鈥淕ood athletes are common; good coaches, not so much.鈥�
鈥� Apparently something they say in ball sports. I wouldn鈥檛 know.
This is a published version of the 九色视频 Tech Report newsletter. You can sign up to get the Tech Report in your inbox here.
1. Moving On From Kaizen
Toyota mastered continuous improvement, but Tesla ditched the rulebook, rewrote the process, and now leads in value. From gigacasting to unboxed assembly, they鈥檙e proving that disruption, not iteration, drives the future. Want to compete? Stop tweaking. Think like Skunk Works in 鈥�43: small, scrappy, and radically different. Because 鈥渨e鈥檝e always done it this way鈥� can hold you back when your competitors leapfrog.
2.
Foxconn鈥檚 eyeing Louisville for a $174 million manufacturing hub, bringing 180 well-paid jobs and a dash of global clout. Kentucky鈥檚 offering a package with up to $4 million in incentives and has given them the nod to start sniffing around (read: due diligence). With Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft on Foxconn鈥檚 client list, this move could be a big win. This play feels leaner, smarter, and likely to deliver.
3.
John Deere just pledged a casual $20 billion over the next decade to keep things green and growing stateside. With over 30,000 employees and 60 U.S. sites, Deere鈥檚 doubling down on its home turf, even after layoffs and a tough agricultural market. Forget the Mexico chatter; they鈥檙e not heading south. This move screams, 鈥淲e鈥檙e still in it,鈥� with some serious wallet flex for the long haul.
4.
Renault and exosuit-maker Wandercraft just built a headless humanoid robot named Calvin in 40 days. Voice-operated and factory-ready, Calvin鈥檚 here to bear the back-breaking, wrist-twisting jobs no human wants (or should do). With dexterous hands and swappable tools, it鈥檚 Renault鈥檚 new productivity buddy. Looks like the heavy lifting鈥檚 been handed off to circuits and servos. Now it鈥檚 all firmware updates and fine-tuning grip strength.
5.
When it comes to PCs, especially gaming PCs, it turns out you can buy American 鈥� just not all the way. Companies like System76, Digital Storm, and Origin PC proudly build desktop rigs here in the United States, powder coating and CNC-machining their way to domestic bragging rights. But until we start growing GPUs in cornfields, the guts still come from overseas. Full-American PCs? Not yet. But hey, it's a start 鈥� and at least the chassis bleeds red, white, and blue anodized aluminum.
To get the latest tech developments delivered directly to your inbox, subscribe to the weekly Tech Report here.
To hear the latest in additive manufacturing, material removal, automation, and digital manufacturing, subscribe to the 九色视频 Tech Trends podcast here.
