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1117 episodes
LISTEN: GM Exits Joint Venture for $3.5B EV Battery Plant
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 elect...
LISTEN: Gen Z in Manufacturing: What Makes a Factory Feel Outdated to Gen Z
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 w...
LISTEN: Milwaukee Tool Thief Gets 5 Years
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 t...
LISTEN: The Air Force B-52 Modernization Program Has Hit Some Snags
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 ca...
LISTEN: Company Reverses Decision to Close Ohio Glass Plant
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...
LISTEN: Kawasaki Settles Multi-Million Dollar Suit Over Stolen Semiconductor Tech
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 l...
LISTEN: 117-Year-Old Candy Company to Shutter Factory
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 - operat...
LISTEN: Ohio Aerospace Plant Files for Bankruptcy
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 ...
TRISO-X Gets Boost to Help Create U.S. Supply of Unique Nuclear Fuel
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 Indus...
LISTEN: Northwestern Engineers Made a ‘Phantom’ Drone That Vanishes in Plain Sight
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 t...
LISTEN: New Balance May Donate Shuttered Factory to the Town it Vacated
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...
LISTEN: Miller High Life Seeks Mayor of “Champagne of Beers”
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 whe...
LISTEN: Butter Maker Smooths Production Gaps with Flex Work Option That Let’s Workers Pick Hours
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 pro...
LISTEN: Gen Z in Manufacturing: Lack of ‘Storytellers’ Hurting Manufacturing Interest
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 a...
LISTEN: Federal Agents Raid Food Manufacturer, Detaining Workers and Confiscating Documents
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.
LISTEN: Sony Retraining Factory Workers After Killing PlayStation Discs
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
LISTEN: Lawsuit Accuses Nephron of Covering Up Fentanyl Loss, Lying to FDA
The former chief human resources officer of pharmaceutical manufacturer Nephron filed a lawsuit against the company, alleging it wrongfully terminated her after she raised...
LISTEN: Lucid Eliminates Entire Factory Shift in Second Round of Job Cuts This Year
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...
LISTEN: Ford Motor Sues to Shutdown Lemon Law Fraud
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 &...
LISTEN: Blue Origin May Take Over Former ‘Balloon’ Factory
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
LISTEN: Ford Tearing Down One Engine Every Day After Record-Breaking Year of Recalls
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.<...
JBS Shutting Down Multiple Plants, Eliminating Over 2,000 Jobs
JBS USA plans to close two facilities in Pennsylvania and Tennessee and a portion of another Tennessee site in a move expected to elimin...
LISTEN: Gen Z in Manufacturing: Digitization Opportunities Hiding in Plain Sight
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 a...
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...
