Coronavirus Coverage

Detroit’s Big Three Automakers to Let Workers Stop Wearing Masks

Tue, 08 Mar 2022 00:00:00 -0500

DETROIT—Detroit’s Big Three automakers will allow autoworkers to stop wearing masks at workplaces where U.S. health officials have said it is safe to do so.

Truck Maker Navistar Says Omicron Variant Likely to Slow Supply Chain Recovery

Mon, 06 Dec 2021 00:00:00 -0500

LISLE, IL—U.S. truck maker Navistar International Corp. said Dec. 1 that the omicron variant of the coronavirus would likely slow the recovery in the global supply chain.

China Leads Post-Pandemic Recovery...in Industrial Robot Purchases

Wed, 21 Jul 2021 00:00:00 -0400

FRANKFURT—Preliminary data by the International Federation of Robotics shows a 19 percent sales increase of industrial robots to China in 2020, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, nearly 167,000 industrial robots were delivered there last year.

Armbrust American Adds Meltblown Manufacturing to Combat Pandemic PPE Shortages

Fri, 29 Jan 2021 00:00:00 -0500

AUSTIN, TX—Personal protective equipment manufacturer Armbrust American has announced that its factories are now capable of producing meltblown, the nonwoven fabric material that filters out microscopic particulate matter such as the coronavirus.

COVID-19 Sparks Biggest Decline in Car Sales in EU

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 00:00:00 -0500

BRUSSELS—The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked the biggest decline in car production in Europe on record, according to data published last week by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association.

Engineers Rise to the Challenge of COVID

sprovierij@bnpmedia.com (John Sprovieri) — Mon, 04 Jan 2021 10:36:00 -0500

The best aspect of my job as a journalist covering science and technology is the opportunity to talk with smart, passionate people on a daily basis.

How Automation Accelerates Reshoring—Part 1

harry.moser@reshorenow.org (Harry Moser) — Fri, 11 Dec 2020 09:00:00 -0500

COVID-19 has accelerated deglobalization in manufacturing, but that shift was already underway before the pandemic. Between 1990 and 2016, global trade had been growing at average annual rate of 4.9 percent, according to the World Trade Organization.

BD to Invest $1.2 Billion to Boost Manufacturing Capacity

Tue, 08 Dec 2020 00:00:00 -0500

FRANKLIN LAKES, NJ—Becton, Dickinson and Co. plans to invest approximately $1.2 billion over a four-year period to expand and upgrade manufacturing capacity and technology for pre-fillable syringes and advanced drug delivery systems across its six global manufacturing locations and add a new manufacturing facility in Europe.

UAW Offers COVID Tests to Ford Workers in Louisville

Tue, 08 Dec 2020 00:00:00 -0500

LOUISVILLE—Approximately 20,000 active and retired Ford factory workers, their immediate family members and surviving spouses will be able to get coronavirus tests at the UAW hall here after the union’s executive board voted unanimously to hire a private laboratory to perform the tests at no cost to members.

Johnson & Johnson's Vaccine Manufacturing Partner Invests $150 Million in MA Facility

Mon, 30 Nov 2020 00:00:00 -0500

BOXBOROUGH, MA—German contract manufacturer Vibalogics GmbH is investing $150 million and hiring 100 people for a facility here to help Big Pharma develop a COVID-19 vaccine. The company plans to open the site by the second half of 2021.

Thermo Fisher Opens Plant for Manufacturing COVID-19 Sample Collection Products

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 00:00:00 -0400

LENEXA, KS–Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. recently cut the ribbon on its new $40 million facility here dedicated to viral transport media production.

PPE From Promess Helps Dental Students Complete Training

Sun, 25 Oct 2020 00:00:00 -0400

An ad hoc team of management, assembly and mechanical engineering personnel at Promess are producing PPE for local hospitals, first responders, dentists, traveling nurses, homeless shelters and nursing homes in Southeastern Michigan.

Medicom Adding Second US Mask Manufacturing Plant in Georgia

Wed, 14 Oct 2020 00:00:00 -0400

AUGUSTA, GA—The Medicom Group will expand its U.S. mask manufacturing operations by adding a second factory with triple the square footage of its existing United Medical Enterprise facility here.

GM, Honda Put White-Collar Workers on the Assembly Line

sprovierij@bnpmedia.com (John Sprovieri) — Thu, 08 Oct 2020 14:58:00 -0400

After sitting idle for weeks or even months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. assembly plants have finally restarted production, albeit with the occasional hiccup.

Production of New Nissan Begins in TN

Thu, 01 Oct 2020 00:00:00 -0400

SMYRNA, TN—Production of the 2021 Nissan Rogue launched at the Nissan North America vehicle assembly plant here on schedule, despite pandemic setbacks.

A Hack for Sterilizing N95 Respirators

Thu, 24 Sep 2020 00:00:00 -0400

N95 respirators were intended to be discarded after every use. That’s not happening now, of course, so much research is going into devising methods for sterilizing used respirators for reuse. If that is your situation, the following information may be helpful.

The N95 Respirator Scandal

Thu, 24 Sep 2020 00:00:00 -0400

Why on earth are hospital workers still forced to recycle N95 respirators when Detroit automakers with no aircraft experience were able to start turning out dozens of planes daily in less time than we’ve been dealing with the virus?

Nationwide Appliance Shortage Makes it Hard for Retailers, Repair Shops to Meet Demand

Sun, 20 Sep 2020 00:00:00 -0400

KANSAS CITY, MO—Although several appliance manufacturing plants have resumed production in the last few months, a nationwide shortage remains, forcing retailers and repair shops to scramble to meet demand.

Automated Assembly Systems: Trimming the Timeline

camilloj@bnpmedia.com (Jim Camillo) — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 10:37:00 -0400

Most people would agree that the proverb, "The squeaky wheel gets the grease," is not meant to be taken literally. To them, the expression conveys the idea that the most important problems are the ones most likely to get attention.

AME Issues Plan to Increase US Manufacturing Jobs

sprovierij@bnpmedia.com (John Sprovieri) — Wed, 09 Sep 2020 09:45:00 -0400

Since the end of the Great Recession, U.S. manufacturing jobs increased steadily, from 11.5 million in December 2009 to 12.9 million in November 2019.

Kawasaki Adds Additional Assembly Lines to MO Plant

Sat, 05 Sep 2020 00:00:00 -0400

MARYVILLE, MO—The Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing plant here is adding three additional assembly lines starting this fall.

Indiana Manufacturing Partnership to Receive $18 Million in Federal Funding

Fri, 04 Sep 2020 00:00:00 -0400

WEST LAFAYETTE, IN—A manufacturing program at Purdue University recently announced nearly $18 million in federal funding to expand its work with Indiana businesses.

PPE Manufacturer Announces New Facility in Canada

Wed, 02 Sep 2020 00:00:00 -0400

CAMBRIDGE, Canada—PRIMED Medical Products will locate a new medical mask manufacturing facility in Cambridge, Ontario.

Global Growth Index Reveals Businesses are Investing in Tech to Offset the Impacts of COVID-19

Tue, 01 Sep 2020 00:00:00 -0400

AUSTIN, TX—Epicor Software Corp. says its 2020 Global Growth Index report shows that companies across the globe are embracing technologies to offset the impacts of global volatility, such as COVID-19 and supply chain disruptions.

MI Manufacturer Launches Medical Division

Mon, 31 Aug 2020 11:00:00 -0400

BATTLE CREEK, MI—Stewart Industries’ new venture, Stewart Medical, will manufacture, source, and supply medical products and PPE for businesses across the U.S.

No, Thanks: Survey Shows More Than Half of Manufacturers Reject PPP Assistance

Tue, 18 Aug 2020 00:00:00 -0400

NEW YORK—Despite a tumultuous first half of 2020 that has significantly impacted manufacturing, a new study reveals that while four in 10 manufacturers say they’ve furloughed and laid off employees this year, 56 percent have not taken any form of government financial aid, including the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

U.S. Manufacturing Had an Opportunity—And We Wasted It

Tue, 28 Jul 2020 00:00:00 -0400

We—manufacturers, government and the public—have failed dismally to capitalize on the opportunity to revamp supply chains and grow U.S. manufacturing.

Bowl Feeds Parts for COVID-19 Test Kits

sprovierij@bnpmedia.com (John Sprovieri) — Mon, 27 Jul 2020 09:00:00 -0400

As of May 26, more than 5.6 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported in 235 countries. Worldwide, nearly 349,000 people have died from the disease, but 2.4 million have recovered.

US Army Discovers a Way to Monitor Performance of 3D-Printed Parts

Tue, 21 Jul 2020 00:00:00 -0400

ADELPHI, MD — U.S. Army researchers have discovered a way to monitor the performance of 3D printed parts, which tend to have imperfections that affect performance in ways that traditionally machined parts do not.

Study Says: Manufacturers Must Rethink Global Operations Due to COVID-19

Tue, 21 Jul 2020 00:00:00 -0400

BIRMINGHAM, UK — In a new report, researchers at the University of Birmingham say that manufacturers must redesign and reform their global supply chains or global production networks if they want to survive and prosper in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.