IEN Radio

There are places where the use of child labor is commonplace, even in factories rife with potential danger, but typically not in the United States where child labor laws have existed for many years. But a recent exclusive report published by Reuters accuses a major automaker’s subsidiary of flouting these laws by employing children as young as 12 years old right here on U.S. soil. A majority owned...

Chipotle plans to grow like crazy and eventually have 7,000 restaurants in North America. To get there, the company will have to make a whole lot of burritos so to help its employees with the volume, it’s turning to robots. The company this week announced an investment in Hyphen, a California-based company specializing in food production robotics. Hyphen’s first product is called the Makeline and...

Elon Musk and SpaceX have made it abundantly clear that they’re going to Mars. The company is at work on Starship, which it says will be the world’s most powerful launch vehicle, capable of taking a full crew and lots of cargo to the red planet. But they may not get there first. Relativity Space and Impulse Space have teamed up for a trip to Mars and, if everything goes as planned, they might be h...

By the time prepared vegetarian and organic food had a place at the table in terms of food industry market share, brands like Amy’s Kitchen already had an established legacy. The California-based company was first established in 1987 and since then has expanded to reach more than 30 countries, producing a million meals per day using organic and non-GMO ingredients. But the road, at times, has been...

In a bombshell revelation, a report published by Bloomberg says that Ford may be making the most significant operational change yet in response to electrics: cutting thousands of jobs. Bloomberg cites unnamed sources familiar with the matter who says the Blue Oval plans to reduce headcount by 8,000 over the next few weeks. The sources say the cuts intend to target the Ford unit responsible for pro...

As automakers continue to develop and test autonomous vehicle technology, is it safe to assume they’re fully committed to a diligent and safe rollout? We’d like to think so, however one industry insider hints that there may be some problems hiding under the hood of GM’s Cruise driverless program. Automotive News is reporting that an alleged whistleblower sent a letter to California regulators in a...

Manufacturing on earth has found countless ways to adapt to the environment. But in those rare cases where materials or components need extraordinary circumstances to get made, there’s always outer space. UK-based startup Space Forge has assembled a plan to send a factory into outer space, where it can take advantage of extreme conditions to build electronic components, metal alloys and pharmaceut...

Robots can serve so many useful functions and with some hard work and a whole lot of money, unicorn riding could soon join the list of things that robots can provide. Xpeng Robotics, a division of Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Xpeng, just raised more than $100 million in Series A funding to realize its vision of helpful robots in the household within the next two years. Xpeng already has p...

Employees at an Armorock Polymer Concrete manufacturing plant in Boulder City, Nevada were forced to evacuate following an explosion that injured six people. The explosion caused a fire at the plant and Deputy Fire Chief Greg Chesser said the worker closest to the blast sustained severe burns. One employee was treated for chemical burns and three others suffered minor concussions. One experienced...

Boeing’s 737 Max passenger jets have caused serious problems–including two deadly crashes that grounded the planes worldwide for a year and a half. Now there’s a chance the company’s latest jet won’t make it to production, which could result in a massive loss in sales. According to Barron’s , Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun hinted in a recent interview that the 737 Max 10 may have to be dropped from produ...

In April, the Guiness Book of World Records recognized Walter Orthmann. Orthmann didn't have the longest nails or mustache, but what he did have was the longest tenure working for the same company.  As of January 6, 2022, Orthmann worked at ReneauxView for 84 years and nine days. He's 100 years old.  Orthmann's first day at the Brazilian textile company was on January 17, 1938. He w...

Big patio umbrellas are great. They provide shade on a sunny day and will even protect you from some light rain if you’re not ready to head in yet. But they can’t really do any of that if they're engulfed in flames. That, along with obvious safety concerns, is why the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said SunVilla is recalling 400,000 Solar LED Market Umbrellas sold only at Costco stor...

The Century Aluminum plant in Hawesville, Kentucky is shutting down production due to rising energy costs.  In a statement, the company says the plant idling is the "direct result of skyrocketing energy costs," specifically blaming the Russian war in Ukraine for the dramatic increase. The production stoppage will impact some 628 workers who will be laid off at the second largest employer...

It’s been nearly six years since Domino’s pushed drone technology to its logical peak by delivering a pizza but now the dream is getting closer to becoming reality. SkyDrop, the pizza maker’s partner in aerial pizza logistics, said this week that it’s completed building the Domino’s drone fleet and that commercial tests will begin soon in New Zealand. The company said its drones will be able to ca...

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, New York churned out tons of greenish hand sanitizer that was bottled up and placed in public buildings throughout the state. But now, with the worst of it seemingly past the state, it’s stuck with 700,000 unused gallons of the stuff. According to Democrat & Chronicle , all the NYS Clean hand sanitizer is sitting on the runway at a state training fac...

We know that both shortages and inflation are hitting Americans in the pocketbook, and recently published data confirms that the auto industry is still running hotter than ever – at the expense of the average buyer. Moody’s Analytics says that the average monthly car payment in the U.S. just hit a record high of $712 – and there are a lot of factors in play. Moody’s, using Cox Automotive data, say...

Littering seems like an easy thing not to do but still, the problem persists. It’s right up there with not picking up your dog’s poop or not putting your shopping cart in the corral when you’re done. Still, some people need a little extra incentive to not throw garbage on the ground. In the Swedish city of Malmö , that incentive now comes in the form of a sultry female voice dishing out sexually s...

Elon Musk was recently interviewed in a three-part series by the Tesla Owners Silicon Valley Club. Thus far, only the first two segments have been released. While the interview is far-reaching, Musk made some bold predictions for potential competitors while retelling how touch-and-go things were at the upstart carmaker before the brand took off.  Musk predicts that, unless something changes signif...

Consumer goods continue to face supply chain issues. By now, nearly everyone has heard of the baby formula shortages. But another group of products is experiencing a significant shortage and a Time article called it the scarcity “no one’s talking about.” This one involves tampons and pads. This shortage is the result of a combination of factors. CNN Business reports there have been supply constrai...

Industrial accidents should always be avoided if possible. But every once in a while, something goes wrong at the factory and it’s actually kind of sweet. That was the case this week when two people fell into a chocolate tank at the M&M/Mars factory in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. According to Penn Live , the individuals were unable to escape the chocolate, which was believed to be about waist...

Walmart has become the latest major retailer to drop a coconut milk brand after allegations of forced monkey labor surfaced. According to Axios , Walmart no longer sells Chaokoh products in stores and online, and the company’s Sam’s Club outlets are also no longer listing the product. Walmart joins other retailers including Target, Costco , Kroger and more in dropping the brand amid pressure from...

Deere & Co. has had enough of the labor market struggles in the U.S. and is moving some production to Mexico.  Last Thursday, the ag equipment manufacturer said it is relocating cab production from Waterloo, Iowa to a components plant in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico.  According to Reuters , the relocation could affect some 250 employees and the transfer is scheduled to be finished by 2024. However, ac...

Vegemite. You may have heard of it thanks to the Men At Work song , but it’s possible you’ve never tried it. It’s a dark, thick and salty yeast extract spread and a famous Australian delicacy. And it turns out, it gives off such a distinct smell during the manufacturing process that it’s been awarded a special heritage recognition from the city of Melbourne. According to the Guardian , the city co...

In February, DeLorean Motor Company teased a comeback during Super Bowl LVI with a 15-second spot. But, in the spirit of teasing, it revealed very little.  The commercial showed text that reads, “The future was never promised,” followed by a shot of a shadowy vehicle with gullwing doors. The ad closed with a link to a website.  Just before Memorial Day, the company released a preview of its all-el...

Last week, Dyson pulled back the curtain on robot prototypes currently in development as part of a presentation at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation in Philadelphia. And while it boils down to little more than a recruiting tool, some of the projects could stand to make a big impact on our day-to-day lives.  In a video, Dyson's Chief Engineer Jake Dyson showed off some of...