Investor Watch: April 16, 2026

ASSOCIATION UPDATE

On the eve of the association’s Spring Forum next week in Little Rock, Arkansas, IAMC Chair Matt Boehlke explores making connections, and we look into IAMC’s substantial impact via findings from its annual report, new programming and our own project research.

NEWS DIGEST

Singapore gets a $24 billion wafer fabrication facility. A green Danish industrial park scoops up a 100-MW AI data center. CDMO Vetter Pharma will build a $566 million facility in Germany. Solar power company Sungrow announces a major investment in Poland. StartupBlink lists the top 10 countries for best business environment.

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Among ZEISS metrology products is ZEISS ScanPort, launched in 2025.
Photo courtesy of ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions

ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions today celebrates the grand opening of its new Quality Excellence Center in Huntersville, North Carolina, with something beyond a ribbon-cutting: a one-day event “bringing together manufacturers across the southeastern United States to learn, connect and experience a facility built to power manufacturing growth.” The centers provide metrology services, calibration, technical consultation and training to help manufacturers elevate quality, optimize processes and improve production efficiency, the company states.

“As the second U.S.-based ZEISS Quality Excellence Center to open within six months, this facility marks a major milestone, expanding our regional footprint and strengthening support for the Southeast manufacturing sector,” said Hendrie Viktor, president of Minnesota-based ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions USA. “At a time when manufacturers need certainty more than ever, this center signifies our commitment to delivering the innovation and insight needed to move through complexity with confidence — and the quality that powers manufacturing growth.”

ZEISS is an internationally leading technology enterprise operating in the fields of optics and optoelectronics. In its most recent fiscal year, the ZEISS Group generated annual revenue totaling almost €12 billion in its four segments of Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology, Industrial Quality & Research, Medical Technology and Consumer Markets. Founded by Carl Zeiss in 1846 in Jena, Thuringia, Germany, the company is headquartered in Oberkochen, Germany, today and employs 46,600 people. Also headquartered in Oberkochen, ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions has production and development sites outside Germany in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Shanghai, China; and Bengaluru India.

A 2017 Site Selection Investment Profile of the German state of Thuringia included a visit to ZEISS and other companies in Carl Zeiss’s hometown of Jena.

APPRENTICESHIP

Hands-on experience is key in developing a skilled trades workforce.

AEROSPACE & AVIATION

Nearly $19 billion in aerospace products and parts were exported from the state in 2024, a 41.8% increase over the prior year.

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The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on February 20 that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) “does not authorize the President to impose tariffs.”
Photo by Fintan Trimble: Getty Images

U.S. Customs & Border Protection has a plan in place to facilitate $166 billion in tariff refunds. “U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is developing the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) functionality within the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) to streamline the submission and processing of valid refund requests for duties imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), as authorized by court order or applicable law,” the agency states. “The CAPE process is being deployed in phases, and CBP will launch the first phase of CAPE on April 20, 2026.”

The CBP is requiring importers of record to obtain a data portal account that will be used to make automated electronic refund payments.

Photo © Phrae Provincial Cultural Office, Thailand, 2019

This week marked the Thai New Year celebration known as Songkran. “In Thailand, Songkran refers to the sun’s annual passing into the Aries constellation, the first sign of the Zodiac, which marks the traditional start of the new year,” explains UNESCO, which officially inscribed the holiday in 2023 on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. “Occurring in mid-April after the rice harvest, it is a time when people reunite with their families and pay their respects to older adults, ancestors and sacred Buddha images. Pouring water is a significant act during Songkran, symbolizing cleansing, reverence and good fortune. Other activities include bathing important Buddha images, splashing water on family and friends, folk plays, games, music and feasting.”