David Sharp

Latest in Operations
6 Brutal Questions That Leave Small Manufacturers Exhausted
Sponsored
6 Brutal Questions That Leave Small Manufacturers Exhausted
May 8, 2023
The ship UHL Felicity, carrying massive parts for offshore wind turbines, arrives to dock Wednesday, May 24, 2023, in New Bedford, Mass.
City That Once Lit World with Whale Oil Wants to do Same with Wind Power
May 26, 2023
Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz jokes with kids as he shows off a bill he signed at the State Capitol in St. Paul, Minn., on Thursday, May 25, 2023, to establish a paid family and medical leave program in the state starting in 2026.
Minnesota Governor Signs Paid Family and Medical Leave Act to Give Workers up to 20 Weeks Off
May 26, 2023
Boeing
Boeing Begins Construction on New Phantom Works Facility
May 26, 2023
Related Stories
Eb Awarded 533 Million For Virginia Class Support
Operations
General Dynamics Lands $1 Billion Navy Contract
I Stock 531178414
Operations
Companies Struggle to Leave Russia
In the global marketplace, turnkey Li-ion battery recycling systems are being profitably used at some of the world’s largest battery recyclers as well as EV battery and vehicle manufacturers.
Operations
Complete, Turnkey, Li-ion and LiFePO4 Battery Recycling Systems
A Peloton bike sits on Nov. 19, 2019, in San Francisco. Peloton is undergoing a significant rebranding, moving away from its image as a luxury exercise bike provider and towards a concept that is more inclusive, according to a statement from the company Tuesday, May 23, 2023.
Operations
Peloton Undergoes Significant Rebrand
More from David Sharp
Charles F. Krugh, president of Bath Iron Works, poses at the shipyard Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, in Bath, Maine. The former Gulfstream Areospace executive and U.S. Army veteran oversees a workforce that builds destroyers for the Navy.
Operations
Former Soldier Tasked with Getting Navy Builder in Shipshape
He wasted no time in getting his hands dirty.
December 28, 2022
Workers operate record pressing machinery at the United Record Pressing facility Thursday, June 23, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn. The arrival of the compact disc nearly killed off record albums. Four decades later, with resuscitated record album sales producing double-digit growth, manufacturers are rapidly rebuilding an industry to keep pace with sales that topped $1 billion last year.
Operations
Manufacturers Struggle to Keep Pace with Vinyl Record Demand
Dozens of factories have been built to try to meet demand — and it's still not enough.
June 28, 2022
A United States Postal Service employee works outside a post office in Wheeling, Ill., Dec. 3, 2021. Four environmental groups that want the U.S. Postal Service to buy more electric delivery vehicles are suing to halt further purchases. The lawsuit, filed Thursday, April 28, 2022, in federal court in California, asks a judge to order the Postal Service to conduct a more thorough environmental review before moving forward with the next-generation vehicle program.
Operations
Groups That Want to Electrify USPS Fleet File Lawsuit
They are suing to halt purchases of thousands of gas-powered trucks.
April 28, 2022
Justin Paetow, center, a tin shop worker at Bath Iron Works, takes part in a demonstration against COVID-19 vaccine mandate outside the shipyard on Friday, Oct. 22, 2021, in Bath, Maine.
Operations
Vaccine Mandates Create Conflict with Defiant Workers
The mandate for federal contractors goes into effect in December.
October 25, 2021
A worker guides toilet paper on a conveyor belt at the Tissue Plus factory, Wednesday, March 18, 2020, in Bangor, Maine. The new company has been unexpectedly busy because of the shortage of toilet paper brought on by hoarders concerned about the coronavirus.
Operations
Humble Toilet Paper a Hot Commodity
The company launched toilet paper production a couple of weeks ago. It has been stressful.
March 23, 2020
This May 8, 2019, file photo shows a lobster atop others in Arundel, Maine. Maine's congressional delegation announced Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020, that China is making U.S. lobster eligible for a tariff reduction. Starting the following week, Chinese businesses could apply for a tariff exemption that would let them buy U.S. lobster at a lower price, officials said.
Food & Beverage
US Lobstermen May See Tariff Relief
Lobster fishermen lost a key export market during trade hostilities.
February 26, 2020
In this Sept. 6, 2019 file photo, the U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Lassen (DDG-82) moors at Fort Trumbull State Park in New London, Conn. The Navy is proposing construction cutbacks and accelerated ship retirements that would delay, or sink, the Navy’s goal of a larger fleet — and potentially hurt shipyards, according to an initial proposal. The proposal would shrink the size of the fleet from today’s level of 293 ships to 287 ships, a far cry from the official goal of 355 ships established in the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act.
Operations
Navy Considers Shipbuilding Cuts
The cuts could sink the Navy’s goal of a larger fleet and potentially hurt shipyards.
December 30, 2019
This Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2004 file photo shows a selection of holiday season catalogs in Portland, Maine. Catalogs, those glossy paper-and-ink offerings of outdoor apparel, kitchenware and fruit baskets, are not yet headed for the recycling bin of history.
Product Development
Are Paper Catalogs on the Rebound?
They are not yet headed for the recycling bin of history.
December 24, 2019
In this Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019 photo provided by the University of Maine, a 25-foot, 5,000-pound patrol boat, center, that was produced using a large polymer 3D printer, behind left, rests on a trailer on the school's campus, in Orono, Maine. The boat was printed at the school's Composites Center on the world's largest polymer 3D printer.
Product Development
World's Largest 3D Printed Boat
The 25-foot, 5,000-pound boat was produced using the world's largest 3D printer.
October 10, 2019
A new Trump administration order would allow e-bikes on every federal trail where a regular bike can go.
Product Development
E-Bikes Humming Through National Parks
It's part of a new Trump administration order — hotly opposed by many outdoors groups.
September 3, 2019
In this June 8, 2019 photo, Gordon and Janice Goodwin show their electric-assist bicycles outside their home in Bar Harbor, Maine. The bikes are banned on carriage roads and bicycle paths in nearby Acadia National Park.
Regulation
E-Bikes Encounter Rocky Road
In classifying them as motorized vehicles, agencies keep thousands of miles of trail off-limits to e-bikes.
June 26, 2019
Plastic Bottles
Food & Beverage
Poland Spring Using Recycled Plastic for All Bottles
The move comes as the bottled water industry faces continued criticism over its use of plastic
June 3, 2019
In this Monday, Dec. 17, 2018 photo, Nicole Sanborn stitches the upper section of a pair of athletic shoes designed for the military at a New Balance factory in Norridgewock, Maine. The first shipments of athletic shoes made for the U.S. Department of Defense are being shipped out. The new contract fulfills a federal law requiring the military to outfit new recruits with American-made apparel.
Operations
Military Shoes Now Made-in-USA
Last spring, a $17.3 million contract was awarded to New Balance.
January 27, 2019
In this Dec. 4, 2017 file photo, the future USS Michael Monsoor leaves Bath Iron Works for sea trials in Bath, Maine. The shipbuilder has replaced one of the massive turbines on the stealthy destroyer. It is scheduled to depart for San Diego in November.
Product Development
Shipbuilders Replace Destroyer's 15-ton Turbine
The delicate operation involved lifting and maneuvering the 15-ton Rolls Royce marine turbine out of the ship.
August 31, 2018
This undated photo provided by Daniel Buck Auctions, of Lisbon Falls, Maine, shows a label on a pair of 125-year-old Levi Strauss & Co., denim blue jeans that sold for nearly $100,000 this in May 2018 to a buyer in Asia. The jeans were purchased in 1893 by a store keeper in the Arizona Territory and were in pristine condition because they were worn only a few times.
Operations
125-year-old Levis Sell for Nearly $100K
The blue jeans, which failed to sell at auction in 2016, now have a new owner somewhere in Southeast Asia.
May 30, 2018