Tag Archives: Factories and Manufacturing

China Tightens Its Hold on Minerals Needed to Make Computer Chips

The vise-tight grip that China wields over the mining and refining of rare minerals, crucial ingredients of today’s most advanced technologies, is about to become even stronger. In a series of steps made in recent weeks, the Chinese government has made it considerably harder for foreign companies, particularly semiconductor manufacturers, …

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Alabama Prison Labor Program Faces Legal Challenges

In the back of a nondescript industrial park on the outskirts of Montgomery, Ala., past the corner of Eastern Boulevard and Plantation Way, there is a manufacturing plant run by Ju-Young, a car-part supplier for Hyundai. On a Tuesday in May, about half of the workers there — roughly 20 …

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The White House Bet Big on Intel. Will It Backfire?

At an annual gathering of tech executives and billionaires in Sun Valley, Idaho, this past July, Gina Raimondo commandeered a table near a duck pond and tried to exert her influence as the U.S. secretary of commerce to help rescue an ailing national champion. As media moguls and business luminaries …

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The Secretive Dynasty That Controls the Boar’s Head Brand

In May 2022, the chief financial officer of Boar’s Head, the processed meat company, was asked a simple question under oath. “Who is the C.E.O. of Boar’s Head?” “I’m not sure,” he replied. “Who do you believe to be the C.E.O. of Boar’s Head?” the lawyer persisted. The executive, Steve …

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