On September 27, 2024, Hurricane Helene slammed into Impact Plastics in Erwin, Tennessee, and the subsequent flooding claimed six victims who were among the employees working at the plant despite a state of emergency issued by the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency the previous day.

Impact Plastics is facing lawsuits from at least one family following claims that workers were not allowed to leave despite worsening conditions, allegations the company denies.

PFAs, or “forever chemicals” as they’re often called, have persisted their way into water, air, fish, soil, people and animals all over the country. They’ve been linked to several serious health problems including cancer. It’s a widespread problem that’s led many states to pursue legislation that would block their continued use.

Minnesota’s Amara’s Law, which was passed in 2023 and took effect at the beginning of 2025, is one of the most aggressive examples of pushing back against PFAs. The law bans all non-essential use of PFAs and requires manufacturers to disclose if PFAs are present in any products they plan on selling in Minnesota.

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Pabst Brewing Company has announced a new brewing contract agreement with Anheuser-Busch InBev. The contract comes after a two-decade long contract agreement with Molson Coors came to an end in December 2024.

Beginning in the first quarter of 2025, Pabst will begin production using several AB InBev facilities.

Since the closing of Pabst’s Milwaukee brewery in 1996, the company has relied on third-party plants to brew legacy brands like Pabst Blue Ribbon, Old Style, and Old Milwaukee. Now, AB InBev will give Pabst the space for greater supply, as well as the potential to grow its portfolio as the consumer market shifts.

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Toyota Opening Experimental Futuristic City This Fall

At CES 2020, Toyota announced an interesting new concept. Toyota Woven City is a "test course for mobility" and part of the company's efforts to evolve into a mobility company. The city is being developed in collaboration with Woven by Toyota, a subsidiary formerly known as the Toyota Research Institute for Advanced Development, focused on software-driven technology, like automated driving and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS).

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For a company like Kia, whose reliability ratings have been steadily improving over time, there’s no joy in ringing in the New Year with a recall.

The NHTSA recently made public a recall issued by South Korean automaker Kia, noting an absence of critical fasteners on certain vehicles.

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Welcome to another episode of Gen Z in Manufacturing, a podcast where I interview 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 William Stewart, a 25-year-old Licensed Excellerate Electrician at Faith Technologies Incorporated (FTI).

Stewart is a licensed journeyman in Wisconsin and a graduate of FTI’s apprenticeship program. At the FTI Excellerate facility, Stewart is responsible for electrical assemblies and installations, troubleshooting and maintenance.

Some of his additional key responsibilities include maintaining current licensing and training requirements, ensuring projects are built to specifications, following workplace safety procedures and leading a crew effectively. He also mentors and develops others and participates in hiring referrals.

This week, Mary Ann Bliesner, the 83-year-old former president and primary owner of Valley Processing Inc. (VPI) pleaded guilty to charges related to the manufacture and sale of tainted fruit juice products in violation of federal food safety laws. Bliesner operated a now-shuttered fruit juice facility in Sunnyside, Washington.

During an FDA inspection in May 2018, VPI employees used caution tape to prevent investigators from entering a room at Bliesner's Grape Road Facility in Washington that held concrete storage vats. The workers told FDA investigators that the facility was unsafe to enter and contained no juice or juice products. Not only did that room store juice, but it was often old unsold grape juice concentrate, sometimes held for years in large concrete vats that were not properly covered or cooled, according to the Department of Justice.

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Digital twins are making an incredible impact on the manufacturing industry. By simulating the factory using real-time data from sensors and other IoT technology, manufacturers can iterate faster during the product design, improve efficiency, forecast potential equipment failures and even help train new workers in virtual environments. And now, one major toothpaste player is testing new products on digital twins of customers, i.e., virtual people.

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