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‍We eat, drink, and sleep manufacturing at Fictiv. And when we’re not finding the best manufacturing technology and solutions for our customers, we’re busy learning what’s new and keeping across the latest trends. If you’re wondering what’s new in the world of manufacturing, check out our weekly insights, a quick roundup of what caught our eye.

This week is a big week for innovation. Close to 200,000 people, including almost 2,000 journalists, descended on Las Vegas for the annual tech-fest that is the Consumer Electronics Show, or CES 2020. For that reason, much of what we’ve read and watched this week has been centered around that event. Here are a few of our highlights.

  • We opened the week with our own CEO Dave Evans’ column in Forbes outlining his expectation of this year’s event and an overview of the ingredient technologies driving innovation. CES 2020: What’s Driving Innovation.
  • One of the first innovations on display at CES this week was the Samsung Ballie, presented in the first keynote of the event. This ball-shaped combination of a smart home device and a robotic companion made it to the top of Time’s “25 Best Products of CES 2020” list.
  • The Consumer Technology Association’s Innovation Scorecard is presented at CES every year, and this year a record 15 states are listed as Innovation Champions. You can see all the scores online, including the International Innovation Scorecard topped by Estonia, with the USA not far behind in fourth spot.
  • According to WIRED, Bell and Hyundai Soared into the Air Taxi Race this week at CES. Both the helicopter maker and the global manufacturing giant unveiled their concepts for flying urban mobility.
  • US Today picked out their own favorites from CES 2020, including a flying car, inkjet-printed makeup, foldable screen tablets, Delta Air Lines’ parallel reality, plant based pork from Impossible Foods, and new streaming service Quibi.
  • Away from CES, IndustryWeek writer Stephen Gold says thanks to the 2010s for Four Compelling Changes from the Past Decade, citing the Uber/Amazon/Googlization of society, AI, connectivity, and the expansion of IoT.
  • Thomas Insights shared the news that, after dedicating months to the redesign of its Max jet, Boeing has announced that it will suspend production of the controversial airplane beginning in January.
  • According to Forbes writer Marco Annunziata, 3D printing is coming of age. He touches on the remarkable progress made thus far, as we’ve gone from simple models and figurines to medical devices and implantable human body parts. Meanwhile, 3D printing technology for industry has also progressed very rapidly, and it’s arguably the space to watch closely in 2020. Read his article 2020: The Year Ahead In 3D.

That’s a wrap for this week, if you like what you see or would like to hear more about a specific topic, drop us a note on one of our social channels.