch, Hexagon’s metrology expertise has enabled us to achieve the tolerances and the levels of quality we require in a cutting-edge piece of engineering to perform at the top level of motorsport. We’re very selective about who we work with and never stop pushing the boundaries – striving for that extra millisecond in performance. We know that Hexagon will support us on that ultra-competitive quest."

Hexagon has enabled the Red Bull Ford Powertrains team to integrate quality inspection and digitalize up-to-date 3D models into its engineering processes. Data is captured in QUINDOS – Hexagon’s advanced metrology software for complex geometries such as gears, blades and similarly challenging components. Where required, the data is transferred to Hexagon’s Q-DAS for further statistical trend analysis. The integration of these solutions allows for monitoring of CNC machines and provides corrective feedback to ensure components are manufactured right the first-time.

RB22 is the only car on the grid to have its chassis and power unit designed and built on the same campus in the UK. The accuracy of the Hexagon technologies ensures delivers unmatched productivity while helping Red Bull Ford Powertrains stay within the new engine cost cap imposed by this year’s regulations. 

Oracle Red Bull Racing, which builds the chassis, also uses Hexagon technology, including laser trackers, to ensure the extreme accuracy of set-up and power unit assembly for the new vehicles during the racing season as it has done throughout its 19-year partnership with the Team. Hexagon’s 3D laser scanning technology and trackside support will be crucial to the required continuous aerodynamic refinements, ensuring the precision needed to push the team to the front of the grid each race. 

With around 30,000 design changes each season, the Team relies on Hexagon’s 3D laser scanners and digitalization solutions to reach the pinnacle of performance. The Oracle Red Bull Racing team has previously reduced faults by 50% using Hexagon technology over 24 months. Measurements from Hexagon’s fast and reliable scanning technologies ensure the car is accurately set up and reassembled for each race, maximizing performance on the track.

"Hexagon’s portable metrology technologies will ensure the correct car set-up and power unit assembly for the new season vehicles, building on our 19-year partnership with Oracle Red Bull Racing,” commented Emanuel Viklund, President Portable Metrology Division at Hexagon. “Working with Red Bull Ford Powertrains this season is incredibly exciting for all of us at Hexagon. Together, we have engineered and built a powertrain unit under immense pressure. Designed for peak performance, the DM-01 powertrain is now ready to prove itself on the track. But nothing in F1 stands still - there is always a new challenge to tackle, a fraction of a second to gain and an opportunity to refine the car to push the limits of precision and performance. We are proud to support them every step of the way.”

For more information, visit https://hexagon.com/resources/customer-success-stories/oracle-red-bull-racing-shaping-victory or hexagon.com.

Manufacturing Technology Orders Set Record in December 2025

New orders of metalworking machinery, measured by the U.S. Manufacturing Technology Orders Report published by AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology, totaled $814.3 million in December 2025, the highest monthly order value on record. The value of December 2025 orders grew 86.7% over November 2025 and 59.9% over December 2024. Through November 2025, the annual total had already surpassed the value of all 2024 orders by 5.1%. December orders brought the 2025 total value of machinery orders to $5.74 billion, beating 2024 by 22.5%.

While demand for manufacturing technology quickly rebounded from the 2020 COVID-19 recession, growing by more than half in 2021, it was followed by three years of decline, reaching a trough in the summer of 2024. The industry began to recover in September 2024 on the heels of IMTS – The International Manufacturing Technology Show. That pickup in demand at the end of 2024 was amplified in 2025 by a less restrictive interest rate environment, an easing of the uncertainty that gripped the middle of the year, and the passage of tax provisions favorable to capital investment.

Through 2025, the value of manufacturing technology investments followed a relatively linear upward path, whereas the count of units ordered had a slightly choppier journey: January had the lowest order value of the year, while unit trends showed a modest slump from May to August. These divergent trends indicate that the heightened uncertainty following the April 2 tariff announcement may have delayed some orders, but that large, longer-term investments were undeterred by rising uncertainty and political noise.

While the May-August 2025 slump in units ordered was easily attributable to the heightened uncertainty of the time, it also extended a longer-running trend of loosening correlation between the number of machines ordered and their value, which began in the latter half of 2021. Instances of two data series deviating from a normally correlated path have cropped up so frequently in the analysis of economic data that a December 2025 New York Times article asked, “When did everything become K-shaped?” These bifurcated trends in machinery orders are largely due to increased demand for automation and divergent buying patterns across customer industries.

Orders from contract machine shops, the largest customer of manufacturing technology, grew 19.1% in 2025. This industry is a strong driver of unit growth, so its underperformance relative to the total market growth of 22.5% has contributed to the growing divergence between dollar value and unit trends. Conversely, the aerospace sector typically purchases high-value machinery that drives dollar-value growth without moving the needle on units as much as other customer industries. Growing factory shipments in 2025, along with ongoing capacity constraints, have led to 45.1% growth in manufacturing technology orders from aerospace manufacturers compared to 2024.

Investment in manufacturing technology from auto manufacturers has varied wildly over the last several years, after the industry made headline-grabbing forays into electric vehicle production and an equally publicized retreat that required further retooling of production lines. This change in response to consumer preferences led to a 22.2% increase in machinery investment in 2024. The fastest-growing industry in 2025 was commercial and service machinery, which grew 121.5% over 2024 levels. Among other equipment used throughout the service sector, this industry also manufactures inspection equipment heavily used in chip fabs.

The forces that propelled investment in manufacturing technology to new heights at the end of 2025 will continue to drive the market well into 2026, with single-digit annual growth expected. The race to build AI capacity is creating opportunities to further sales in the industries that support electricity generation and distribution. Amid a global decline in steel production, the United States stands as an outlier, with production increasing. Coupling this increase with strong investments in machinery by primary metal producers could point to further manufacturing capacity needs in the coming months and years. Machinery ordered in 2025 will begin to hit shop floors throughout the first quarter of 2026 and, combined with increased levels of industrial activity, are expected to push cutting tool consumption up nearly 5% in 2026.

Continued consumer demand and elevated investment in manufacturing technology lend credence to the Federal Reserve’s assertion that interest rates are approaching, if not at, the neutral rate as supply and demand forces in the economy move closer to alignment. If these factors persist as expected, a quite rationally exuberant manufacturing sector will convene in Chicago from Sept. 14 through 19, when IMTS – The International Manufacturing Technology Show opens.

For more information, visit amtonline.gov.