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Manufacturing

The parts of the economy that make stuff are in a bit of a slump

by Mitchell Hartman
Jun 5, 2024
The government reports construction spending fell for a second month in April. And factory orders were up less than 1% after being revised down for March.
Over the past few months, manufacturing employment has been stable.
Jim Young/AFP via Getty Images
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April factory orders were up, slightly, for third straight month

by Daniel Ackerman
Jun 4, 2024
The 0.7% increase signals a healthy tone for manufacturing, at least relative to recent weak readings for construction and consumer spending.
Demand for construction and industrial equipment was up about 2% in April from March, boosted by federal infrastructure funding. Above, construction on a semiconductor plant in Texas.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
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Farewell, Chevy Malibu

by Mitchell Hartman
May 31, 2024
GM will discontinue the once-popular mid-price family sedan in late 2024, to make way for more EV production at its plant in Kansas City.
A 1965 Chevy Malibu convertible, the Malibu’s second model year, being driven in a St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Seaside Heights, New Jersey.
Courtesy of Vintage Automobile Museum of New Jersey
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What motivates companies to replace workers with machines?

by Stephanie Hughes
May 30, 2024
A labor shortage in manufacturing seems to be tempting them.
Jim Young/AFP via Getty Images
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One of China's hottest toys sold millions. The inventor made $830.

by Jennifer Pak
May 9, 2024
A person who comes up with a good idea might not always reap the rewards in China's manufacturing ecosystem.
It's hard to spot which carrot knives are originals and which ones are copies.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace
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Electric aircraft companies are scrambling toward FAA certification as funding gets tight

by Henry Epp
May 6, 2024
The goal: an electric aircraft that can take off and land vertically.
Beta Technologies opened a nearly 200,000-quare-foot facility in South Burlington, Vermont, in October to make electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. Above, Beta's electric aircraft flies past Manhattan.
Courtesy Beta Technologies
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Breaking Ground

Looking for a “fresh start” amid Phoenix’s semiconductor boom

by Kai Ryssdal , Heather Long and Maria Hollenhorst
May 2, 2024
The federal government is spending billions to support semiconductor manufacturing. But trainees seeking chipmaking jobs may have to wait.
Students in the Semiconductor Technician Quick Start training course at Mesa Community College practice while wearing “bunny suits,” the required workwear at fabrication plants.
Maria Hollenhorst/Marketplace
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Boeing failures are a case study of America's manufacturing "dark age"

by Kimberly Adams and Sarah Leeson
Apr 24, 2024
A century ago, U.S manufacturers were run by engineers. Now leadership suites are distant from factory floors, says journalist Jerry Useem.
Jerry Useem attributes much of America's loss of manufacturing excellence to the replacement of engineers by financial managers in corporate leadership.
Juliette Michel/AFP via Getty Images
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Once again: Who pays for tariffs on Chinese steel?

by Henry Epp
Apr 17, 2024
As the Biden administration proposes tripling duties, experts recall how previous tariffs mainly hit American consumers and industries.
President Joe Biden speaks to members of the United Steel Workers Union in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, announcing plans to raise tariffs on Chinese steel.
Jeff Swensen/Getty Images
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Yellen's in China to deliver a message: Stop making so much stuff!

by Kimberly Adams
Apr 5, 2024
The booming U.S. economy is giving her leverage on trade as Western economies try to prevent a wave of cheap Chinese goods hitting the market.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks during a meeting with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on Friday. Yellen is on a five-day visit for trade talks amid tensions between the U.S. and China.
Ken Ishii - Pool/Getty Images
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