Aerion Supersonic Closes Suddenly, Tesla Faces Fines, Water Recall After Death | Today in Manufacturing Ep. 17

Also on the podcast, ship fire rages on, the Navy's design problems, Exxon boots two execs and the impending quantum apocalypse.

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Welcome to the Today in Manufacturing Podcast, a new podcast brought to you by the editors from Manufacturing.net and Industrial Equipment News (IEN).

In each episode, we discuss the five biggest stories in manufacturing, and the implications they have on the industry moving forward. This week, we talk about:

US Orders Water Recall After Illness, Death

Last week, federal authorities ordered a complete recall and ordered the Las Vegas-based brand Real Water to surrender records, stop production and distribution and require the company to recall and destroy all the product produced before May 26. The company also has to turn over records about processing, bottling and distribution; and to submit to unannounced FDA inspections of company facilities.

Factory Boss Defiant as Sanctions Bite in China's Xinjiang

Reports of forced labor and other abuses of the largely Muslim Uyghur ethnic group in Xinjiang is taking a toll on China's cotton industry, but will the pressure compel the government or companies to change their ways.

Ship Fire Rages for 6th Day

Crews from Europe and Sri Lanka battled a fire on board a container ship for more than a week. The chemical fire aboard the MV X-Press Pearl has caused a large number of containers to tumble into the sea. 

Tesla Fined for Limiting Battery Range

A court in Norway found Tesla guilty of throttling charging speeds and battery capacity.  As a result, the company was ordered to pay 30 plaintiffs $16,000 each.

Supersonic Jet Maker Abruptly Shuts Down

Aerion Supersonic was an ambitious plane maker, backed by Boeing, the company wanted to create "boomless" supersonic passenger jets by the mid-2020s. Then they closed, likely because they are out of money. What happened? 

In Case You Missed It:

Navy Vows New Course After Ship Design, Maintenance Problems 

Littoral combat ships have propulsion failures; guns on the stealthy destroyer have expensive ammo and the newest aircraft carrier has problems launching aircraft.

At Least 2 Exxon Board Members Lose Seats in Climate Fight

Shareholders have voted to replace at least two of Exxon Mobil's 12 board members with directors who are better suited to fight climate change.

Quantum Apocalypse/Quantum Computing Series

Quantum computing is the combination of quantum physics and computing. In just a few years, it will have tremendous potential to solve problems faster than traditional computers could ever work. Some say this is just a lot of Y2K smoke, others say that we could wind up back in the early 1980s when everything was done via phone, fax and Fedex.

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