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On August 19th, tool giant Stanley Black & Decker filed a WARN notice with the state of Maryland, alerting officials to its plans to close a 75-year-old factory.Built in 1951 to produce power tools, the Hampstead, Maryland Black & Decker plant well preceded the 2010 merger between the former company and Stanley Works.And over the years, the company’s name isn't the only thing that’s changed.While Hampstead employed 3,800 by the late 1960s, by 1985 – according to reports – its power tool manufacturing production was shuttered “when efforts to modernize the plant failed.”The company then began using the space mainly as a distribution center – even selling the building along the way – and maintained a small presence to date, for “powdered metal manufacturing and limited warehousing and distribution.”  And while a shadow of its former self, the facility does still employ about 55 workers – that is, until October, when the layoff proceedings will begin, concluding with the facility’s target shutdown in March of 2027.The Baltimore Sun spoke with Stanley Black & Decker spokesperson Debora Raymond, who said the company had, over the past several years, “seen a steady decline in volume in the materials produced at [the] Hampstead facility” and, as such, the closure was pursued.Raymond said the firm was “focused on providing a smooth transition to impacted employees, including options for employment at other Stanley Black & Decker U.S. facilities and operations for salaried employees, in addition to severance, and job placement support services for both salaried and hourly employees.”Stanley Black & Decker announced more than 300 layoffs and a plant closure earlier this year in New Britain Connecticut – once dubbed “Hardware City.” The company blamed the move on a lack of demand for single-sided tape measures.#Manufacturing #StanleyBlackAndDecker #Factory #PowerTools #ManufacturingJobs #IndustrialManufacturing #ManufacturingNews

The owner of a THC extraction business is facing two charges of first-degree murder after an explosion last week at his facility in Oklahoma killed two people.Emergency crews last Thursday responded to the blast near Sand Springs, Oklahoma. According to KTUL, the explosion was strong enough to completely blow out the ceiling and walls of the facility while damaging 25 nearby businesses. One employee was found dead at the scene and another died later from injuries sustained during the blast.

Nearly 40,000 pounds of Pabst Brewing Company beer went missing from a distribution center in California two weeks ago. Now, investigators are searching for clues while the brand offers amnesty.The Montclair Police Department posted on its Facebook page that two cargo thefts occurred August 17 at a local Anheuser-Busch distribution center. The first occurred around 10 a.m., when an unspecified shipment worth about $45,000 was picked up for delivery but never arrived at its intended destination in Tucson, Ariz. The second incident, which involved approximately $25,000 worth of Pabst Blue Ribbon, occurred about an hour later. According to the department, a purported subcontracting company used fraudulent paperwork to arrange the PBR pickup.Officials said investigators identified similarities between the two incidents and will work to determine if they are part of the same operation. The New York Times reported that the police department said no trucks were stolen, only the cargo.PBR posted to Instagram an inventory of the stolen items, which included over 1,400 cases of PBR and nearly 200 cases of Old Milwaukee NA. The post also left a message to the perpetrators: “To the thief: we don’t fault you for wanting to brag to your friends how much PBR you have, we just wish you obtained it the honorable way.” PBR added that they could return the beer by September 8 “no questions asked.” It also offered a reward to anyone who could help solve the mystery and closed with, “P.s. this is real and we are deadly serious.”The Times cited a report from supply chain monitoring group Overhaul, which recorded 605 instances of cargo theft in the U.S. during the second quarter of this year. The publication also referenced theft prevention firm CargoNet, which reported that cargo theft losses nationwide totaled about $725 million in 2025, a 60% increase from 2024.#CargoTheft #SupplyChain #Logistics #PabstBlueRibbon #PBR #Beer #Manufacturing #Distribution #Cargo #SupplyChainSecurity #Crime #ManufacturingNews

According to Cox Automotive, U.S. new-vehicle sales are projected to reach approximately 15.8 million units by the close 2026, marking a modest 2.4% decline from the previous year.High R&D and operating costs - combined with a turbulent economy - have led many major automakers to adjust plans significantly.As an example, last month, The Volkswagen Group announced plans to cut the number of models it produces by 50 percent over the next few years. Uniquely, another automaker seems to be sending the pendulum in the opposite direction.Hyundai has announced an ambitious plan to produce more than 100 new or refreshed vehicle models between now and the end of the decade.At Hyundai’s recent CEO Investor Day, the company detailed its global effort, which will include seven new vehicles within the next eight months, as well as 18 pledged towards “new products and market segments.”

An Ohio-based manufacturer of oil and gas process equipment has filed a lawsuit against a woman over a one-star Google review, the Tribune Chronicle reported. In the complaint, Starr Manufacturing alleges that the comments made by Julie Watson contained false statements that caused the company special damages and reputational harm.Watson’s review from six months ago said the company had faced “a host of quality control issues” after “contracting with shoddy subs,” which led to “time-consuming field updates” to fix improperly connected bolts and fasteners. She also claimed a “lack of oversight to identify where the breaches occurred” and said she could provide locations and names of people who could confirm the alleged “production and quality failures.”

Welcome to another episode of Gen Z in Manufacturing, a podcast that asks young people about their journeys in manufacturing, how they intend to influence the industry and what they are looking for from an employer.For this episode, I welcome Jake Collins, a 30-year-old senior applications engineer for Boston Micro Fabrication, a company that specializes in micro-precision 3D printing.Collins has a background in materials engineering with bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Auburn University. He transitioned from nanotechnology research in school to a quality engineering role at commercial water product maker Elkay Manufacturing, where he gained deeper experience in design and engineering.He then moved into additive manufacturing at BMF, where he has spent nearly five years helping customers apply the company’s 3D printing technology.In this episode, Collins discusses:(1:10) Why Gen Z likes to job hop(6:20) Examples of non-traditional mentorship that young workers appreciate(10:22) The difference between companies that keep talent and companies that lose it(13:40) What the manufacturing workplace will look like when Gen Z is in chargePlease make sure to like and share this episode of Gen Z in Manufacturing. To view previous episodes, visit manufacturing.net. If you are a member of Gen Z and would like to discuss your experience in the manufacturing industry, please get in touch with me, Nolan Beilstein, at [email protected].

Freedom & Glory is a family-owned American flag company based in Hillsborough, North Carolina. The company was founded by Dwight Morris in 1980 and has spent 45 years supplying American-made flags and patriotic products to schools, government agencies, veterans' organizations and communities nationwide. Today, Dwight's daughter, Liz Morris, leads Freedom & Glory as CEO. “We believe in the American dream,” said Liz Morris. “We are based on the analogy of a drop of dye in a bucket of water—the idea that even a small action can produce a lasting change.” Dwight started the company in the attic of his home just outside Chicago. One day, he went shopping, simply looking for a flag to fly outside his home. At the time, Chicago was the second largest city in the United States, and Dwight found it odd that he couldn't find an American-made flag. He founded Carrot Top Industries to fix that problem. 

About 1 in 15 people in the U.S. live in manufactured homes, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. And many of these communities lack access to shelter during extreme weather events. Researchers at Kansas State University have turned to 3D-printed concrete shelters to see if the emerging technology can help these people stay safe. Reese Greenlee is an assistant professor of architecture at KSU’s College of Architecture, Planning & Design. His work has set out to determine whether or not 3D-printed concrete structures, manufactured offsite, can lead to more affordable, adaptable and code-compliant storm sheltersGreenlee said 3D-printed concrete is often just used as an outer shell, with another structural system embedded within it. His goal is to find out what it takes to make 3D-printed concrete a more viable structural system through the particular concrete mixture, printing process and geometry.The process builds shelters layer by layer. The concrete has to be just right, liquidy enough to be pumped and extruded, but also stable enough to maintain its shape and support the layers above it.Greenlee is working on a single full-size, 4-by-4-foot module building block. It's small, because he doesn't have a bigger printer. But the idea is that he can build pieces off-site in a controlled environment, ship them to a site and assemble them there. It's a bit of a departure for the 3D-printed construction industry which promotes on-site printing as a differentiator. Greenlee is also testing whether print orientation, infill and geometry can improve performance under extreme wind pressure and debris impact.Storm shelters have to take quite the beating, surviving impacts like a two-by-four traveling at 100 mph.Next, Greenlee and his team will take his shelters to an Intertek testing facility in Minnesota, where the full-scale module will undergo testing at tornado wind speeds.Greenlee said his work is important because manufactured housing and the communities that live in it have typically received little architectural attention.“It is a substantial portion of the population that has essentially been overlooked,” Greenlee said.#3DPrinting, #AdditiveManufacturing, #Manufacturing, #Construction, #ConstructionTech, #Engineering, #Innovation, #StormShelter, #Tornado, #SevereWeather, #AdvancedManufacturing, #KansasStateUniversity

An unlicensed cookie factory, that was substituting cocoa for a charcoal-based food additive, was recently shut down for various violations.According to Business Insider, Egyptian officials targeted the facility, which was producing imitation products meant to look like other popular brands, for using expired and other unsafe ingredients. During the raid, authorities seized 1.8 tons of finished product and raw materials including a barrel of expired glucose and boxes of expired butter.Inspectors also found a barrel of E153 vegetable carbon, a black food coloring that the manufacturer was using instead of cocoa to give the cookies the dark brown color typically associated with chocolate.According to the International Association of Color Manufacturers, E 153 vegetable carbon is made by burning wood, cellulose residues, peat and coconut and other shells at high temperatures. It’s not approved for use in the U.S. but other countries allow it in bakery products, cheese coating, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.But the main concern for authorities was the facility using it as a substitute for cocoa at an unlicensed factory.In response to the raid, Egyptian government officials are urging authorities to ramp up their inspection efforts at facilities.The owners of the unlicensed factory are now facing potential legal penalties.#Manufacturing, #FoodManufacturing, #FoodProcessing, #FoodSafety, #Factory, #Cookies, #FoodIndustry, #SupplyChain, #QualityControl, #ManufacturingNews

A meat processing plant and four of its employees could face prison time and significant penalties after prosecutors accused them of pumping wastewater containing animal flesh, blood and feces into a creek that flows to the ocean and a public beach. The newly unsealed indictment charges Ganaderos Borges Inc. (GBI) with four Clean Water Act violations and conspiracy to violate the act as part of a scheme to avoid millions of dollars in annual waste removal costs. GBI operates a slaughterhouse and meat processing facility in Naguabo, Puerto Rico. Prosecutors allege that the defendants knowingly discharged wastewater from the facility’s waste retention lagoon into U.S. waters without a Clean Water Act permit. The waste reportedly included animal blood, hair, tissue and feces, as well as grease, disinfectant and other liquids used in the slaughterhouse and processing areas.The indictment states that GBI held a non-discharge wastewater treatment permit that required liquid waste to be hauled from its facility to a disposal site. Prosecutors say the discharges took place from August 2018 through at least September 2025. Court documents state that GBI President César P. Borges-Arroyo and operator Neftalí Borges-Gómez directed employees to pump liquid waste from the lagoon toward an adjacent creek using a submersible pump and hose. The creek flows approximately half a mile to the Caribbean Sea at Tropical Beach in Naguabo. The defendants also allegedly hid the pump and hose when not in use and provided false and misleading statements and documents to authorities. The defendants are scheduled to appear in the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each charge. GBI faces a penalty of up to $500,000 per charge.#Manufacturing, #FoodManufacturing, #MeatProcessing, #FoodProcessing, #EnvironmentalCompliance, #CleanWaterAct, #Wastewater, #EnvironmentalProtection, #Pollution, #Slaughterhouse, #MeatIndustry, #IndustrialWaste, #ManufacturingNews, #IndustrialNews, #PuertoRico

General Motors disclosed a $4.5 billion Master IPU Agreement designed to help maintain vehicle production during a crisis. Disclosed in an SEC filing, the program will secure critical inventory for retail and fleet vehicles in the event of disruptions caused by extreme weather, natural disasters, excessive demand, cyberattacks and other events.  @GeneralMotors  According to the regulatory filing, General Motors will issue irrevocable payment undertakings (IPUs) to paying agent Procura Auto Parts. Procura will then advance funds to select suppliers to purchase and hold inventory on GM’s behalf.A syndicate of banks that includes JPMorgan Chase will provide the funds to Procura, with GM backing the arrangement through its IPUs. Suppliers will store the parts until GM needs them.The agreement provides for a 12-month funding period that began August 7, allowing a maximum of $4.5 billion in outstanding IPUs. GM will pay back the IPUs as it uses the inventory, with all payments due by August 6, 2029.Interest will accrue on outstanding IPUs at a rate equal to the Secured Overnight Financing Rate, plus 1.55% annually. GM will also pay a 0.25% annual ticking fee on the daily average unutilized portion of the limit.The development underscores GM’s efforts to protect production from unforeseen disruptions. For example, a global semiconductor shortage that plagued the automotive industry during the COVID-19 pandemic forced GM to announce production downtime at domestic and international facilities. Additionally, a shortage of Japanese parts following the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami led to GM temporarily halting production at a pickup plant in Louisiana.GeneralMotors, #GM, #Manufacturing, #Automotive, #SupplyChain, #SupplyChainManagement, #AutomotiveIndustry, #Factory, #Industry40, #Cybersecurity, #Reshoring, #Logistics, #Operations, #IndustrialManufacturing, #ManufacturingNews

A Pennsylvania beef processing plant that had been set to close after nearly 150 years will instead remain open as a packaging facility — preserving hundreds of jobs outside Philadelphia.Meatpacking giant JBS said in June that it would end beef harvesting and processing operations at its Souderton plant amid broader turmoil in the U.S. beef industry, including drought conditions, tariffs and the smallest domestic cattle herd in decades.  @JBSUSA  The decision was originally expected to shut down the facility outright, but JBS said Monday that the company discussed alternatives with state and local officials and union leaders in subsequent weeks. Following those talks, JBS officials said, the company made the decision to instead convert the Souderton plant into a “dedicated value-added operation.”JBS said that it expects to invest over $30 million across the next decade to enable the facility — which dates back to 1877 — to prepare and package products for retailers in the Northeast.The move would preserve about 400 jobs at the plant, the company said, but union leaders noted that many others would still be out of work when beef processing ends Friday: the closure of the plant was expected to eliminate 1,500 union-represented jobs in total, as well as hundreds more in management roles or in jobs with the plant’s nearby suppliers.JBS USA CEO Wesley Batista Filho said that in addition to preserving some jobs, the decision would “strengthen our case-ready business” while “serving customers in a key consumer market.” Wendell Young, the president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776, added that it creates “a path for long-term success at the Souderton facility."#JBS, #Meatpacking, #BeefIndustry, #Manufacturing, #PennsylvaniaManufacturing, #FoodManufacturing, #Jobs, #Packaging, #SupplyChain, #FoodIndustry, #Factory, #ManufacturingNews, #IndustrialNews, #Labor, #UFCW

Korean manufacturer Samsung SDI announced that it acquired General Motors’ stake in the SynergyCells joint venture. The collaboration had planned to build a $3.5 billion electric vehicle battery cell factory in New Carlisle, Indiana, with the American automaker holding a 49.99% stake.Samsung SDI attributed the decision to market changes since the joint venture’s conception in 2023, including “slower-than-expected growth of EV demand.” The company said it plans to continue building the facility, which would serve as its first independently operated battery production base in North America. The plant is currently under construction, though Samsung SDI did not provide an expected completion date. Once finished, the company now plans to make batteries for energy storage systems. Despite GM’s exit from the joint venture, the two companies signed a new agreement to develop a prismatic battery cell for potential future EV applications, with Samsung SDI noting that the Indiana plant could eventually make the cells.General Motors and Samsung SDI formed their original partnership in April 2023 and selected New Carlisle as the plant site two months later. The joint venture intended to make nickel-rich prismatic and cylindrical cells, achieve a capacity of 30 gigawatt-hours, create 1,600 jobs and begin production in 2026. However, in August 2024, the companies delayed the production start to 2027 after construction had begun.GM’s decision to sell its stake follows a January 8 SEC filing in which the automaker said it expected to record approximately $6 billion in charges in the fourth quarter of 2025 following its review of EV capacity and investments. The announcement comes as automakers scale back EV plans after the loss of a $7,500 EV federal tax credit last September.#GM, #GeneralMotors, #SamsungSDI, #EV, #ElectricVehicles, #EVBatteries, #BatteryManufacturing, #EnergyStorage, #Manufacturing, #IndianaManufacturing, #Automotive, #BatteryTechnology, #SupplyChain, #IndustrialNews, #ManufacturingNews

Welcome to another episode of Gen Z in Manufacturing, a podcast that asks young people about their journeys in manufacturing, how they intend to influence the industry and what they are looking for from an employer.For this episode, I welcome Jacob Collier, a 24-year-old assistant specialist on the IT team at Yaskawa Motoman Robotics, a company that provides automation products and solutions for various industries and robotic applications and features a product line of more than 150 robot models.Collier previously spent over two years as an intern at Yaskawa Motoman, where helped the company implement the Limble CMMS. He now supports various IT systems and assets across the company’s manufacturing facility and contributes to other operations like the in-house print center, which produces manuals and stickers for robots built on-site.In this episode, Collier discusses:    (1:12) What young people expect from internships    (5:32) The biggest disconnect between IT and manufacturing teams    (10:09) How Gen Z likes to learn    (13:14) Signs of a dated facility that Gen Z will noticePlease make sure to like and share this episode of Gen Z in Manufacturing. To view previous episodes, visit manufacturing.net. If you are a member of Gen Z and would like to discuss your experience in the manufacturing industry, please get in touch with me, Nolan Beilstein, at [email protected].

Last year, an employee at Milwaukee Tool was arrested for stealing more than $1 million in tools from the Wisconsin tool maker. Matthew Yang worked in the company's IT department and manipulated the Milwaukee Tool ordering system to send tools to multiple addresses, including his own. On Friday, 32-year-old Yang was sentenced to five years in prison, which will be followed by five years of extended supervision. Yang must also pay Milwaukee Tool $1.08 million in restitution and will be on probation for nine years, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The sentence was part of a plea deal that saw Yan plead no contest to five felonies to have nine other charges dropped. Police were contacted in April 2025 after Yang had some 9,000 pounds of tools sent to his apartment complex, which is unordinary. The freight company reached out to Milwaukee Tool’s customer service to confirm the address, but the tool maker couldn’t find the order in its system, according to the local Fox affiliate. Yang would create the orders, have them shipped, but then delete the order before payment processing. He did this for some 115 orders. Milwaukee Tool caught six of them, which means 109 made it to their destinations. Yang had a unique knowledge of Milwaukee Tool’s operation. He worked with the company for about eight years, starting in the supply chain department before he moved to IT. During the investigation, law enforcement also found that Yang visited a local casino at least 140 times and sustained some significant losses.

The Air Force hopes to get another 25 years out of its B-52 Bomber fleet but it’s running into some cost, scheduling and performance challenges.The B-52 was first introduced in 1955 and the Air Force is hoping that a series of updates can keep the fleet in the air until 2050. It intends to spend $21 billion to improve the engines, radar, communications, software and weapon systems for the more than 70 B-52s still in service.The Air Force already has the B-1 and B-2 along with the in-development B-21, but it said the B-52 still remains critical to the U.S.’s ability to deploy nuclear capabilities. Plus, it can fly nearly 9,000 miles without refueling and carry up to 70,000 pounds.However, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the Commercial Engine Replacement Program (CERP), which represents the bulk of modernization costs, has increased by about $3 billion since a 2023 estimate, and initial operational capability has been delayed more than 15 months. While 10 out of the 13 B-52 modernizations experience challenges, the GAO said the Air Force still wants to proceed with engine production before critical flight testing is completed.#B52, #USAirForce, #Defense, #Military, #Aerospace, #MilitaryAviation, #Aircraft, #DefenseIndustry, #Engineering, #Manufacturing, #Government, #GAO, #Aviation, #NationalSecurity, #MilitaryTechnology

A western Ohio glass plant that was slated to close by the end of this year will not only remain open, but also expand its production and add jobs, company and economic development officials said last week.Vitro, a producer of glass for automotive, architectural and consumer goods companies, announced in the fall of 2024 that it would close its facility in Crestline, Ohio, which makes glass for automotive OEMs. State officials said that the decision came amid “sharp headwinds” in the industry and was part of a broader plan to reshuffle Vitro’s manufacturing footprint, but over the following months, improving macroeconomic conditions and “new business opportunities” prompted Vitro to weigh other options to meet demand — including, potentially, modernizing, rather than shuttering, the Crestline plant.State economic development agency JobsOhio, also with other state officials and local economic development groups, said that it lobbied company executives to invest in Crestline instead of its other U.S. facilities, and officials announced last Monday that Vitro would move forward with a project to improve efficiency and bolster production capacity at the Ohio location. The move would retain its current workforce of 265, as well as add another 53 new jobs.Carlos Bernal, the president of Vitro Automotive Glass, called the announcement “an important step” in strengthening the company’s competitiveness, and that it remains “committed to continuously evaluating opportunities to improve our manufacturing network.”The Ohio Tax Credit Authority approved an eight-year tax incentive package to support the project, which includes a 1.302% tax credit over that span.

On August 30, 2022, Kawasaki Heavy Industries sued Rorze Corporation for patent infringement. Kawasaki accused Rorze of stealing its patented semiconductor silicon wafer handling and transfer robotic systems technology and — nearly four years later — a jury agreed. In March 2026, a jury found that Rorze willfully infringed on Kawasaki's patent and awarded $16.65 million in lost profits and $31.7 million on lost royalties. However, the $48.35 million verdict didn't end there as Kawasaki tried to triple the damages to some $145 million due to the willful infringement finding. #Manufacturing, #Robotics, #Semiconductors, #Patent, #PatentInfringement, #Kawasaki, #Rorze, #SemiconductorManufacturing, #IndustrialRobotics, #Automation, #ManufacturingNews, #Technology, #LegalNews, #Innovation, #Engineering

A candy company whose origins pre-date the Great Depression made a disappointing announcement last week.After 117 years in business, Pearson’s Candy Company will close its Minnesota factory.According to reports, Pearson’s - operating as St. Paul Candy Company - completed a WARN filing to notify the state that it would be cutting 80 jobs in September because it lacks the funding to continue operating its St. Paul plant.Pearson’s is perhaps best known for the Salted Nut Roll – a peanut and nougat confection that was invented during the Depression to serve as a sweet treat that was also filling, all for the price of a nickel.Other favorites produced by the plant over the years include the Nut Goodie, Bun Bar, and Mint Patty.The company changed hands many times throughout its century-plus in operation, and its been producing its goods from this specific St. Paul plant since 1959.Most recently, a 2023 merger placed Pearson’s under the Promise Confections umbrella of companies, which means production of these long-standing sweets could be moved to another facility within the group, though it’s unclear at this time what - and whether - that happens.Former Pearson’s maintenance director Scott Kieland told Minnesota Public Radio that the continuous slate of private equity owners had failed to invest adequately in the aging plant.Alex Allen, a former Pearson’s VP, added that increasing production and ingredients costs made the closure feel “a little bit… inevitable” and that even the biggest companies in this space were feeling those same pressures.#cybersecurity, #infosec, #cybersecurityawareness, #ethicalhacking, #hacking, #cyberattack, #datasecurity, #networksecurity, #informationsecurity, #cybercrime, #tech, #technology, #ai, #ransomware, #malware, #cloudsecurity, #zerotrust, #phishing, #soc, #cyberdefense, #itsecurity, #cybernews, #security, #penetrationtesting, #digitalsecurity

An affiliate of a Canadian aerospace manufacturer has filed for bankruptcy protection for its longtime factory in Southwest Ohio, according to a local report.Magellan Aerospace USA Inc. is seeking Chapter 11 protection for the Magellan plant in Middletown, the Journal-News reports. Documents filed with the court reportedly listed assets of $10 million to $50 million and liabilities of $50 million to $100 million.The Chapter 11 process typically allows companies to continue operating their assets; the filing would reportedly authorize company officials to pursue a restructuring or reorganization, as well as a sale of the facility or liquidation, if necessary.Magellan, based in suburban Toronto, makes complex assemblies and systems for aircraft manufacturers, engine makers and space agencies across the globe from production facilities in North America, Europe and India. The company says the Middletown plant manufactures high-temperature, vacuum-brazed honeycomb structures for exhaust systems and control surfaces and offers assembly of titanium- and nickel-based alloy components and aluminum structures.The facility traces its roots to 1928, when a company eventually known as Aeronca was founded in Cincinnati; it moved to suburban Middletown following a 1937 flood, and was acquired by Magellan predecessor Fleet Aerospace 40 years ago.Magellan officials indicated in a corporate resolution this month that bankruptcy would be in the best interests of the company along with those of its creditors, employees and other stakeholders. The Journal-News said that the company did not respond to multiple requests for comment.#Manufacturing, #Aerospace, #AerospaceManufacturing, #Bankruptcy, #Chapter11, #Ohio, #MagellanAerospace, #Aviation, #SupplyChain, #IndustrialNews, #ManufacturingNews, #Aircraft, #Factory, #BusinessNews, #Industry

Last week, TRISO-X announced tentative plans to create some 1,140 new jobs in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The company hopes to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in equipment to build a new fuel facility and R&D center at Horizon Center Industrial Park, according to the state's Department of Economic and Community Development .TRISO-X is unique in that it is the first company to receive a license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to build and operate a commercial-scale facility for producing high-assay low-enriched uranium fuel in the U.S. The company’s parent, Maryland-based X-energy, is trying to make advanced small modular reactors, accelerate commercialization of advanced nuclear technologies and strengthen the U.S. supply chain for critical nuclear fuel.Founded and based in Oak Ridge, TRISO-X broke ground in 2022 on what was, at the time, North America’s first commercial advanced nuclear fuel facility.The company said it received an $11 million economic development grant from Tennessee. TRISO-X specified that the funding will support continued development of its current campus in Oak Ridge, as well as a potential second commercial fuel facility and a dedicated R&D center. If everything goes according to plan, TRISO-X expects to have three facilities designed to establish domestic, commercial-scale manufacturing and research capabilities for the company's proprietary tri-structural isotropic (TRISO) fuel. TRISO particle fuel is considered the most robust nuclear fuel on the planet, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The first facility, known as the TX-1, is anticipated to be the first purpose-built commercial TRISO fuel fabrication facility in the U.S. TX-1 is currently under construction.TX-2 will be a second, larger fuel fabrication facility to significantly boost capacity, with enhanced automation and production efficiency based on TX-1 operational experience. This is where the more than 1,000 new jobs would come into play. Finally, TX-L will be a dedicated fuel fabrication laboratory facility focused on fuel innovation, testing and continuous improvement of the  manufacturing processes.When completed, the campus is expected to establish one of the world’s largest commercial-scale nuclear fuel fabrication campuses, with the capacity to produce enough fuel to support 55 of X-energy’s Xe-100 advanced small modular reactors. That represents nearly 4.5 gigawatts of new advanced nuclear power capacity, or enough to power 3.3 million U.S. households.NuclearEnergy, #AdvancedNuclear, #SMR, #TRISO, #TRISOFuel, #Manufacturing, #Energy, #NuclearFuel, #CleanEnergy, #OakRidge, #Tennessee, #AdvancedManufacturing, #SupplyChain, #Innovation, #MadeInAmerica

Researchers have been trying to make invisible drones and camouflaged robots for years, before that it was cars and planes. They have used everything from transparent materials to light-bending optical systems or cloaks, but haven't been able to make it happen. But now, engineers at Northwestern University have created a drone that appears to vanish in plain sight after it takes flight. The team created the Phantom Twist, a drone that uses a concept called "motion blur" -- the effect that makes fast-spinning fans and propellers look like a ghostly smudge. The drone spins up to 25 times per second, which is too fast for the human eye to see clearly. While it isn’t completely invisible, it appears to seamlessly blend into the background. The work could lead to drones that monitor wildlife, survey the environment and inspect infrastructure with less visual disruption.To design the drone, the engineers first used a computational model to generate some 20,000 drone configurations capable of stable flight. Next, they used AI and optimization algorithms to rearrange the drones’ major components, including a motor, propeller, circuit board, counterweight and batteries. It was the algorithms that determined the ideal placement of the drone’s components to minimize its visibility from virtually every viewing angle while allowing for stable flight. Northwestern’s Michael Rubenstein, who led the project, said, "The design process was fully automated ... Then, when we were confident that a drone met all our criteria, we built it."According to the visibility metric, the optimized drone is about 10 times less visually perceptible than a conventional quadcopter.The new drone still has several limitations. For example, the propeller still makes noise, and some wires and support rods are still somewhat visible. Next, the team is working on new iterations with more transparent materials or quieter propulsion to make the Phantom Twist truly disappear.#AI, #Drone, #Drones, #Robotics, #Engineering, #Innovation, #NorthwesternUniversity, #ArtificialIntelligence, #Technology, #STEM, #Automation, #Research, #FutureTech, #Aviation, #Manufacturing

Athletic shoe company New Balance is well known for its U.S.-based manufacturing footprint, so when it announced in 2024 that it would be closing its plant in Norridgewock, Maine, many local officials were surprised.At the time, New Balance leaders said they’d be shifting work from Norridgewock to another Maine plant – in nearby Skowhegan. The Skowhegan plant, which opened in 2025, was intended to serve as its “Central Maine” operation and support the production that was previously taking place under two roofs. Because of the proximity, New Balance said it would transfer all 230 Norridgewock workers to the new facility.The biggest impact, then, was to the community of Norridgewock – a small town whose service sector relied heavily on the plant’s workforce for economic activity. However, in a move that may “make it up” to the community, New Balance later made the offer to donate its factory to the town.According to the Bangor Daily News, a Skowhegan-based food company called Maine Grains is interested in the former shoe factory site as a production facility for grain-based bars, cereal and other products.If the town’s residents agree to what’s been proposed among the companies, then New Balance would give the town the factory – at which point, Norridgewock would segment out 50,000 square feet to transfer to Maine Grains for its production expansion.The other two-thirds of the 170,000 square foot site could be leveraged at the town’s discretion, and local officials say their ownership would open up a lot of new avenues for redevelopment. As icing on the cake, New Balance has offered to pay to maintain the currently vacant plant for the next two years, meaning Norridgewock would have a little time to get some plans in place for how it can be used profitably.The town’s board has set a special town meeting for July 20th, where residents can cast ballots on whether the community should be authorized to take the donation – though it doesn’t require them to seal the deal.The expansion for Maine Grains would create an estimated 15 jobs in Norridgewock, though some officials are remaining cautious as the scenario plays out. Maine State Sen. and Norridgewock resident Brad Farrin said recently he hopes that “in the fever of trying to move this thing forward” that the town and board “dot our I’s and cross our T’s.” 

Yesterday, Miller High Life, a Molson Coors brand, announced an interesting new position. The beermaker is looking for a Mayor of the "Champagne of Beers" region—and that region is oddly specific.​Odd jobs work as PR stunts. Remember when Custom Cones USA offered a $70,000 salary for the "Ultimate Stoner Dream Job,' which was basically a content creator who smoked weed every day—they reportedly had so many applicants that they were overwhelmed by the response.​Well, this one isn't as lucrative, but it would be a banger for the resume. The winner will be the candidate who "best embodies the passion for High Life—and what it means to call the home of Miller High Life your own."​The prize package is ... fine. It includes an exclusive dinner for eight at the Miller Caves, a historic part of the Miller Brewery dating back to 1849. The winner also receives a pair of High Life t-shirts, two hats, and a $2,000 check to basically pay the taxes on the prize. The winner also walks away with two cases of High Life, which seems low. I feel like the Mayor of the Champagne of Beers Region should score a few more than 48 beers.​Furthermore, the winner must also attend an “honorary Mayor Inauguration” at the Miller Visitor’s Center in Milwaukee on September 19, 2026, or the prize will be forfeited in its entirety. All told, the Mayor of the "Champagne of Beers" region will land a salary valued at $6,500.​Molson Coors is technically a sponsor, and Merkle, a company that specializes in digital marketing experiences, is running the show.​To enter, you must live in one of about 86 zip codes, not mine, and be 25 years old—or older.​To win, you must not only be eligible but also submit to a confidential background check. Miller needs to make sure the winner hasn't engaged in any brand-damaging conduct. They certainly don't want to trigger a negative viral response — looking at you, Bud Light.​The contest began yesterday at noon CT and will end on August 23, 2026, at midnight.​Each contestant must include an original essay -- which is loose given that it's 250 words or less -- describing why they should be the mayor of the High Life, as well as a photo of them living the “High Life”. What would that be? Given that it's summer in Wisconsin, I figure it's some sort of tubing or pontoon-related photo. Oh, and it can't be AI-generated, any of it.​Of course, there are a host of rules that you can break with this essay, but they seem straightforward. For example, you can't make any deceptive or unsubstantiated claims about Molson Coors products, you can't mention any brand or trademark not owned by the company, and you can even get DQ'd if you have unauthorized third-party content or art in the background of your photo.​The winner will be chosen by a panel of "qualified judges" who will score each submission based on the following.50%: Passion for High Life25%: Originality (stands out as memorable)25%: Strength of Argument (why you should be picked over everyone else).​Do you have what it takes to be the Mayor of the "Champagne of Beers" region? If so, good luck.#MillerHighLife, #MolsonCoors, #Beer, #Wisconsin, #Milwaukee, #Manufacturing, #FoodManufacturing, #Marketing, #Branding, #Contest, #Jobs, #PRStunt, #Brewery, #MadeInWisconsin, #ChampagneOfBeers

A few years ago, food manufacturer Land O'Lakes had a radical idea: What if it let part-time employees pick their own schedule?  In early 2022, coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Arden Hills, Minnesota-based maker of dairy products and animal feeds noticed a sea change in employee priorities: people wanted flexibility.So, the company rolled out the Flex Work program for employees working 16-30 hours per week. Workers set the hours they can work, and Land O'Lakes figures out how that fits into production. Most of these positions are in operations and supply chain roles at the company's factories, but they also have positions in housekeeping, office clerking and sanitation—and no previous experience is required.The pilot project debuted at the Land O'Lakes facility in St. Joseph, Missouri, and the company said the response was "overwhelming," with more than 100 applicants in the first few days. The roles are ideal for parents being pulled in 100 different directions, college students looking to pay rent or retirees looking to stay busy. According to the company, some employees who started in Flex Work have even transitioned to full-time roles.Current positions available in the program include a Flex Production Operator in Neosho, Missouri; a Flex Housekeeper in Hillsboro, Wisconsin; a Maintenance Technician in Saint Joseph, Missouri;and a Warehouse Operator in Black River Falls, Wisconsin.According to a report in Fortune, it was a now-retired chief supply chain officer who championed the concept. Basically, the exec said the company needed to move beyond the mentality of "that can't happen in manufacturing environments."The company has some 60 manufacturing facilities in the U.S. , but plans to roll the initiative out across all 140 of its domestic locations.Land O’Lakes said that views and applications for flex roles are about 25% higher than for traditional roles, and turnover is significantly lower. Turnover among flex workers is 12 points lower than among recently hired full-time talent.While it may not make a career, Flex Work could be a solution for people looking to make a little extra cash and companies looking to fill gaps on the floor.#Manufacturing, #ManufacturingJobs, #Workforce, #Hiring, #FlexibleWork, #FlexWork, #LandOLakes, #SupplyChain, #FactoryJobs, #Operations, #SkilledTrades, #IndustrialJobs, #Careers, #FutureOfWork, #MadeInAmerica

Welcome to another episode of Gen Z in Manufacturing, a podcast that asks young people about their journeys in manufacturing, how they intend to influence the industry and what they are looking for from an employer.For this episode, I welcome Josiah Bondy, a 29-year-old senior product marketing manager for Miter, a software developer that helps construction and field service contractors manage their workforce and field operations.Bondy holds degrees in communication & digital arts and business administration and previously spent nearly five years at Fulcrum, where he worked closely with shops to upgrade tech stacks and apply AI.In this episode, Bondy discusses:(2:28) Major disconnects between software companies and manufacturers(6:43) How manufacturing ‘storytellers’ can spark more interest in the industry(10:49) Gen Z is wired to embrace change as an opportunity(12:30) Are tech companies building for manufacturing or forcing manufacturing to adapt to them?Please make sure to like and share this episode of Gen Z in Manufacturing. To view previous episodes, visit manufacturing.net. If you are a member of Gen Z and would like to discuss your experience in the manufacturing industry, please get in touch with me, Nolan Beilstein, at [email protected].#Manufacturing, #GenZ, #NextGenManufacturing, #FutureOfWork, #SkilledTrades, #Engineering, #IndustrialAutomation, #STEM, #ManufacturingJobs, #MadeInAmerica, #Industry40, #SmartManufacturing, #TechTok, #CareerTok, #BlueCollar, #FactoryLife, #Automation, #EngineeringLife, #Innovation, #ModernManufacturing

Federal agents conducted an operation at LaFontanella Foods’ facility in Kansas City, with outlets reporting that law enforcement detained up to eight people. The company manufactures food products, including Cascone’s [cas-CONY] pasta sauce.A spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed to IEN that “Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Kansas City conducted a federal criminal search warrant in Kansas City, Missouri July 9,” but declined to provide additional details. Jackson County Sheriff Darryl Forté wrote on Facebook that the operation “was not an immigration raid” and that federal authorities identified a person he described as an unregistered sex offender at the scene. According to Forté, a sheriff’s office detective arrested the individual and transported tchem to the county’s detention center.However, local media, an immigration support organization and a state representative described additional details about the operation.State Representative Wick Thomas said they visited the scene and witnessed masked agents in unmarked vehicles detain four people, while also receiving reports that six to seven people were taken into custody. The Kansas City Star reported that agents wearing HSI jackets escorted “at least six people” out of the facility. Meanwhile, NPR member station KCUR and the Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation (AIRR) reported that federal authorities detained eight workers. According to Thomas’ statement, family members attempted to show agents that individuals taken from the facility had work visas and were authorized to be in the country. AIRR said the site’s manager claimed agents presented a warrant for the building, though the organization said it could not confirm the warrant’s existence.LaFontanella Foods and AIRR have not confirmed to IEN the exact number of people detained or how many of those individuals worked at the facility. Thomas has also not responded to IEN’s request for comment.AIRR’s statement said the operation lasted from about 10 a.m. to noon. The Star reported that law enforcement escorted people from the facility at approximately 11 a.m. and that additional agents arrived around 11:45 a.m. wearing jackets labeled HSTF (Homeland Security Task Force), a partnership between HSI and the FBI. The publication also reported that agents appeared to remove computers and documents from the facility but declined to disclose what they seized. #Manufacturing, #FoodManufacturing, #ICE, #HSI, #KansasCity, #Missouri, #FederalInvestigation, #FactoryNews, #ManufacturingNews, #SupplyChain, #FoodIndustry, #Workforce, #BusinessNews, #IndustrialNews, #BreakingNews

Sony earlier this month announced plans to end physical game disc production for all new games released on PlayStation consoles beginning January 2028. The consumer electronics giant has already started the transition.According to an ORF Salzburg report spotted by The Verge, Sony’s disc plant outside of Salzburg, Austria currently makes 600,000 discs every day. But that figure will soon drop significantly. Dietmar Tanzer, head of Sony’s Digital Audio Disc Corporation, said PlayStation discs account for 50% of the plant’s daily volume. He estimated that disc production in 2028 will be at about 10% of where it is today.The good news is that the 300 workers at the plant won’t be laid off once the PlayStation discs stop rolling off the line. Instead, the facility is transitioning to manufacturing optical microlenses, and it’s already invested 30 million Euros in the equipment needed to produce them. As the report points out, some employees have switched over from disc production, and Sony plans to retrain staff “on a large scale” before launching mass production of optical microlenses as early as 2027.The bad news is that PlayStation users will no longer have a physical copy of purchased games, a change that’s sparked outrage in the gaming community. Canadian retailer PNP Games started an online petition urging Sony to change its mind, and nearly 300,000 have already signed on in support.PNP CEO Jade Pearce told IGN that Sony killing PlayStation discs could have far-reaching negative effects beyond just angering gamers.“Physical games support an entire industry that an all-digital future quietly erases: retailers, distributors, manufacturers, warehousing and logistics, the pre-owned and trade-in market, and the collector and preservation community,” she said.Sony justified the decision by noting that the “general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs,” but promised to “prioritize our resources to drive innovation in how players can access games and provide choices as to where players prefer to purchase new games, whether that’s at retailers or online.”#PlayStation, #Sony, #Gaming, #VideoGames, #GameIndustry, #DigitalGaming, #PhysicalMedia, #Manufacturing, #ManufacturingNews, #Factory, #Technology, #GamingNews, #Optics, #Microlenses, #PlayStation5

The former chief human resources officer of pharmaceutical manufacturer Nephron filed a lawsuit against the company, alleging it wrongfully terminated her after she raised concerns about illegal conduct. According to court documents, Nola Grant began working for South Carolina-based Nephron in October 2022. During her employment, she allegedly discovered that the company experienced a loss of fentanyl and failed to report the incident to the DEA or other required authorities. Grant claimed she raised the issue with the company’s chief administrative officer and chief operating officer, but no corrective action was taken and no report was filed.The lawsuit argued that Grant’s reporting of the fentanyl loss constituted protected whistleblower activity and stated that she faced retaliatory conduct that led to her wrongful termination in April 2025.In a separate incident, Grant alleged that CEO Lou Kennedy lied to the FDA about Nephron’s use and storage of a company warehouse in Calhoun County. The lawsuit said Grant possesses a recorded conversation in which Nephron’s operations director admitted that the company cleared the warehouse during a “late-night” operation in anticipation of FDA inquiry. Additionally, Grant claimed that two other Nephron employees admitted that the company provided altered surveillance footage when the agency requested to review the preceding 24 hours of video.

EV maker Lucid, for the second time this year, announced a round of job cuts aimed at advancing its “path toward profitability and positive cash flow generation.”The company said it will reduce its current U.S. workforce by approximately 18 percent, including full-time employees, contractors and hourly production workers in manufacturing. Part of the plan includes eliminating the second shift of production at its AMP-1 factory in Arizona.The cuts are reaching the C suite, too. Lucid’s Chief Operating Officer, Marc Winterhoff, will be leaving the company after his position was eliminated. But he will receive continued security support and he gets to keep his company vehicle.Lucid said it expects the restructuring to provide annualized cost savings of approximately $158 million while incurring cash charges of approximately $32 million related to severance, employee benefits and employee transition.#LucidMotors, #Lucid, #ElectricVehicles, #EV, #EVNews, #Automotive, #AutoIndustry, #Manufacturing, #ManufacturingNews, #FactoryJobs, #Layoffs, #BusinessNews, #ArizonaManufacturing, #VehicleProduction, #CleanTech

Ford Motor filed a major lawsuit last week alleging rampant lawsuit abuse and fraud from Quill & Arrow, a law firm that files thousands of Lemon Law cases every year against Ford and other automakers. The lawsuit accuses Quill & Arrow of "fabricated attorney billing records, unauthorized practice of law, and deliberate obstruction of Ford’s ability to fulfill its warranty obligations." According to the automaker, these actions have damaged Ford’s relationship with its customers and erode future sales.In the complaint, Quill & Arrow is described as “a fraudulent and illegal billing factory, conceived and constructed to exploit the Lemon Law’s fee-shifting provisions.” The lawsuit alleges a number of violations under California law, including artificially-inflated attorney fees. The firm is allegedly using unregistered foreign attorneys to practice law in California while billing at California attorney rates for work performed entirely by non-lawyers. The non-lawyers are making as little as $13 per hour, Quill is billing rates of $350 to $950 per hour. #Ford #AutomotiveNews #LemonLaw #ManufacturingNews #AutoIndustry #BusinessNews #IndustrialNews #FordMotorCompany #LegalNews #IndustryNews

Blue Origin, the commercial space exploration company owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is expanding and possibly moving into the “balloon” factory formerly owned by now-defunct space tourism company Space Perspective.According to Florida Today, Blue Origin is in negotiations with the current owners of Space Perspective to acquire a 700-foot-long facility located at Space Coast Regional Airport. The 49,000-square-foot fabric-walled factory features two 600-foot-long production tables, ideal for making really big balloons. But now, as the report points out, the site will likely help support “future manufacturing and bulk outdoor storage operations” for Blue Origin.For Space Perspective, the sale of the facility marks an end to its fairly unique space tourism dream. The company’s space capsule, which was claimed to be the largest human spacecraft outside of the space station, was designed to be carried to the edge of space by a hydrogen balloon, giving passengers views of Earth from miles above. The company had planned to charge passengers $125,000 per trip but had also offered up free trips through a partnership with Oreo.It would have given ordinary people the chance to fly to the stratosphere without having to endure the rigors of traditional space travel. But the company, which was founded in 2018, earlier this year received an eviction notice after falling behind in rent payments at its Florida facility. It also furloughed most of its 140 employees.Now it looks like the balloon is officially popped, with Blue Origin stepping in to fill the vacuum.But things haven’t been all smooth sailing for Bezos and company. Blue Origin last month announced a $600 million production expansion project at its Rocket Park campus at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. Just a few days later, Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket exploded on the launch pad, causing a major setback for the company and raising several concerns from nearby residents.

Last year, Ford recalled a record-breaking 12.9 million vehicles over 153 separate campaigns – an embarrassing fail the automaker is looking to remedy. And like most businesses, it's leaning on cutting edge technology to make improvements.In a recent interview with Road & Track, Ford’s leadership revealed a new strategy they say is already enhancing the quality of its engines. And it’s about getting back to the basics.The Ford Essex engine plant in Windsor, Ontario produces multiple engines for Ford’s line, including the Coyote 5-liter V-8 for the F-150 and the Mustang, as well as the Super Duty truck engines in 6.7- and 7.3-liter varieties.But this story is less about what Essex is building, and more about what it’s taking apart.Essex plant manager Neil Wilson told Road & Track that the plant has started tearing down one engine every single day and subjecting it to a battery of tests.Previously, Ford reportedly conducted this intensive engine teardown once every three months, or when there was a suspected issue. After last year’s recall extravaganza, however, that changed. And Ford’s new frequency is apparently catching things that would have, in the past, slipped through the cracks.

JBS USA plans to close two facilities in Pennsylvania and Tennessee and a portion of another Tennessee site in a move expected to eliminate more than 2,000 jobs. According to a WARN Notice, the company will lay off 1,485 workers at its beef production facility near Philadelphia. ABC 24 Memphis reported that the closure of the value-added Empire Packing site in Tennessee will affect 208 jobs. Additionally, JBS-owned Pilgrim’s Pride plans to close Chattanooga's harvesting operation and lay off 348 employees, as part of a $75 million expansion in Ellijay, Georgia.JBS said its nationwide network would absorb production from the Philadelphia and Memphis locations. Meanwhile, Pilgrim’s said its changes will increase harvesting and portioning capacity in Georgia, enabling the facility to produce a broader mix of boneless chicken products. The company will continue to use Chattanooga’s deboning infrastructure to support the expansion and added that the project would not impact the region’s grower base.JBS USA said the closures represent a strategy focused on modernization, growth and long-term competitiveness. CEO Wesley Batista Filho [FEEL-oh] stated that the company is “investing where we are growing and making difficult adjustments where needed.”JBS Beef North America reported an adjusted operating income loss of $279.4 million in its Q1 2026 earnings report, compared to a $158.4 million loss a year ago. The segment said rising live cattle prices outpaced the change in cutout values due to limited cattle availability. It also cited continued restrictions on live cattle imports from Mexico.#JBS, #PilgrimsPride, #FoodManufacturing, #Manufacturing, #ManufacturingNews, #Layoffs, #FactoryClosure, #FoodIndustry, #MeatProcessing, #BeefIndustry, #PoultryIndustry, #SupplyChain, #Workforce, #IndustrialNews, #AmericanManufacturing, #Operations, #BusinessNews, #Production, #FactoryJobs, #IndustryNews

Welcome to another episode of Gen Z in Manufacturing, a podcast that asks young people about their journeys in manufacturing, how they intend to influence the industry and what they are looking for from an employer.For this episode, I welcome Jerry Klein, a 27-year-old technical support specialist for Artec 3D, a supplier of handheld and portable 3D scanners for multiple industries, including manufacturing, reverse engineering and quality inspection. Klein’s duties at Artec 3D include one-on-one product training, product development, responding to customer inquiries and contributing to 3D scanning projects worldwide.In this episode, Klein discusses:(:56) A fresh way to save time and money(3:19) Where Gen Z is making a difference through 3D scanning(5:37) How young people handle training(7:40) Where Gen Z sees more opportunities for digitization in manufacturingPlease make sure to like and share this episode of Gen Z in Manufacturing. To view previous episodes, visit manufacturing.net. If you are a member of Gen Z and would like to discuss your experience in the manufacturing industry, please get in touch with me, Nolan Beilstein, at [email protected].#GenZInManufacturing, #Manufacturing, #ManufacturingPodcast, #3DScanning, #Artec3D, #Industry40, #DigitalTransformation, #AdvancedManufacturing, #ReverseEngineering, #QualityInspection, #ManufacturingTechnology, #IndustrialTechnology, #WorkforceDevelopment, #GenZ, #Engineering, #Innovation, #SmartManufacturing, #FutureOfWork, #Automation, #TechInManufacturing

On Wednesday, some 1,000 union workers who were on strike at GM supplier Dauch Corporation, formerly American Axle, in Three Rivers, Michigan, reached a tentative deal with the company. The new contract will secure the workers' topline demand of $30 per hour by 2030, a more than 36% increase to the top wage rate over the next four years. Members of the UAW Local 2093 walked out on strike at midnight on June 1, 2026. The plant  makes axles for GM’s GMC Sierra and Chevy Silverado pickup trucks and commercial vans. In a statement, UAW President Shawn Fain, said, "After 18 years of sacrifice, these workers are finally winning back a big chunk of what was taken from them."According to the union, American Axle workers made major sacrifices to save the Three Rivers facility from closure during the Great Recession in 2008. "Many long-time workers who were making as much as $29 an hour in 2008 saw their wages slashed to $14.50," the UAW said. UAW members hired before May 31, 2012, including those who went from $29 per hour in 2008 to $14, will see an immediate $8 per hour increase once the new contract is ratified. Union workers will also see more paid days off and won't have to make any concessions on their current health care costs. For example, workers won’t experience any healthcare premium cost increases over the next four years. The union also won time off to celebrate Martin Luther King Day and Veteran's Day, as well as more days off for Christmas. Workers with at least one year of seniority will receive an additional nine vacation days per year as well as a $2,000 ratification bonus.#UAW, #UnitedAutoWorkers, #LaborNews, #Strike, #Manufacturing, #ManufacturingNews, #Automotive, #AutoIndustry, #GeneralMotors, #GMSupplier, #FactoryWorkers, #UnionStrong, #LaborUnion, #MichiganManufacturing, #IndustrialNews, #SupplyChain, #AmericanManufacturing, #Workforce, #ShawnFain, #AutoParts

The robotaxi company Waymo has announced new capabilities that provide benefits completely distinct from its primary business model.Waymo says that the large, heavy, power-intensive batteries that power its fleet will no longer go to a recycling center at the end of their lives. Instead, they have a new use: supporting the power grid.Through a new partnership with B2U Storage Solutions, Waymo’s batteries will be repurposed in order to store clean energy. But rather than in one-off implementations, the goal for this effort is to establish grid-scale storage systems. Adam Lenz, head of Sustainability & Environment at Waymo, “Our shared fleet of EVs provide a massive opportunity to support the growth of clean energy on the electricity grid while expanding the circular economy,” adding it was important to the company that the batteries continue to provide “economic and environmental value” after they were retired from the road.The plan goes hand in hand with solar power, according to Waymo, who contends that the batteries will primarily be used to store the surplus energy produced during peak hours – namely the middle of the day when the sun is at its highest point. The batteries will then distribute that power during peak demand in the evenings.They say the process is largely plug-and-play, with batteries coming from cars and capable of being online in this power storage capacity within a matter of days.The first deployments derived from the partnership will take place in Texas and California – two states who not only have a significant need for electrical grid support but who also happen to already host Waymo fleets.Fellow automaker GM also recently revealed that it was expanding into different battery cell chemistries for varied uses – notably to increase its vehicle-to-grid capabilities. The automaker hopes to take advantage of the growth in AI data center development and use its batteries to help offset the strain on the nation’s utilities.#Waymo, #Robotaxi, #AutonomousVehicles, #EV, #ElectricVehicles, #BatteryStorage, #EnergyStorage, #RenewableEnergy, #SolarEnergy, #CleanEnergy, #PowerGrid, #BatteryTechnology, #Sustainability, #Manufacturing, #ManufacturingNews

In AI oops, Dodge briefly sells T-shirts featuring what appears to be a Toyota Tacoma.For all the things AI does well, it’s also known to have its limitations.These limitations were recently on full display when Dodge RAM enthusiasts discovered what might be considered an odd handful of items on the brand’s online merchandise store.Among the tumblers, coolers, hats and backpacks featuring the RAM logo, was a product dubbed “2026 RAM PATRIOTIC UNISEX T-SHIRT.” The patriotic part was a red, white and blue illustration of a rippling American flag and the RAM part was a graphic of a pickup truck with the words “RAM POWER” underneath.It didn’t take web sleuths very long to point out a few unsettling details about this design, however. For one, the American flag featured just 38 stars and the RAM truck – well, it wasn’t even a RAM.According to a report in Autopia, the truck’s details suggest that it was, in fact, a competitor’s vehicle – a Toyota Tacoma – from model year 2023, at that.It was this indefensible gaffe that led to speculation that the shirt – as well as a complementary banner on RAM’s site that also featured the Tacoma – was a product of AI, and shortly after the web coverage, both offending products were removed.Motor1 underscored the punchline by pointing out that Stellantis had another AI swing and a miss back in March when the Dodge brand used its Instagram account to feature “throwback” photos of some of its old models. Unfortunately, it turned out the vehicles were AI-generated, meaning some of the featured models never, in fact, existed.Perhaps the takeaway here is that, if you’re going to use AI to generate content or designs, make sure you keep enough humans around to check for slop, because anyone who works for Dodge probably could easily tell the difference between their own truck and a Toyota.As Autopia’s report said, what this t-shirt featured was “definitely not a RAM, even if someone or some algorithm slapped a RAM badge on that distinctive Tacoma grille,” adding that RAM “should be embarrassed.”#Manufacturing, #ManufacturingNews, #Automotive, #AutomotiveNews, #RamTrucks, #DodgeRam, #ToyotaTacoma, #AI, #ArtificialIntelligence, #AIGeneratedContent, #Stellantis, #Technology, #DigitalMarketing, #TruckIndustry, #Automation

An unlicensed potato chip factory in Australia has been fined after authorities were tipped off by the facility’s grand opening event.According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Western Australia “Spud King” Tony Galati created the house brand chips Spuddies so he could sell them at his Spudshed stores. He established a facility to manufacture the potato chips and acquired all the necessary equipment including an industrial peeler, blancher, fryer and weight checking system to help with portion control and bagging. He just didn’t get any work approvals.The “Spud King” may have gotten away with it, at least for a little bit longer, if he hadn’t planned and notified regulators about a grand opening event for the factory. But now the Galati Group has been caught for manufacturing without a license and for dumping “non-oily chip-making waste” without a license. The company has been fined $20,000, equal to about $14,000 in the U.S.This is not the first time the “Spud King” has gotten salty with regulators. Galati, a well-known potato grower in Western Australia, played a key role in the full deregulation of the state’s potato industry. Even after the Potato Marketing Corporation was cooked, Galati was still found in contempt for purposefully planting more potatoes than allowed.In 2024, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission hit Galati with more than $60,000 in fines for trading with at least four growers without a horticulture produce agreement in place.No matter how you slice it, the “Spud King” sounds like a potato man who doesn’t play by anyone else’s potato rules.#manufacturing, #foodmanufacturing, #foodindustry, #industrialnews, #factorynews, #manufacturingnews, #australia, #businessnews, #operations, #compliance, #regulatorycompliance, #potatochips, #foodprocessing, #industrynews, #supplychain

A Washington state manufacturer of tooling and parts for advanced industries plans to establish its third production facility in Montana — and create about 2,000 jobs.Janicki announced Tuesday that it selected Great Falls, Montana, for the $800 million project, which would complement the company’s existing production facilities in Northwest Washington and suburban Salt Lake City.The privately-owned engineering and manufacturing company, established in 1993, says it designs and builds tools, parts, assemblies and prototypes for a wide range of industries, including aerospace, defense, architectural and marine applications. It specializes in composite fabrication and precision machining utilizing its proprietary 5-axis mills, which it says are among the largest in the world.Janicki officials said in a statement that growth in its aerospace and defense programs, in particular, has pushed demand beyond its capacity in Washington and Utah. The Montana plant, they added, will be part of a “multi-state, phased growth strategy.”The company anticipates building a campus that would add 2 million square feet of production space over the next decade. The project would create about 1,000 jobs within the first five years and more than 2,000 jobs overall once construction is complete — a total that would roughly double its current workforce.Montana Free Press reported that Janicki would receive a 50% property tax break from the city and county over five years, which would then be gradually phased out over the following five years. The incentives would reportedly be applied separately to each of the project’s four phases of construction.Janicki expects to begin construction next month and open the first phase of the new facility by the end of next year. #manufacturing, #aerospace, #defense, #advancedmanufacturing, #industrialnews, #manufacturingnews, #economicdevelopment, #jobs, #factory, #engineering, #supplychain, #composites, #precisionmachining, #madeinamerica, #industrynews

A manufacturing defect may be to blame for an issue potentially impacting some 88,000 Harley-Davidson motorcycles.Reports suggest that removing the dipsticks to check the motorcycles’ oil has been linked to a nasty surprise – spraying oil.According to the NHTSA, the issue stems from a design problem where bikes equipped with an airbox baseplate have a breather port that may be blocked. This allows pressure to build up inside the crankcase with nowhere to go – until the pressure is released after the dipstick is withdrawn. Carscoops described it as “akin to shaking up a bottle of coke and then uncapping the lid.”The Wisconsin-based company has recalled nine different models for this possible issue and is also reportedly aware of an incident where a dealer technician was injured by spraying oil while working on one of its bikes.The quickest fix is related to awareness; if technicians and bike owners can release the built up pressure slowly, they can prevent the “coke bottle” effect from occurring. Even better, owners of the motorcycle should bring in their recalled bike for a free repair of the blockage, if necessary.Carscoops says Harley’s own investigation uncovered 192 reports involving blocked breather ports. Of these, just over a dozen resulted in the oil discharge. Harley's North American sales rose 14% in Q1 of 2026, with CEO Artie Starrs saying the company was "pleased" with the results. Still, the company's profits plunged 81% year over year, an outcome attributed to tariff costs, higher sales incentives, and unfavorable product mix. Last month, Harley also unveiled a new strategic plan - "Back to Bricks" - with the goal of adding more affordable models, gaining market share and improving its operating efficiency.#HarleyDavidson, #MotorcycleRecall, #Motorcycles, #Manufacturing, #ManufacturingNews, #IndustrialNews, #Recall, #ProductSafety, #QualityControl, #NHTSA, #Powersports, #MotorcycleLife, #Engineering, #FactoryNews, #IndustryNews

A new lawsuit accused Sherwin-Williams of releasing “unreasonable noxious odors” from its coatings manufacturing facility in Rochester, Pennsylvania. The complaint alleges damages that exceed $5 million and demands a trial by jury.Court documents stated the facility makes coatings for packaging materials that it delivers to customers, distributors and blending sites. According to the EPA, coating formulation at plants like this generally involves four major steps, which include preassembly and premix, pigment grinding or milling, product finishing and product filling.The lawsuit acknowledged that the solvents used in these processes can emit hazardous air pollutants. However, it pointed to a condition in a Sherwin-Williams permit that limits the company’s volatile organic compound emissions. The condition prohibits the malodors from being detectable beyond the property line.Sherwin-Williams reportedly received notices of violations (NOV) from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Quality regarding the odors in April 2022, April 2023, January 2026 and March 2026. The January NOV said the plant failed to install a thermal oxidizer and did not perform required stack testing on its scrubbers. One plaintiff complained that she could smell the fumes inside her home even with the windows closed, while another described the odor as a “sweet smell” that leaves an aftertaste. The lawsuit also reported symptoms from putative class members that included upset stomachs and headaches. One putative class member alleged that the odor issue did not exist when Valspar owned the facility. Sherwin-Williams acquired Valspar in 2017.Sherwin-Williams has not responded to IEN’s request for comment.#manufacturing, #industrialnews, #sherwinwilliams, #airquality, #environment, #pollution, #chemicalindustry, #manufacturingnews, #factorynews, #environmentalcompliance, #sustainability, #industrialsafety, #esg, #communityimpact, #industrynews

When a custom rubber stamp manufacturer last week made a plea for people to take his factory’s scraps, the responses started bouncing in.Nic Magnuson, who runs Magnuson Custom Stamps and helps lead operations at Unity Stamp Company in New London, Minnesota, said his companies throw out more than 200 pounds of clean natural rubber scraps each week. He reached out to mulch recyclers, playground surfacing specialists and more about taking the scraps, but no one wanted it. So, he took to Reddit, offering to ship out the rubber scraps to anyone who wanted it, just asking them to cover roughly $1 per pound in shipping costs.Magnuson said the Reddit post has so far racked up around 6.6 million views and that he’s received hundreds of emails and DMs.“I've been working through them one by one and I'm still not caught up. The variety of intended uses has been the best part,” he said in an email.#manufacturing, #recycling, #sustainability, #industrialnews, #smallbusiness, #factorylife, #circular economy, #manufacturingnews, #innovation, #wastereduction, #recyclingideas, #greenmanufacturing, #reddit, #industrialrecycling, #sustainablemanufacturing

After a Tesla Cybertruck recall earlier this month warned of wheels potentially falling off vehicles, the latest recall to hit the electric vehicle maker is fairly inconsequential by comparison.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently released a recall notice potentially impacting 14,575 Tesla Model Y vehicles that might be missing a sticker. Some of those vehicles, model years 2025 and 2026, may not have received a certification label with weight specifications, which the agency warned may lead customers overloading the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.The problem arose in April when Tesla discovered a vehicle with a missing certification label during a routine internal audit of its Fremont factory in California. The company figured out that its automated vision-scanning tool that verifies the presence of a “properly affixed” certification label wasn’t doing its job very well.The Fremont factory team fixed the automated scanning tool and implemented additional manual checks, secondary measures that were also adopted at Tesla’s Gigafactory in Texas.

Welcome to another episode of Gen Z in Manufacturing, a podcast where I talk to young people about their journeys in manufacturing, how they intend to influence the industry and what they are looking for from an employer.For this episode, I welcome Cooper Maddas, a 26-year-old laser operator at Manufacturing Corporation of America’s MetalPeak facility, which offers broad-spectrum cutting of various metals and thicknesses for multiple industries, including automotive, medical and oil & gas.Maddas got his start in manufacturing in high school and has been working in the industry ever since. At MetalPeak, he operates sheet laser machinery and helps train newer employees.In this episode, Maddas discusses:(1:09) How Gen Z weighs their options in high school(4:49) The real reason people have a negative attitude toward manufacturing(11:15) Why a company’s pitch to the younger generation falls flat(13:43) Gen Z’s non-traditional work preferencesPlease make sure to like and share this episode of Gen Z in Manufacturing. To view previous episodes, visit manufacturing.net. If you are a member of Gen Z and would like to discuss your experience in the manufacturing industry, please get in touch with me, Nolan Beilstein, at [email protected].

Last Thursday, North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson said, "VinFast agreed to build a factory and create jobs for North Carolinians — it didn't do either."The statement accompanied a lawsuit against the EV maker for promises made, but not kept.Jackson filed the lawsuit against VinFast on behalf of the North Carolina Department of Commerce, alleging that the company breached agreements to develop an EV and battery manufacturing facility in Chatham County. Now, the state is trying to reclaim the property so it can find a new partner.About four years ago, the state's Economic Investment Committee awarded a Job Development Investment Grant to VinFast Manufacturing US, LLC. The company promised to create 7,500 jobs and invest more than $3 billion in an EV manufacturing facility. To help make it happen, the North Carolina General Assembly earmarked $450 million to prepare the site and improve transportation, as well as water and sewer infrastructure in the area.#Manufacturing #EV #ElectricVehicles #VinFast #NorthCarolina #FactoryNews #IndustrialNews #ManufacturingNow #Automotive #EconomicDevelopment #BatteryFactory #MadeInAmerica #AutoIndustry #SupplyChain #BusinessNews #ManufacturingIndustry #EVManufacturing #Jobs #IndustryNews #AutomotiveNews

And the owner wants you to “steal” his template. This week, rapid custom manufacturer SendCutSend reached a valuation of $1.01 billion after a $110 million investment from Sequoia, Paradigm, and Patrick and John Collison—the guys who co-founded Stripe.The Reno, Nevada-based company is using the funds to launch a five-year plan to strengthen its American industrial base, which includes a $1 billion commitment to creating new U.S. manufacturing jobs and to domestically produced materials.The company also earmarked more than $250 million to expand existing facilities and establish new manufacturing hubs throughout the country. By merging software-first logic with high-speed domestic production, SendCutSend provides laser cutting, CNC machining, and finishing services with instant-buy access. The company wants to be America's "anything factory," delivering parts in as little as 24 hours.SendCutSend has spent the last eight years working on developing a model that allows users to get an instant quote and quickly begin production.The company said it has been largely bootstrapped until now, primarily funded by $6 million from friends and family. Company founder Jim Belosic believes the time is right to accept investment to meet the speed and volume requirements of a rapidly reindustrializing American economy.#Manufacturing #MadeInAmerica #SendCutSend #Automation #CNC #LaserCutting #IndustrialNews #ManufacturingNow #Reindustrialization #AmericanManufacturing #FactoryTech #ManufacturingIndustry #Startups #IndustrialAutomation #Aerospace #DefenseManufacturing #Robotics #SupplyChain #DataCenters #Innovation

Ohio-based Toledo Mold & Die – a manufacturer of automotive trim and other plastic parts – has become unavoidably ensnared in the unraveling of parent company First Brands.And while it may look like one small component of a big conglomerate, for Ford and Stellantis, it’s a lifeline.When massive auto industry supplier First Brands filed for bankruptcy, the ensuing fallout created gaps in the supply chains of some of the nation’s largest OEMs.Two of those were Ford and Stellantis. As first reported by Plastic News, after unsuccessfully seeking a buyer for the components maker, First Brands said in April that it would begin laying off Toledo Mold & Die’s 600 employees.That is, until a Hail Mary was thrown.At the 11th hour, First Brands revealed that it had found a suitable buyer – TNJ Ohio LLC – but, said Ford Authority, they “needed to keep the lights on long enough to close that deal.”In swooped Ford and Stellantis, who are said to be writing weekly checks to keep the company afloat and retain its workers.But, of course, these automakers aren’t just providing “incremental funding support on a week-to-week basis” out of the goodness of their hearts. These actions speak to how critical some suppliers can be in an automotive supply chain, and why these carmakers can’t afford to just watch from a distance as the lights go out.First Brands is continuing to sell off its assets – the second act in a protracted wind-down process that included closing 17 facilities and laying off 4,000 workers. For its part, Ford is said to have been “paying for parts in advance, in cash, and also funding certain administrative expenses.”#Manufacturing #Automotive #Ford #Stellantis #SupplyChain #AutoIndustry #FactoryNews #IndustrialNews #ManufacturingNow #FirstBrands #OhioManufacturing #Bankruptcy #AutoParts #OEM #SupplyChainCrisis #FactoryWorkers #IndustrialManufacturing #BusinessNews #AutomotiveNews #ManufacturingIndustry

A processing facility has reached a nearly $1 million settlement with neighbors who filed a class-action lawsuit to formally complain about the smells and noises coming from the factory.Prestige Feed Products, which opened in Mount Prospect, Illinois in 2019, uses a process that involves dehydrating raw cheese and soy to make ingredients for animal feed, according to the Daily Herald. One of the company’s products is known as “Cheese Supreme,” which doesn’t sound so bad if you’re talking about a pizza, but much less appetizing when it’s livestock fodder.Nearby residents, businesses and schools said Prestige emitted a “burned cheese” smell, which one plaintiff said made it nearly impossible to enjoy walks, sitting outside or having the windows open. Neighbors also said the facility’s loud industrial fans made it difficult to sleep at night.After hundreds of complaints since 2021, Prestige finally settled with nearby municipalities and shut down last year. And now it has reached a deal with local residents. But the company is still facing a separate lawsuit from the state of Illinois and that one could go to trial.Mary Beth Stillmaker, a plaintiff in the class-action suit, told the publication, “The main thing is that they're gone. A lot of us believe that if we didn't file this class-action lawsuit, they would still be operating and we would all still be suffering.”Prestige Feed Products was incorporated in 2018 and is based in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago. The company said it makes products for the swine, cattle and pet food markets. It currently carries a two-star rating on Google Reviews, with many reviews saying the company is “evil and detestable” and the facility “smells like dog crap.”#Manufacturing #FoodProcessing #FactoryNews #IndustrialNews #ManufacturingNow #CheeseSupreme #Illinois #AnimalFeed #FactoryShutdown #ClassAction #IndustrialOdor #SupplyChain #ProcessingPlant #BusinessNews #IndustryNews #FoodManufacturing #PlantClosure #IndustrialOperations #FactoryLife #ManufacturingIndustry

Two leading manufacturers of bearings plan to merge next year in a deal that would create a new top company in that segment.Japanese companies NSK and NTN said this week that they would be combined under a joint holding company next fall — effectively linking the world’s no. 3 and 4 bearing makers and, according to a report from Nikkei, taking their overall market share past the current top bearing manufacturer, SKF of Sweden.NSK and NTN officials said that combining their businesses would provide additional scale and, in turn, reduce procurement and production costs at a time of rising prices for steel and other materials. Japan’s bearing industry, the report added, is also dealing with sluggish demand from automakers and other industries, and growing competition from China.NSK’s president said that after evaluating potential restructuring or spinoffs, company officials determined that remaining competitive globally would require "realignment in the domestic industry.”An official agreement is slated to be signed in approximately six months’ time; that would go before company shareholders next June, subject to reviews by antitrust regulators both in Japan and abroad. If approved, the new holding company would be established next October.NSK will pick the new company’s president and NTN will select its chair; how they will share ownership of the holding company has not been decided, Nikkei reported.Company officials indicated that following the merger, the combined business will focus its efforts on high-growth markets, such as drone, robot and space applications.#Manufacturing #IndustrialNews #Bearings #NSK #NTN #SKF #AutomotiveIndustry #Robotics #Drones #SpaceIndustry #Japan #GlobalManufacturing #SupplyChain #Engineering #IndustrialAutomation #FactoryNews #BusinessNews #ManufacturingIndustry #IndustrialEngineering #Automation #MaterialsCosts #SteelPrices #IndustrialTechnology #Merger #CorporateNews #IndustrialMarket #ManufacturingTrends #RobotTechnology #Aerospace #TechIndustry