Latest Manufacturing Headlines

All the headlines from our Manufacturing Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Worker Death Leads to $473K Fine for Illinois Manufacturer

May 20 2012 // A manufacturing plant in Illinois faces a fine of $473,000 after a worker died from chemical burns.The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Raani Corp. for failing to...

N.Y.-Based Alleghany Acquires Stake in Manufacturing Firm Bourn & Koch

May 4 2012 // New York-based global specialty insurer Alleghany Corporation said its investment management unit acquired a majority stake in manufacturing firm Bourn & Koch. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Alleghany,...

Willis Review Sees Better Times Ahead for Aviation Industry

May 1 2012 // The airline and aviation manufacturing insurance markets turned a profit in 2011 “following one of the safest years in recent times in terms of numbers of losses and passenger fatalities,” according to a review...

Schools, Manufacturers Earn Combined $1M in Texas Mutual Dividends

Apr 27 2012 // Texas Mutual Insurance Co. announced that the Texas Schools Group and Texas Association of Manufacturers safety groups earned a combined $1,094,336 in dividends.The workers’ compensation dividends were based largely...

North Carolina Jury Awards $14.6 Million in Slim Jim Factory Blast

Apr 24 2012 // A jury has awarded $14.6 million to seven people hurt in an explosion at a now closed ConAgra Slim Jim factory in Garner, North Carolina. The News & Observer of Raleigh reported that a Johnston County jury gave more...

N.Y. Court Ruling May Open Door for More Asbestos Suits Against Pfizer

Apr 11 2012 // A New York federal appellate court ruling yesterday could allow more asbestos liability suits to proceed against pharmaceutical giant Pfizer.The appellate court’s decision affirms the previous ruling last year from...

Football Turns to Helmet Technology to Tackle Head Injuries

Apr 3 2012 // As Americans grow more aware of the risk of brain injury tied to football – the country’s most popular sport – players and coaches are experimenting with the latest technology in a bid to make the game...

Feds Probe Defect in Buses Manufactured by Illinois Firm

Mar 28 2012 // Federal safety regulators have begun investigating buses made by Motor Coach Industries Inc. over the past 20 years because the drive shafts can fall out and cause drivers to lose control.The problem has led to two crashes...

Disputes Arise Between Home Builders, Owners in Joplin Rebuild

Mar 27 2012 // The size and value of homes being built in tornado-ravaged sections of Joplin, Mo., are causing contention between some builders and homeowners, but city officials say they can do little to mediate the disputes.Many of the...

Missouri Insurance Company Sues Over Mamtek Bonds

Mar 23 2012 // Columbia, Mo.-based Shelter Insurance has filed a $390 million lawsuit against a Memphis firm that it says failed to do due diligence on a municipal bond offering for the failed Mamtek sweetener plant project in...

Texas Manufacturer Cited Following Employee Amputation

Mar 20 2012 // A Texas manufacturer has been cited for willful and serious safety violations after an employee reportedly suffered an amputation at the company’s facility in Waco.The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational...

Ironshore Specialty Casualty Introduces Program for Firearm Risks

Feb 6 2012 // Ironshore Inc. has announced that its Specialty Casualty unit will provide casualty coverages for Cochrane and Company’s new Ammunition and Rifle Manufacturing Specialist Program.Additional coverage enhancements will...

PIP Breast Implant Scandal Exposes Weaknesses in EU Safety Net

Feb 3 2012 // In June 2000, when American medical regulators posted a warning letter on the Internet about problems at a breast-implant maker in southern France, French authorities didn’t pay much attention.A U.S. Food and Drug...

Older Workers by State, Industry

Jan 23 2012 // The six states with the highest percentage of people age 50 and older in 2006 were: Maine (43.7%) West Virginia (43.3%) Vermont (42.7%) Montana (42.2%) Florida (42.0%) Pennsylvania (41.9%) There can be significant...

Munich Re Creates New Coverage for Photovoltaic Manufacturers

Jan 19 2012 // Munich Re has launched a new product to complement its performance guarantee cover for photovoltaic manufacturers.The product covers the risk born by operators that solar module output may fall below the level guaranteed...

Texas-Based Tile Manufacturer Fined $318K for Safety Violations

Jan 19 2012 // Federal officials have cited a Sunnyvale, Texas-based tile manufacturer for safety violations and proposed $318,000 in penalties.The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited...

Risk Managers Find Santa Exposed, Urge $1 Billion Coverage Plan

Dec 19 2011 // Santa Claus will need a lot more than milk and cookies this Christmas—he’ll need about $1.2 million to pay for insurance coverage.That will buy him peace of mind and about $1.175 billion in coverage for all of the...

Georgia Factory Worker Sues After Being Fired for Refusal to Wear ‘666’

Nov 21 2011 // A Georgia factory worker claims in a federal lawsuit that he was fired after he refused to wear a `666′ sticker he feared would doom him to eternal damnation.Billy E. Hyatt claims he was fired from Pliant Corp., a...

Allianz Asia CEO Says Thai Floods Could be Costliest Disaster in a Decade

Nov 18 2011 // Insured losses from Thai floods could be in the double-digit billions of dollars and the disaster will lead to a re-assessment of weather risks to industries in Asia, a senior official from global insurer Allianz...

Factory Dust Explosions Killing Workers While Safety Rules Lag

Nov 15 2011 // Each year, people are killed and maimed by explosions of finely powdered wood, metal or chemicals at factories around the country. Safety experts have studied the threat posed by dust at industrial sites for nearly a...