IEN Radio

We’ve talked about a ton of autonomous vehicle technology, and we’ve also discussed electric ride-hailing solutions; new technology for low-cost public transportation probably doesn’t sound all that revolutionary any more. But according to Mark Seeger, the founder and CEO of Concord, California-based Glydways, it will be necessary to combine elements of all three of these strategies and technologi...

Late last year, electric delivery van developer Workhorse Group — despite years on shaky financial footing — was riding high amid a global push to clean up last-mile logistics and its partnerships with high-profile companies . But just nine months later, the company is beset by vehicle issues, a federal investigation and tumbling stock prices. In the latest headline-grabbing snag, Reuters reports...

The recent events of a Farmington Hills, Michigan wedding would seem to suggest that taking your work home with you is not always the worst thing for your marriage, or for others. According to a report in the Detroit Free Press , married Ford engineers, and wedding guests, Harish Thiruvengadam and Swetha Shailendra were able to save the day after nearby storms knocked out power at an outdoor weddi...

Based in New York state, Gear Motions manufactures custom cut and precision ground gears for everything from oil pumps and cars to medical devices. Earlier this month, construction began on the company's new factory in Tonawanda, NY. The plan is to bring the Gear Motions' Buffalo-based Niagara Gear and Oliver Gear divisions together under one roof.  According to the company, the division...

I have been a professional writer and reporter for more than 20 years, and I’ve been covering the industrial sector for nearly 15 of those years. And in all of that time, I can honestly say that the following might be my favorite story ever. The story starts and, basically ends, on July 6 of this year when thieves broke into a major shipping company’s overnight drop box. It’s assumed that these in...

Remote meetings were a lifesaver in 2020 as many businesses were abruptly thrust into a work-from-home environment. And no one platform got more attention than Zoom. Along with it, Zoom hazards frequently became viral punchlines. Whether it involved children, pets or wardrobe malfunctions, the Internet seemed to have an endless appetite for a good virtual snafu. But it seems these types of events...

When autonomous driving systems are in the headlines these days, they tend to reinforce public skepticism of self-driving technology. But while high-profile incidents in the news might indicate that those systems aren’t quite ready for prime time, make no mistake: that day is coming, and soon. In fact, a newly released report suggests that advances in technology could make the act of actually driv...

For those who haven’t been, the rolling hills and valleys of southwestern Wisconsin combine with wide swaths of lush farmland to create a uniquely beautiful landscape. And sitting as a perfect example of this blend of small towns and dairy farms is the village of New Glarus. With a population of about 2,000, local pride resonates primarily from two areas: its Swiss ancestry and the local craft bre...

Earlier this year, NASA picked SpaceX to build the lander that will return astronauts to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. Under the nearly $3 billion contract, Elon Musk’s company would propel the mission using one of its new rocketships, known as the Starship, which is eventually intended to bring humans to Mars. But Musk’s chief rival in the private spaceflight game has other i...

In 2018, former engineers from SpaceX and Blue Origin formed their own company with the hope of revolutionizing travel here on Earth instead of in space. Hermeus says it’s developing the world’s fastest reusable aircraft, capable of reaching speeds of Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound. And it says a new Pentagon contract will help get its first jet off the ground. The company announced a $6...

The skills and labor shortages continue to be significant pain points for manufacturers. The bottleneck has forced manufacturers to test various solutions, from signing bonuses, to hiring previously terminated employees. Depending on who you are talking to, everyone has a theory: a lack of interest in manufacturing, a lack of access to trade classes in schools, too much welfare assistance and the...

As a labor shortage rages in nearly every industry, we see reports suggesting that wages are increasing in many areas to attract workers. In fact, just this week we learned that the average pay for grocery and restaurant workers has topped $15 an hour for the first time. But would it surprise you to learn that as wages inch up for the lowest paid, that they’re going up at the executive level as we...

What’s better than an autonomous, 10-ton, diesel-electric tank that can hit off-road speeds of up to 25 miles an hour? Probably one that also features a remotely operated 30-millimeter cannon and 7.62-millimeter automatic machine gun. That’s what the U.S. Army is currently putting through its paces as part of its Robotic Combat Vehicle-Medium program, which also falls under its Next Generation Com...

Neighbors of a New Jersey dog treat factory are fed up with its smell. An Aug. 11 report from WNBC-TV detailed complaints from residents in Neptune City, New Jersey, about a Nylabone plant on the Jersey Shore. “What I smell is like a rotting, dog food-like excrement smell,” one neighbor told the news station. Said another: “It’s nauseating. Instant headaches until, like, you’re nauseous.” The fact...

Millions of consumers have been laying low for most of the past year-and-a-half amid a global pandemic, which, understandably, fueled increased demand for comfort food. The maker of Cheetos, Doritos and Tostitos scrambled to keep its snacks on store shelves, but in at least one plant, it reportedly came at the cost of its production workers’ well-being. Members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacc...

A recent report published by Inc. Magazine contends that as many as 9 in 10 American workers may be currently considering looking elsewhere for employment. Well, we’re going to go out on a limb and say this next job prospect might just be tantalizing enough to get the other ten percent… That’s because McCormick, the brand that’s been gracing American spice racks since the late 1800s, has announced...

Whether you like them or not, Crocs -- the rubbery, washable footwear popular with health care workers, preschoolers and middle-aged dads across America -- are here to stay. And nothing speaks more to the permanence of this so-called “ugly shoe” than the fact that Crocs pulled in $1.4 billion in 2020, making it the company’s best year on record. It’s really no surprise then that a shoe company tha...

With an international agreement to curb climate change looming over the coming decades, countries around the world are starting to look at timetables for phasing out the production of new gasoline-powered cars. But in the U.S. and elsewhere, an unlikely opponent has emerged to fight an ambitious transition to all-electric vehicles. Toyota, whose Prius once made it the darling of eco-conscious car...

Moving the broader passenger vehicle market from gasoline-powered cars to electric ones will require making EVs practical enough for everyday drivers. That means resolving issues such as limited driving ranges and lengthy charging times — where automakers have made great strides in recent years — but it also means making EVs more affordable. Nissan, which helped usher in the electric-car era with...

On July 5, 2021, three workers were nearly crushed by a 200-metric-ton platform when things went bad while dismantling an oil rig off the coast of Western Australia.  The technicians were working on a decommissioned Santos oil rig when a crane removed the topsides, and it began to swing out of control, leaving the workers exposed, clinging to the steel column below.  According to a report and vide...

A new report suggests that steel producers could be forced to abandon tens of billions of dollars’ worth of equipment in coming decades as the world transitions away from coal. Global Energy Monitor, a San Francisco energy policy think tank, says that as many nations work to phase out coal as an energy source in order to meet global climate goals, steel plants continue to rely on blast furnaces, w...

Chinese researchers have been working on a plan to avoid an Armageddon-esque asteroid hitting Earth should the issue ever present itself.  It doesn’t involve Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck, but rather, sending 23 of the country’s largest rockets in an effort to redirect the large rock.  According to Reuters , researchers at China’s National Space Science Center discovered 23 Long March 5 rockets cou...

On July 1, 33-year-old David Olson started a little demo on the back steps of his house; he wanted to build a new deck. The project took a turn when Olson, who lives in Norton Shores, Michigan, uncovered an odd black sphere buried behind the cinder blocks. He found a bowling ball and, at first, he didn't think much of it, but then he found about 157 more.  According to the Detroit Free Press...

Cars.com recently unveiled its 2021 American-Made Index, which ranks new vehicles on how they contribute to the U.S. economy.  The five criteria utilized to construct the rankings are assembly location, parts sourcing, U.S. factory employment, engine sourcing and transmission sourcing.  For the first time in the AMI’s 16-year history, an electric vehicle topped the list, and it’s none other than T...

GlobalFoundries detailed the demand in a lawsuit filed against IBM on Monday, Reuters reports. The trouble began more than six years ago, when GlobalFoundries agreed to purchase IBM’s chip business for $1.5 billion. IBM claims the transaction required GlobalFoundries to continue making chips for IBM, but instead, the company abandoned advanced chipmaking technology in 2018 citing exorbitant resear...