Jonathan J. Cooper

Associated Press
Latest in Operations
Manufacturing Customer Portal Guide for SMBs
Sponsored
Manufacturing Customer Portal Guide for SMBs
August 6, 2026
Stamping
Metal Forming Company Building New Manufacturing Site in Pennsylvania
August 14, 2026
Lincoln
Ford to Increase Lincoln Production in U.S.
August 13, 2026
Def Con Franklin
Partnership Aids Rural Water Security
August 13, 2026
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Emissions Flickr 56dd9baeec00e
Regulation
ExxonMobil Sued Over Chemical Plant's Emissions
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Operations
Unions Agree to Build for Less Pay
China 56dd070fd243a
Supply Chain
China: "Hard Landing" Impossible
Modeling AI ROI Like a CFO, Not a Vendor
Sponsor Content
Modeling AI ROI Like a CFO, Not a Vendor
More from Jonathan J. Cooper
The Today in Manufacturing Podcast from Manufacturing.net
Sponsored
The Today in Manufacturing Podcast from Manufacturing.net
Each week, our editors discuss the five biggest stories in manufacturing and their implications for the industry. 
August 12, 2026
This undated electron microscope image made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in February 2020 shows the virus that causes COVID-19.
Product Development
Genomes Track Coronavirus
The team is tracing the outbreak to understand where the virus is coming from, how it's spreading through the population and whether it's mutating.
April 10, 2020
In this Oct. 10, 2019, file photo, a helicopter drops water near power lines and electrical towers while working at a fire on San Bruno Mountain near Brisbane, Calif. California’s Pacific Gas & Electric is faced regularly with a no-win choice between risking the start of a deadly wildfire or immiserating millions of paying customers by shutting off the power.
Operations
California Crisis Decades in the Making
How that came to be is a story not of a single villain but of systemic failure by PG&E's management
November 14, 2019
Wildfires
Safety
Utility Admits that Lines May Have Started Fires
Powerful winds were driving multiple fires across California and forcing power shut-offs intended to prevent blazes.
October 29, 2019
This undated product image obtained by the Associated Press shows Nike Air Max 1 Quick Strike Fourth of July shoes that have a U.S. flag with 13 white stars in a circle on it, known as the Betsy Ross flag, on them. Nike is pulling the flag-themed tennis shoe after former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick complained to the shoemaker, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Operations
Nike Proceeds with AZ Factory
Nike faced criticism last week for its decision not to sell the Nike Air Max 1 USA shoe, which included a Revolutionary-era emblem known as the Betsy Ross flag.
July 12, 2019
This photo taken in May 2017 and provided by Arizona Public Service shows the Festival Ranch 2 megawatt battery owned by Arizona Public Service near Buckeye, Ariz. An identical battery caught fire in April 2019 in a massive blaze that sent eight firefighters and a police officer to the hospital, highlighting the challenges and risks that can arise as utilities prepare for the exponential growth expected for massive batteries to store energy.
Safety
Fire Highlights Energy Storage Risk
An April fire and explosion at a massive battery west of Phoenix sent eight firefighters and a police officer to the hospital.
June 24, 2019
In this April 23, 2019, photo, Chris Williamson poses for a photo sitting on his car in Phoenix. When Williamson was in the market for a new family car, a timely ad and conversations with a co-worker convinced him to try something out of the ordinary. He bought the BMW 3 Series convertible and covers the payments by renting it to strangers on a peer-to-peer car sharing app called Turo. It allows his family of seven to have a nicer car, essentially for free.
Regulation
Legislative Battles Follow Car-Sharing
Car-sharing apps around the United States get their rentals tax-free, making them a target for rental car companies.
May 2, 2019
A sign still stands at a McDonald's restaurant burned in the Camp Fire, Monday, Nov. 12, 2018, in the northern California town of Paradise.
Regulation
Fires Put Pressure on CA Utilities
Authorities have not determined a cause for major blazes burning now, but two utilities reported irregularities with their equipment near the place both ignited.
November 13, 2018
State Sen. Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, second from right, displays his environmental measure SB100 after is was signed into law by Calif., Gov. Jerry Brown front center, Monday, Sept. 10, 2018, in Sacramento, Calif. Brown, surrounded by lawmakers and activists including Assembly members Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, of San Diego, second from left, Ken Cooley, of Rancho Cordova, third from left and billionaire activist Tom Steyer, right, signed SB100 which sets a goal of phasing out all fossil fuels from the state's electricity sector by 2045.
Regulation
CA to Drop Fossil Fuels by 2045
The policy could serve as a model for other states.
September 11, 2018
Assemblyman Matthew Harper, R-Huntington Beach, sips a Coke as Assembly members debate a ban on local soda taxes, Thursday, June 28, 2018, in Sacramento, Calif. Lawmakers passed a bill to ban local taxes on soda for the next 12 years and send it to the Gov. Jerry Brown. Harper did not cast on vote on the bill.
Regulation
CA Blocks Soda Taxes
The beverage industry has used aggressive campaigning to beat back soda taxes and other measures.
June 29, 2018
In this Sept. 23, 2013, file photo, a tugboat pushes a barge down the Sacramento River past wind turbines near Rio Vista, Calif. A contentious proposal to link oversight of California's electric grid with other western states faces a crucial test Tuesday, June 19, 2018, in a state Senate committee.
Regulation
Lawmakers Debate Regional Electric Grid
Supporters say regionalizing the grid would make it easier and cheaper to deploy renewable energy across the western U.S.
June 19, 2018
A for sale sign hangs outside a recently built house Friday, May 4, 2018, near Roseville, Calif. Federal data released Friday shows California has surpassed the United Kingdom to become the world fifth largest economy, with real estate and financial services leading other economic sectors in driving the state's economic growth.
Supply Chain
CA is Now the World's 5th Largest Economy
Its economy has now surpassed that of the UK.
May 7, 2018
Semi Submersible Oil Rig During Sunrise 619658356 5616x3744
Regulation
California Protesting Offshore Drilling
Commissions that oversee coastal areas have stated that they will block pipelines if the Trump administration expands offshore drilling.
February 8, 2018
In this Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015 file photo, Darshan Brahmbhatt, plugs a charger into his electric vehicle at the Sacramento Municipal Utility District charging station in Sacramento, Calif. Calif., Gov Jerry Brown, on Friday, Jan. 26, 2018, issued and executive order outlining a plan to put 5 million zero-emission vehicles on California's roads by 2030.
Product Development
CA Targets 5M Zero-Emission Cars
It's a nearly 15-fold increase over the 350,000 zero-emission vehicles already on California's roads.
January 29, 2018
Crews work on one of the sidewalls of the damaged main spillway of the Oroville Dam on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2017, in Oroville, Calif. California officials say repair costs at the nation's tallest dam will be nearly double the original estimate of $275 million. The main spillway and emergency spillway suffered significant damage during storms last February, prompting fears of massive flooding.
Product Development
Dam Repair Will Cost $500M
It will cost a lot to repair the nation's tallest dam after the nearly catastrophic failure.
October 20, 2017