Category: Factories and Manufacturing

Inside the Factory Where Buck Mason Makes T-Shirts

The founders of Buck Mason think it can — and they bought a sewing factory and a cloth mill in Pennsylvania hoping to prove it.
UAW Votes to Authorize Strikes if Negotiations Fail

The vote by workers at General Motors, Ford and Stellantis came as the United Auto Workers union seeks big raises and other gains in contract talks with the three automakers.
In Reversal Because of A.I., Office Jobs Are Now More at Risk

Technology disruption typically affected blue-collar occupations. Now white-collar workers may feel the brunt of changes.
Biden Incentives for Foreign Investment Are Benefiting Factories

Early data suggest laws to increase semiconductor production and renewable energy technology have shifted the makeup of foreign direct investment — but not increased it.
How Geopolitics Is Complicating the Move to Clean Energy

The fate of Indonesia’s unrivaled stocks of nickel — a critical mineral used to make batteries for electric vehicles — is caught in the conflict between the United States and China.
China’s Nickel Plants in Indonesia Created Needed Jobs, Plus Pollution

An influx of Chinese investment into nickel-processing on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi is sowing pollution while generating economic opportunity.
First Solar Finds That Forced Labor Was Used in Its Malaysian Ops

The company, First Solar, said an internal review had found that subcontractors used unethical recruitment tactics and withheld pay from workers.
‘A Jacuzzi Is a Person, Not a Machine: The Story Behind the Jacuzzi Family

An immigrant story, an American dream, a machine that defined bourgeois sensuality.
China’s Economy Battles Debt, Slowing Trade and Specter of Deflation

As China’s economy flashes indications of decline, the consequences pose perils for countries around the globe.
Deflation Becomes a Threat to China’s Economy

A deepening slowdown in the world’s second-biggest economy has now raised fears of deflation, which could be crippling for heavily indebted China.
Indiana Tests if the Heartland Can Transform Into a Chip Hub

The state has little experience with semiconductors, but the Biden administration has promised to unleash opportunity in “the heartland of America” through the $52 billion CHIPS Act.
Schumer Wields Political Heft in Bid for New York Chips Funds

The Senate majority leader helped deliver billions of dollars in federal funding for semiconductors. Now he’s pushing for his state to reap benefits.