ALEXANDRIA, VA—FANUC America and the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council have decided to co-market the stackability of their respective industry-recognized certifications to meet the acute shortage of skilled industrial robotics and automation operators.

FRANKFURT, Germany—The market for professional service robots reached a turnover of $6.7 billion worldwide, a 12 percent increase from 2020, according to the "World Robotics 2021–Service Robots" report by the International Federation of Robotics.

ROSSLYN, VA—The National Electrical Manufacturers Association recently recommended to the Commerce Department Bureau of Industry and Security the need to establish U.S. semiconductor manufacturing and supply chain capabilities in key applications, such as those that use connectivity technologies.

KANSAS CITY, MO—ALPLA Inc. North America has announced plans to build a new 246,000-square-foot injection molding facility here to make products such as closures.

BOSTON—GE recently announced plans to split apart into three separate companies in coming years, including a stand-alone GE Healthcare.

WASHINGTON—In conjunction with Health Canada and the United Kingdom’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has published 10 guiding principles for Good Machine Learning Practice in the development of medical devices.

CHAPEL HILL, NC—Scientists at Stanford University and the University of North Carolina have created a 3D-printed vaccine patch that reportedly provides greater protection than a typical vaccine shot.

BANNOCKBURN, IL—A new IPC study says congressional action is urgently needed to strengthen the health of the domestic advanced packaging industry if it is to meet increased demand in chip production.

BETHESDA, MD—Lockheed Martin is extending its use of MakerBot 3D printers to produce parts and designs for upcoming space projects, including NASA's Artemis program.

HUNTSVILLE, AL—On Monday, Mazda Toyota Manufacturing unveiled the all-new Mazda CX-50, which will be built at the company’s manufacturing facility here starting in January 2022.