West Michigan’s Advanced Manufacturing Expo is going big for 2016. 

GRAND RAPIDS — After purposely avoiding deals in the automotive industry, private equity firm Blackford Capital has shifted its strategy with the acquisition of a Southeast Michigan supplier.  

Craft brewers’ increasing appetite for local ingredients has translated into a budding opportunity for Michigan hop growers. 

GE Aviation plans to expand its facility at 6120 Norton Center Dr., according to documents submitted to the Norton Shores planning commission.

A startup biotech company that aims to counter invasive aquatic species has set up shop in the Muskegon Innovation Hub.

Despite stagnate revenues, global appliance maker Whirlpool Corp. outpaced financial analysts’ expectations for its second quarter of 2016.

The momentum built by Gentex Corp. in the beginning of the year has continued on into the automotive supplier’s second quarter, driven primarily by sales of the company’s auto-dimming mirrors.

Robust construction and retail markets drove sales in Universal Forest Products Inc.’s second quarter.

Drought-like conditions and damaging storms throughout June and the first half of July will likely hamper what would have been a substantial harvest for some Michigan crops this year. 

SPARTA — Buoyed by a $20 million investment, Tesa Tape Inc. aims to transform one if its West Michigan facilities into the North American hub for adhesive tape production and development. 

ZEELAND — A small but growing number of West Michigan manufacturers hope America’s space ambitions will take off and allow them to continue to develop a niche market.

When Deschutes Brewery founder Gary Fish launched a two-year search to locate the Oregon company’s first satellite production facility, one of his top criteria was determining whether the state and local community wanted his business.

A West Michigan luxury boat builder aims to breathe new life into a facility near Lake Macatawa that once manufactured iconic high-end boats.

A wholesale nursery with operations in West Michigan has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after struggling financially for several years. 

Dow Chemical Co.’s decision to shave 700 workers from its workforce in Midland may prove beneficial for West Michigan manufacturers struggling to fill their talent needs.

While President and CEO Margie Briganti’s abrupt departure after 14 months at Battle Creek Creek Unlimited left a hole in the leadership of the economic development firm, it also comes on the heels of what’s been a tumultuous two years for the organization.

RICHLAND — As manufacturers turn to automation and robotics to speed production and increase efficiencies, one soon-to-be graduate of Western Michigan University aims to bring that technology to machine shops. 

British voters wanted to send a message with the Brexit vote, and it was certainly heard loud and clear by manufacturers in West Michigan. 

The airspace above West Michigan could become considerably more crowded now that a new federal ruling makes it easier for companies to use drones.

JR Automation Technologies LLC plans to invest $5.6 million to purchase a new facility in Holland Charter Township that will accommodate growth among its executive, engineering and other support staff.

While Steelcase Inc.’s first quarter earnings largely met executives’ expectations, the company projects a decline in revenues and orders in its second quarter, driven largely by uncertainty in the global market.

A combination of a rebounding North American market and robust performance from niche categories led to a strong finish for Herman Miller Inc.’s 2016 fiscal year.

As the footprint of workstations continues to shrink, office furniture manufacturers are focusing on integrating new technology into their products to drive value. 

CHICAGO — After several years of vacillating between open office concepts and private spaces, the so-called “pendulum shift” in office furniture seems to have settled into a new normal. 

MUSKEGON — A pair of West Michigan entrepreneurs want to create a market for onsite electrical power generation by undercutting large utilities with cheaper electricity costs. 

Apart from uncertainty caused by global turmoil and the current political landscape, the office furniture industry seems primed for at least two more years of positive, albeit modest, growth.

ZEELAND — When news of a lawsuit questioning the legality of Herman Miller Inc.’s acquisition of Design Within Reach made headlines this month, few people in the industry understood the complexity of the case. 

Herman Miller Inc.’s highly praised $154 million acquisition in 2014 of high-end furniture retailer Design Within Reach Inc. may not legally have occurred.

A consortium of academics, government officials and industry leaders wants to refocus the state on wood products and create a hub for bio-materials produced from Michigan’s forests.

LANSING — One mid-Michigan entrepreneur wants to fill a need in the rapidly growing market for unmanned aerial vehicles by catering his products to educators and students.