IEN Radio

Factory tours commonly come to mind for tourists looking to experience local landmarks. Boeing, Jelly Belly and Louisville Slugger all offer popular behind-the-scenes outings. But it’s doubtful any of those are as popular as what Xiaomi is offering in China. The consumer electronics giant has recently broken into the automotive space. It currently offers the SU7 full-size sedan and it’s working on...

Blue Diamond has announced plans to wind down operations at its plant in Sacramento, California, cutting some 600 jobs in the process.  The company says it was founded in 1910 to "ensure the long-term success of small, multigenerational almond farmers and their families in California." To keep that mission on track, the company must shutter its plant in midtown Sacramento, transferring m...

The company says a former employee took proprietary recipes and other information to his new job.

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 Thomas Lesueur, a 26-year-old student pursuing a Ph. D. in microelectronics at the University of Sherbrooke in Canada , in partnership with IBM .  Lesueur...

GM didn’t fare much better.

British rock band Coldplay plans to re-release its albums on 140-gram EcoRecords made from recycled plastic bottles and produced through injection molding technology.  According to Warner Music Group, manufacturers make each EcoRecord from 100% recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a type of plastic engineered for circular reuse and used by U.S. beverage companies to make bottles. Warner Musi...

A critical safety flaw could lock you in the car.

The Oregonian reported that chipmaker Intel plans to lay off up to 20% of its factory workforce, citing an internal email the publication says was verified by four employees. According to the report, Intel informed its employees that the cuts would begin taking effect in July and would impact factories worldwide. Intel reportedly employed about 109,000 workers at the end of 2024, but it remains un...

At Home is a retailer that was first established way back in 1979 and has grown significantly since. The brand was acquired a few years back by a private equity firm for $2.8 billion and operates more than 260 stores with 7,000+ employees. So why is At Home filing Chapter 11?

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers on Friday announced Yaskawa [Yusk-AH-wah] America Inc. will invest some $180 million to expand its footprint in the Badger State, including a new location for its North American headquarters that will create more than 700 new jobs.   The company plans to expand its current facility in Franklin, Wisconsin, about 15 miles southwest of Milwaukee, and a little more than 4...

The Wall Street Journal is calling it “the first big casualty of the tariff war.” Marelli – the auto parts giant and supplier to big names like Stellantis and Nissan – has filed for bankruptcy protection.

Frito-Lay has been making salty snacks at its Rancho Cucamonga facility in California since 1970. It's the birthplace of the Flamin' Hot Cheeto, allegedly . PepsiCo Foods U.S. this morning confirmed to Food Manufacturing that the company will shut down manufacturing operations at the Rancho Cucamonga site. However, the warehouse, distribution, fleet and transportation teams will continue...

Green Charter Township has been locked in a legal battle with Gotion, a Chinese battery manufacturer, for more than a year now. At one time, Gotion was set to build a $2.6 billion electric vehicle battery factory near the central Michigan town.

He had been on the job just six months. 

A labor union filed an unfair labor practice charge against an insulated cable products manufacturer, alleging the company cut off the health care coverage for over 160 employees after the workers rejected a contract offer.  Teamsters Local 986 stated that Okonite, headquartered in New Jersey, terminated the health benefits for workers at the company’s plant in Santa Maria, California, on May 19,...

For this episode, I welcome Ethan Schaefer, a 21-year-old student at Purdue University participating in a co-op with Fluke Reliability . Schaefer said his interest in engineering dates back to middle school, which led to him pursuing a degree in electrical engineering at Purdue. In this episode, Schaefer discusses: How a company can improve its “vibe” (2:54) How to build a workplace where asking q...

For many buyers, the concept of the Lemon Law is a good one: when a consumer purchases a product that repeatedly fails to meet generally expected quality standards, they are provided with a legal remedy to pursue a refund. And while many automakers find themselves involved in Lemon Law cases, this next instance is a bit unique. For Ford Motor Company, instead of facing off in lawsuits over defecti...

The US Attorney’s Office in Central California recently issued a press release detailing the activities of a crime syndicate that targeted one of the country’s largest retailers – Amazon – in a scheme that involved A LOT of stolen goods. Officers in Florida and California are said to have arrested 13 alleged members and associates of Armenian organized crime syndicates.

A factory in Shepherdsville, Kentucky, reliant on automation, looks to help a shoe manufacturer navigate tariffs and labor shortages. The Wall Street Journal reported that Keen Footwear recently closed its facility in Portland, Oregon, with plans to relocate production to a 60,000-square-foot site in the Bluegrass State, scheduled to open next month. The company expects the new location to nearly...

From Q1 2017 through the second quarter of 2021, Valdez and Olson allegedly withheld taxes from employee wages but didn't pay the IRS or report them on quarterly tax forms. During that time, according to LinkedIn, both worked for Stella Technology, which is based in Milpitas, a San Jose suburb. Stella specializes in healthcare technology services, primarily custom software development. Accord...

Philips has announced a new strategy to enable its customers to produce spare parts for their trimmers at home using a 3D printer.

The 2024 Cybertruck AWD Foundation Series sold for $100,000. As reported by Electreck, Tesla is offering just $65,400 in trade-in value—a depreciation of nearly 35% in a year. Pickup trucks typically depreciate around 20% in the first year.

On March 28, 2024, at about 12:18 am, the American Mariner was traveling up the St. Marys River about 25 miles south of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, when a steering failure caused the bulk carrier to strike the Munuscong Channel Junction Light, a 31-foot-diameter cylindrical fixed concrete structure with a giant light on top. The vessel took on water, but the crew stabilized it using pumps, and non...

It seems it’s been a while where EV maker Faraday Future has been hanging by a thread. In the past year or so, the company has barely avoided bankruptcy and being evicted from its California headquarters. Following a cash infusion, the company has worked hard to stay afloat, even showing off two prototype mules and announcing plans to ultimately offer a sub-$30,000 electric van early this year. So...

Another electric vehicle maker appears to be on the brink of collapse, the latest in a growing trend of EV startups failing to break through in a crowded marketplace. This time it's Bollinger Motors, a commercial EV company founded nearly 10 years ago. According to The Detroit News , the company, which was acquired by Mullen Automotive in 2022, has been struggling to pay employees, contribute...