American manufacturing

The former Akorn pharmaceutical plant in Decatur, Ill., that made a wide range of generic drugs used in hospitals is being reopened under new ownership.

Health & Safety

How rock-bottom prices drive shortages of generic drugs used in hospitals

11:00am December 28, 2023

by Sydney Lupkin

Hospitals rely on scores of generic drugs given by injection. But these workhorses are often in short supply. Cheap prices have led to factory closures that leave the supply chain vulnerable.

In North Carolina, Biden to compare economic plan with GOP's

9:56am March 28, 2023

by Associated Press

President Joe Biden will visit an expanding North Carolina semiconductor manufacturer on Tuesday as he launches an extended effort to spotlight the impact legislation passed earlier in his administ

An employee makes respiratory masks in a family-owned medical equipment factory in Miami on Feb. 15. American manufacturers are thriving but they are running into an unexpected problem: finding critical supplies.

'It's Madness': American Factories Scramble To Secure Critical Supplies

10:39am March 03, 2021

by Scott Horsley

U.S. factories are thriving thanks to unexpectedly strong demand for all kinds of goods, but that is also leading to unexpected headaches.

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A Prestige Ameritech employee inspects disposable surgical masks in 2009 at the company's Texas factory. The company is one of the last domestic manufacturers of medical face masks.

Not Enough Face Masks Are Made In America To Deal With Coronavirus

11:12am March 05, 2020

by Yuki Noguchi

A global shortage of face masks is prompting concern for the safety of health care workers. Now the U.S. government is trying to bring back an industry that largely left the country years ago.

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U.S. farmers have suffered a one-two punch of bad weather, which makes it hard to grow crops, and tariffs, which make it hard to sell what they grow.

How Hard Are Tariffs Hitting The Economy? It Depends On Who You Ask

12:21pm December 06, 2019

by Scott Horsley

The U.S. economy is still growing, but trade tensions have taken a toll — especially on factories and farms. The trade war's impact on the overall economy is being debated.

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Dan Digre, who owns a Minnesota factory, Misco, that makes speakers, says tariffs are hurting his ability to compete.

His Company Makes Speakers. Now He's Speaking Out, Opposing Tariffs

2:32pm December 02, 2019

by Scott Horsley

The trade war with China is weighing on America's manufacturers. "[The tariff burden] comes out of our bottom line," says Dan Digre, president of Misco, a speaker-maker in Minnesota.

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Samples of Silestone, a countertop material made of quartz. Cutting the material releases dangerous silica dust that can damage people's lungs if the exposure to the dust is not properly controlled.

'It's Going To Get Worse': How U.S. Countertop Workers Started Getting Sick

10:57am November 22, 2019

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

The story of the first worker in the U.S. to suffer lung damage after cutting a new kind of countertop material shows the way a workplace hazard emerged in this country.

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Zakary Pashak started Detroit Bikes when he moved to Detroit in 2011, at a time when the city was reeling.

For One U.S. Bike-Maker, Tariffs Are A Mixed Bag

5:52pm May 18, 2019

by Yuki Noguchi

Detroit Bikes, a rare domestic maker of bicycles, could see business increase as a result of increased U.S. tariffs on Chinese bikes. But imported parts it relies on are also subject to higher taxes.

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Philip Bennett repairs machines at Mid Continent Nail in Poplar Bluff, Mo. A self-proclaimed Democrat who voted for Donald Trump in 2016, Bennett's support for the president has waned since Trump instituted steel tariffs earlier this year.

VIDEO: As Elections Loom, Workers In Trump Country Reckon With Tariffs Fallout

10:53am October 30, 2018

President Trump's steel tariffs may force America's largest nail manufacturer out of business. Despite an uncertain future, many factory workers there say they still support the president.

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Load Trail has had a hard time hiring welders to fabricate its trailers since Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested about a quarter of its workforce in August.

After ICE Raid, A Shortage Of Welders In Tigertown, Texas

11:46am October 19, 2018

by John Burnett

In August, immigration officials hauled off 150 workers from a northeast Texas plant — one of ICE's largest operations in a decade. Now the employer is pushing back.

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