The Pentagon has officially decided to send M1A1 refurbished tanks to Ukrainian forces to aid in the fight against Russia. Initially there was some debate about whether they should send tanks, which models, and how quickly the tanks could be produced as Poland, Taiwan, and Australia have already placed orders at the Ohio Plant.

Yesterday, on March 14th the Ohio Attorney General’s offices filed a federal lawsuit against Norfolk Southern alleging the company violated hazardous waste and water quality laws and their negligence caused the train derailment and subsequent toxic chemical release. The lawsuit goes on to address alleged damages to the state of Ohio which include impacts on the economy and environment, as they claim more than 1 million gallons of hazardous material were released at the derailment site.  

On February 28, 2023, the United States Department of Justice filed a complaint on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) against Denka Performance Elastommer LLC. The Denka manufacturing facility is located along the Mississippi River in LaPlace, Louisiana and produces chloroprene, a chemical used in the production of neoprene.

The pandemic, recent legislation, climate change initiatives, and worker preference have all been driving factors for the push to clean energy and decarbonization. While the renewable energy industry is growing, the oil and gas industry has taken a major hit the last couple of years. Workers are transitioning from careers in the fossil fuel industry to renewable energy because they are tired of the ups and down in the oil and gas industry and are concerned about climate change.

On February 20th around 2pm an explosion erupted at the I. Schumann & Co. Foundry in Bedford, Ohio. The foundry recycles scrap metal into bronze and brass ingots and pellets. Fire officials say the cause of the explosion is under investigation by state and federal authorities but it appears the blast originated near a kettle-like piece of equipment which holds molten metals before being poured into molds.

After nearly 2 months of investigations and a root cause analysis, TC Energy Corp revealed the cause of the oil spill was likely a combination of a welding flaw and bending stress fatigue which resulted in a crack forming and eventually lead to the rupture. The cause of the bending stress is still unclear and remains a focal point of the root cause failure analysis a third-party is conducting.  

It appears the three rail workers on board the train took the appropriate measure when the sensor alerted them a bearing/axel was too hot. However, upon conducting further research it appears the system of HBDs in North America are largely ineffective.

Preventive Maintenance is as important as ever and this is extremely evident considering a radioactive capsule was lost in the vast landscape of Western Australia for nearly 2 weeks. Emergency services had been scanning the truck’s route for the last seven days and finally found the capsule on Wednesday, February 1st. A team driving down the road used radiation detection equipment to locate the capsule on the side of the road, outside of Newman.

The COVID-19 pandemic and recent world events have pushed manufacturing companies to shift their production to the United States in 2023, with 1,8000 companies in the US alone planning to reshore production to the states. While reshoring efforts are ramping up, manufacturers must be wary of the skills gap.