Investment is rising in domestic production, automation, M&A and more. At the same time, manufacturers are navigating a complex  environment due to trade policies and changing regulations. U.S. manufacturing investment and policy will once again be in the spotlight during 2026, after a very eventful year in 2025.  President Donald Trump’s administration is aiming to bolster domestic investments through tariffs, as well as an ongoing deregulatory push. Federal jobs data and economic reports show a more complex picture about how quickly that rebound may be happening. Meanwhile, investment continues to ramp up in the space via M&A activity, major facility projects, automation, artificial intelligence and more.

The Boards of the Finnish Industrial Union and Technology Industry Employers of Finland on Saturday showed a green light to the pay agreement their negotiators had accepted on Thursday. The agreement guarantees employees a pay rise of 2.5 per cent in 2025, 2.9 per cent in 2026 and 2.4 per cent in 2027, equivalent to a pay rise of eight per cent over the three-year agreement term due to the compound interest effect. The third year, though, can be terminated by the contract parties. An employee currently earning 3,300 euros a month will thus see their earnings rise to 3,383 euros in 2025, to 3,481 euros in 2026 and to 3,564 euros in 2027. The agreement signals an important breakthrough in what had been a deadlocked labour market situation not only because if directly applies to roughly 90,000 employees in a key export industry, but also because it has an indirect impact on most wage earners in the country. The tradition has been that other industries take their cues from the agreement thrashed out in the technology industry.

Kruger has announced a sweeping diversification plan to secure the future of its Corner Brook Pulp and Paper operations, proposing an investment of up to $700 million to transform the mill into a modernized, sustainable manufacturing hub. The ambitious project—pending alignment with key stakeholders—aims to position the facility as one of the most competitive in the pulp and paper industry. In addition to modernizing production lines, Kruger plans to build a new pulp storage facility, upgrade site infrastructure, improve chip handling systems, and implement a biomass drying and unloading operation for its cogeneration plant.