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1094 episodes
LISTEN: Strike to End at GM Supplier; Workers Win Significant Increases
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 o...
LISTEN: Retired EV Batteries to Support Power Grid in Calif., Texas
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 r...
LISTEN: AI Biffs Design in Dodge RAM T-Shirt Gaffe
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...
LISTEN: 'Spud King' Fined for Illegal Potato Chip Factory
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
LISTEN: Tooling Manufacturer Plans $800M Montana Factory
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
LISTEN: Harley Owners Warned: Checking Oil Could Spray You With Oil
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 oi...
LISTEN: Missing Equipment Has Sherwin-Williams Facing Legal Battle Over Plant Odors
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 ...
LISTEN: Stamp Manufacturer Sees Huge Response to Free Rubber Offer
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 Ne...
LISTEN: Missing Sticker Triggers Recall for Thousands of Teslas
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 incon...
Gen Z in Manufacturing: Why Manufacturing's Recruitment Pitch Is Falling Flat
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 indu...
LISTEN: Vietnamese EV Maker Sued by North Carolina After Ongoing Delays
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,...
LISTEN: SendCutSend Raises $110 Million to Build ‘Anything Factories’
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 wh...
Why Ford, Stellantis Are Propping Up This Bankrupt Supplier
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 congl...
Stinky Factory Settles with Angry Neighbors for Nearly $1M
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 Prosp...
LISTEN: Merger to Create the World’s Largest Bearing Manufacturer
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...
LISTEN: 2,100 Workers at Risk as Goodyear Looks to Close NC Plant
According to the Fayetteville-Cumberland Economic Development Corporation, the plant employed more than 2,100 workers as of February of last year, making it the fifth largest employer in the cou...
LISTEN: 420K Peach Trees on Chopping Block After Cannery Closures
Farmers in Central California have grown peaches for Del Monte for generations. But the nearly 140-year-old company recently initiated bankruptcy proceedings and closed two of its process...
LISTEN: Porsche Decision to Cut 500 Jobs Signals Retreat From EV Tech
Porsche announced plans to shut down three German-based subsidiaries tied to battery technology, e-bikes and software development. The...
LISTEN: Musk Plans $119B Terafab in Texas to Build Chips for ‘Galactic Civilization’
SpaceX could invest as much as $119 billion to build its Terafab, a proposed semiconductor manufacturing and computing fabrication facility in Texas, according to
LISTEN: Sugar Titan to ‘Modernize’ Historic Louisiana Refinery
he world’s largest producer of cane sugar is planning its largest-ever capital expenditure to overhaul a historic — and timeworn — refinery near New Orleans.American Sugar Refining this week broke ground on the first phase of what the c...
LISTEN: Corning to Build Three Factories, Create 3,000 Jobs in Massive AI Deal With Nvidia
This morning, Corning and NVIDIA announced a multiyear commercial and technology partnership to significantly scale U.S.-based optical connectivity manufacturing and fiber production. To meet accelerating demand for new AI factory b...
LISTEN: Hyundai Is Getting Tired of Waiting for Its Robots
Hyundai placed a big bet on the future of humanoid robotics within its automotive manufacturing operations and it’s reportedly starting to get impatient with the results so far. In 2021, Hyundai acquired a majority stake in Boston D...
LISTEN: Bridgestone Abruptly Closing Georgia Golf Ball Plant; Outsourcing Amid ‘Increasing Volatility’
On Friday, Bridgestone Golf, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Bridgestone Sports, announced plans to close its golf ball manufacturing and testing facility in Covington, Georgia.The closure will be abrupt, with the facility about 45 minutes e...
LISTEN: Ford Sees $1.3B Tariff Refund, But High Aluminum Costs Remain a Problem
Ford Motor announced its Q1 financial results on Wednesday, and while the automaker experienced a 6% uptick in revenue to $43.3 billion, it also recorded a one-time swing from tariff refunds. Ford's Q1 results include a $1.3 billion one-time IE...
