Appliances

Playmobil maker Brandstätter Group has set a target to be climate neutral by 2027, with a completely closed loop for its materials by 2030.

Iowa-based injection molder Engineered Plastic Components Inc. is expanding at an existing plant in Ohio to meet demand from appliance and automotive customers.

As part of a $450 million investment in its large Louisville manufacturing campus, GE Appliances is expanding its plastic molding operations.

With nearly 98,000 cases globally in 13 countries and more than 3,300 deaths from the new coronavirus, industry analysts and manufacturers are watching for its effect on markets from multiple angles.

Consumers are fully employed with rising incomes. They also have relatively low levels of household debt, which has been accrued at low interest rates. And most importantly, they account for over two-thirds of all U.S. economic activity.

What is different about Bruin? First, it's all about lights-out manufacturing, and it has been doing that for years on complex parts. It was difficult to find workers on the plant floor to include in photos. Production continues on nights and weekends, but with no human witnesses.

Bob Ruehl, CFO of the Year finalist: "Just for my fellow employees here, everybody just has a heightened sense of awareness and almost like an eagerness to understand more."

Ann Campbell, CFO of the Year finalist: "A lot of women think of manufacturing as, ‘Oh, I don't want to do that.' But in a way, that's the lifeblood of any country … women aren't just in the back office pushing paper around."