Eric Sorensen

IEN Radio

News EN ↓ 1102 episodes

Radio for manufacturing and engineering professionals. New industrial products, news and technical articles.

Author

Eric Sorensen

Category

News

Podcast website

www.ien.com

Latest episode

Jul 11, 2026

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Episodes

LISTEN: Ammunition Manufacturer Announces $300M New Factory 14.05.2025

A leading global manufacturer of ammunition plans to spend $300 million to establish a new plant in Oklahoma, state and company officials announced Monday. CBC Global Ammunition, a Brazilian company that also owns the Magtech, MEN and Sinterfire brands of small-caliber ammunition, will establish what would be its third U.S. facility at the MidAmerica Industrial Park in the state’s northeastern cor...

LISTEN: Ford Worker Accused of Stealing Millions of Dollars Worth of Parts from Plants 13.05.2025

It so happens that occasionally a worker gets busted for theft that takes place in the workplace, but it’s the scale of this next incident that makes it an eye-popping scenario. Four individuals have been charged in a theft ring that allegedly saw millions in car parts lifted from several Michigan Ford factories, and one of them was a Ford employee. Dearborn police say they’ve uncovered a scheme i...

LISTEN: Meet the Production Car that Just Shattered the 1/2 Mile Record 12.05.2025

Koenigsegg is a Swedish manufacturer of high-performance sports cars that has been credited with some of the most exciting designs to hit automotive since its founding in 1994. And its latest does not disappoint. New reports claim that a recent test of the Koenigsegg Jesko actually resulted in a world record. The vehicle was already known for being one of the fastest production cars of all time –...

LISTEN: LEGO Debuts 10 Fully-Drivable F1 Cars 09.05.2025

LEGO Group and Formula 1 unveiled 10 fully-drivable F1 cars in Miami on Sunday. The effort was the fruit of a partnership with all 10 teams on the grid and they made their debut at the Miami Grand Prix Driver's Parade.  Each vehicle is made of some 400,000 bricks and weighs a little more than 3,300 pounds—2,200 of that is just the bricks. The average F1 car weighs only 1,759 pounds, including...

LISTEN: Trump Taps L3Harris to Retrofit Old 747 Into New Air Force One 08.05.2025

Back in February, President Donald Trump said Boeing's progress on the new Air Force One was taking too long , and he threatened to go another way, maybe even dipping into the used aircraft market to find something to convert.  Well, it appears that the president has reached the end of his patience and is now repurposing a used Qatari plane to become the new Air Force One, and he’s tasked one...

LISTEN: VW’s Electric Bus Recalled for Too Much Seating Room 07.05.2025

A new recall, spotted by Electrek , is targeting the ID.Buzz for having too much space for passengers in the third row. The vehicle was designed to have two designated seating positions in the back row, so the bench seat is logically equipped with just two seatbelts. But, as the NHTSA puts it, the calculated seating surface width of the third-row rear bench exceeds the maximum value allowed by fed...

LISTEN: Volonaut Airbike Takes to the Sky for the First Time 06.05.2025

From the inventor of the Jetson ONE hoverbike comes a new innovation in an open-air concept. Designed in stealth, Tomasz Patan gave zero updates on his latest project before the bike's unveiling on May 1st. As part of the announcement, Patan released a video in which he can be seen gliding around a forest and through a valley on his newest creation, which he claims to be a ‘breakthrough in pe...

LISTEN: Will This Carmaker's 'Secret Stockpile' Save it from Tariffs? 05.05.2025

For many automakers the current market is clear as mud.  Production shifts are being proposed as tariffs are hitting their supply chains, and pricing and buyer behavior are such a question mark that some have withdrawn their full year forecasts. But one EV brand may have had the foresight to get ahead of the drama. Carscoops recently reported that Rivian has been quietly amassing a “secret stockpi...

LISTEN: Body Armor Maker Sued for Mislabeling Plates Sold to Law Enforcement 02.05.2025

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced a new lawsuit against body armor manufacturer ShotStop Ballistics from Stow, Ohio, for allegedly importing Chinese-produced plates and labeling them as “made in Ohio” and compliant with standards from the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the Department of Justice’s testing arm. The lawsuit stated that the alleged actions by ShotStop, its Vallmar Studio...

LISTEN: Chemical Maker Wants to Build a Shell Around Its Factory in Wisconsin 01.05.2025

Based in Columbus, Ohio, Abitec makes ingredients used in the pharmaceutical, nutritional and specialty chemical industries. Specifically, the company manufactures functional lipids, products used in everything from making sure CBD stays evenly mixed in beverages to those used in suppositories to make sure they melt appropriately.  The company operates a pair of manufacturing sites: a factory in P...

LISTEN: IBM to Invest Billions in American Manufacturing 30.04.2025

The company joins an increasing number of tech giants making significant U.S. investment plans.

LISTEN: Gen Z in Manufacturing: Young People Prefer Mass Customization Over Mass Production 29.04.2025

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 Adam Saleh, the 24-year-old CEO and founder of Presq , a design services company that helps consumers launch foot products. Saleh started Presq in 2019 dur...

LISTEN: Worker Surveillance Co. Leaked Millions of Screenshots 29.04.2025

With the shift to remote and hybrid work came what Microsoft calls “productivity paranoia” While many employers seek out the best ways to keep employees productive and on track, there can certainly be drawbacks to the most aggressive strategies.

LISTEN: Trade War Could Put ‘Christmas in Danger’ 28.04.2025

“Christmas is in danger,” according to Toy Association CEO and president Greg Ahearn. In a report by NBC News , Ahearn said U.S. President Donald Trump’s increasing tariffs are disrupting manufacturing in China, where the Toy Association estimated 80% of toys sold in the U.S. are sourced.

LISTEN: Amazon’s Internet Satellites Run into Production Delays 25.04.2025

Amazon’s Project Kuiper is an ambitious project and could eventually be a serious competitor to SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service. But that’s only if Amazon can start building its satellites a little faster. According to Bloomberg , Project Kuiper has run into production delays. It’s on a government deadline to have about 1,600 satellites in orbit by next summer, but so far it’s only ma...

LISTEN: Ocean Navigator Fire Traced to Improper Oil Changes 24.04.2025

On October 9, 2023, the Ocean Navigator passenger vessel owned by Victory Cruise Lines began a 10-night cruise from Montreal, Canada, to Boston, Massachusetts, with 128 passengers and 82 crewmembers aboard. Nine days later, at about 7:00 am, the vessel was docked in Portland, Maine, when a fire broke out in the engine room. The NTSB released a report this week that traced the fire to debris in the...

LISTEN: China Bans 'Self-Driving' Ads, Software Updates 23.04.2025

While the ramp-up of autonomous driving tools has been years in the making, China appears to be tapping the breaks on this emerging tech – or at least how it’s being portrayed. Recent reports say China has instituted a ban on certain words being used in advertising vehicles and their automated features. Such descriptions include the terms “smart,” “self-driving” and “autonomous driving.” But it do...

125-Year-Old Truck Maker to Lay Off Up to 450, Cites Tariffs 22.04.2025

Mack Trucks plans to lay off up to 450 workers at two facilities in Pennsylvania and Maryland, the company’s director of public relations, Kim Pupillo, confirmed.  The medium and heavy-duty truck manufacturer’s job cuts will take place at the Lehigh Valley Operations center in Macungie [Muh-CUN-jee], Pennsylvania, and the Powertrain Development and Production plant in Hagerstown [HAY-guhrs-town],...

LISTEN: Industrial Giant to Spin Off its Robotics Business 21.04.2025

ABB intends to establish a standalone robotics company next year.

LISTEN: Tesla Accused of Fudging Odometers to Avoid Warranty Repairs 18.04.2025

The plaintiff in the lawsuit said he bought a used 2020 Model Y Tesla vehicle with 36,772 miles on it. He said he started to notice "peculiar patterns” in mileage while the vehicle was continually having problems with its suspension. He claimed his daily driving habits should have amounted to about 20 miles per day, but his Tesla’s odometer was registering an average of 72 miles per day. As a...

LISTEN: Illinois Pipe Plant Destroyed by Fire 17.04.2025

The company had recently spent $40 million on an expansion. 

LISTEN: Honda Looks to Drastically Ramp Up U.S. Manufacturing 16.04.2025

The automaker wants 90% of all cars sold in the U.S. to be made in the U.S. In March, Honda became one of the first tariff dominos to fall when the company scrapped plans to make the Civic Hybrid in Mexico and moved production to Indiana. Now, according to Reuters , the automaker is looking to increase U.S. production by some 30% over the next two-to-three years. 

LISTEN: 132-Year-Old Pyrex Plant Closes for Good After Four Shutdown Delays 15.04.2025

The 300+ workers supply Pyrex glass – a product line owned by Instant Brands until a 2023 bankruptcy led to the sale of its housewares division to a company called Centre Lane Partners, owner of glass company Anchor Hocking.

LISTEN: Trump Administration Moves to Gut Program that Helps Small Manufacturers 14.04.2025

The Trump administration reportedly plans to end funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program, a public-private partnership that supports small and medium-sized manufacturers, which represent nearly 98% of firms in the U.S.  While the Department of Commerce did not officially announce a funding cut, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) issued a statement that said the Trump admin...

LISTEN: Now: Bezos-Backed Startup Building $25K Electric Truck 11.04.2025

A stealthy EV startup with financial backing from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is reportedly building a $25,000 electric truck. According to TechCrunch , Slate has been up and running since 2022 and quietly assembling a team of automotive experts from companies like Ford, General Motors, Stellantis and Harley-Davidson. Drawing inspiration from the Model T Ford and Volkswagen Beetle, the company hopes...

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