Latest Manufacturing Headlines
All the headlines from our Manufacturing Topic Page, ordered by recency.
How Genome Sequencing Is Transforming Food Safety
Aug 28 2015 // Investigations into foodborne illness are being radically transformed by whole genome sequencing, which federal officials say is enabling them to identify the source of an outbreak far more quickly and prevent additional...
Cobots: Making It Safe for Humans, Robots to Work Side-by-Side
Aug 25 2015 // In June this year a robot crushed a man to death in a Volkswagen factory in Germany. The 22-year-old maintenance worker became trapped between a large robotic arm and a metal plate, in an area usually off-bounds to...
GlaxoSmithKline Shuts Down N.C. Factory Due to Legionnaires’ Bacteria
Aug 12 2015 // Drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline closed its North Carolina factory on Tuesday after testing at a cooling tower found bacteria that causes deadly Legionnaire’s disease, a company spokeswoman said. The Legionella bacteria was...
Feds Allege More Safety Violations at Ashley Furniture Factory in Wisconsin
Jul 23 2015 // A federal safety agency is accusing Ashley Furniture Industries Inc. of more safety violations at its factory in Arcadia, Wis. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration says a 56-year-old employee lost his...
Washington Worker’s Family Sues Over Fatal Boeing 777 Air Bag
Jul 20 2015 // The family of a Washington man who was fatally injured while he was working on a seat belt air bag replacement that inflated explosively is suing Boeing Co. and a supplier. The lawsuit filed in July in King County Superior...
Opioid Abuse Rises in Construction, Manufacturing Sectors: CNA
Jul 20 2015 // CNA recently issued two new reports that examine the growing prescription opioid abuse epidemic and its effect on the U.S. workforce, focusing on the construction and manufacturing industries, which are particularly at...
Dallas-Area Steel Fabricator Fined $189K for Workplace Hazards
Jul 17 2015 // Federal safety officials have found that a Dallas-area steel fabricator has continued to put its workers in harm’s way, despite its awareness of hazards at its Farmers Branch facility. A recent federal inspection...
Aerospace Underwriters Analyze Potential Liability from Growing Use of 3-D Printers
Jul 16 2015 // The International Union of Aerospace Insurers (IUAI) held its annual general meeting (AGM) in Bengaluru, India, which included a session on the potential impact of 3-D printing in aerospace manufacturing in the future. A...
Number of Food Recalls and Their Costs Are Increasing: Swiss Re Report
Jul 15 2015 // “Food manufacturers operate in a vast, globalized supply chain, where one mislabeled product or contaminated ingredient can cause sickness, death, multi-million dollar losses and massive reputational damage for the...
Fire Destroys Historic Florida Cigar Factory
Jul 7 2015 // A historic Tampa, Florida cigar factory has been destroyed in a fire. Authorities say the roof and floors of the Palmetto Beach Cigar Factor collapsed in the fire which broke out shortly after midnight July 5. The fire...
Washington Worker’s Family Sues Over Fatal Boeing 777 Air Bag
Jul 6 2015 // The family of a Washington man who was fatally injured while he was working on a seat belt air bag replacement that inflated explosively is suing Boeing Co. and a supplier. The lawsuit filed last week in King County...
Business Income: Why Worksheets Alone Don’t Work
Jul 6 2015 // Predicting the impact of a catastrophic event on an organization’s future income or profit is an exhaustive risk management exercise when done correctly. Typically chief financial officers, risk managers and...
Missouri Manufacturer Cited for Worker’s Death, Fined $71K
Jun 17 2015 // The federal government has cited a Springfield, Mo.-based manufacturer after a worker at the company plant died in January. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Ridewell Corp. with a willful violation...
Number of Cars with Takata Air Bags Uncertain
Jun 11 2015 // The number of vehicles on U.S. roads with potentially defective Takata air bags appears to be less than half the 34 million initially estimated by federal regulators, according to a Reuters analysis of recall records...
Economic Report Suggests Slower Growth in Midwest
Jun 2 2015 // Slower economic growth is likely through the end of the third quarter this year for nine Midwestern and Plains states, according to a report issued on June 1. The survey report says the overall Mid-America Business...
The Scoop on Recall Insurance and Listeria-Linked Ice Cream
May 22 2015 // While peanut butter and cantaloupe made big news in recent years, ice cream is now the latest item to be pulled off grocery store shelves due to foodborne-illness. Brenham, Texas-based Blue Bell Creameries’...
Alabama Governor Signs ‘Innovator Liability’ Law
May 18 2015 // Companies in Alabama would be protected from lawsuits related to products they didn’t make under newly passed legislation. Gov. Robert Bentley on May 1 signed into law a bill that says manufacturers are not liable...
Ohio Manufacturer Faces $134K in Fines for Safety Violations
May 14 2015 // A federal agency says a central Ohio rubber-hose manufacturer accused of 11 worker safety violations is facing proposed penalties of $134,000. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration says HBD/Thermoid Inc., based...
Senate Democrats Derail Fast-Track Trade Authority Bill
May 12 2015 // U.S. Senate Democrats delivered a major blow to President Barack Obama’s trade agenda on Tuesday, blocking debate on a bill that would have smoothed the path for a Pacific trade pact. The stunning outcome cast doubt...
HSB Launches Enhanced Farm Equipment, Machinery Breakdown Coverage
May 8 2015 // The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Co. (HSB), part of Munich Re, has launched a new farm equipment and machinery breakdown coverage with expanded insurance for mobile implements and the precision...
