Well-known Wisconsin-based brand raises dividend Snap-on Incorporated, the Kenosha, Wisconsin manufacturer known for its fleet of vans as well as the products it has produced since 1920, is still doing quite well. The company announced November 6 that its board of directors raised its quarterly common stock dividend to $2.44 per share, from the previous $2.14 per share, an increase of $0.30 or 14.0%. The increased dividend is payable on December 10, 2025, to shareholders of r

Infrastructure company pledges to go 100% sustainable in Tucson Beale Infrastructure announced November 6 a major sustainability and community investment initiative for its planned data center project in Pima County’s Southeast Employment and Logistics Center (SELC). Beale is committing to match 100% of energy use at its Pima County data center with renewable energy and to invest $15 million in Pima County to support local education, workforce development, and long-term comm

Copper, coal, and more added to critical minerals list The Department of the Interior has expanded its list of critical minerals to include copper, coal, and more, meaning that they will be eligible for funding and streamlined permitting. The final version of the U.S. Geological Survey's 2025 Critical Mineral list released Thursday includes 10 new minerals, including metallurgical coal, copper, silver, potash, rhenium, silicon, and lead. The 2025 List of Critical Minerals

Electrical components acquisition announced Molex , the Lisle, Illinois-based global electronics connectivity manufacturer, announced November 5 that it has signed an agreement to acquire Smiths Interconnect . Smiths Interconnect, a subsidiary of United Kingdom-based Smiths Group plc , is a provider of connectivity products and solutions serving the aerospace and defense, medical, semiconductor test and industrial markets. Smiths will receive cash consideration for the transa

Shelter-in-place order lifted by Mississippi governor after scare Certain Mississippi residents have gone through a scary 24 hour period following an explosion and subsequent chemical leak at a CF Industries ammonia plant in Yazoo City. The explosion occurred at roughly 4:25 PM on Wednesday (11/5), prompting a shelter-in-place order from Mississippi governor Tate Reeves while air quality was being monitored. The governor lifted that order earlier today (11/6), and provided a

The Reshoring Initiative awards GE Appliances and Marlin Steel Wire GE Appliances (a Haier company) and Marlin Steel Wire Products were two recognizable names to receive honors at the 2025 National Metalworking Reshoring Awards. The awards were given in recognition of both companies’ success in bringing manufacturing to the United States. The 8th annual award was presented on Sept. 11, 2025, at FABTECH at McCormick Place in Chicago by Harry Moser, founder and president of t

Meta's tentacles have reached Louisiana in the form of a solar project Treaty Oak Clean Energy , an Austin IPP (independent power producer) announced that it has entered into long-term agreements with Meta (Facebook's parent company) for two utility-scale solar projects totaling 385 MWac in Morehouse and Sabine Parishes in Louisiana. Under these agreements, Meta will purchase the environmental attributes generated by the facilities to advance its clean energy and sustainabili

A benchmark for industrial safety programs ISN , the Dallas provider of contractor and supplier information management services, announced the five-year milestone of its partnership with Hood Industries , a wood products manufacturer and distributor. Since implementing "ISNetworld" in 2020, Hood Industries has used that feature to enhance its contractor evaluation and selection process, reduce on-site incidents, and drive operational efficiency across its facilities. “Hood In

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A pile of cash gets shoveled towards American-made fertilizer The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Loan Programs Office (LPO) just closed a loan to support "independent, American-made, and coal-powered fertilizer production," per an October 30 news release from the federal branch. The $1.5 billion loan to Wabash Valley Resources, LLC , will help finance a coal and ammonia fertilizer facility in West Terre Haute, Indiana. The project is designed to "restart and repurpose a co

Southwire CEO retires after four decades in the industry After more than four decades of leadership in the electrical industry and a decade as President and CEO of Southwire, Rich Stinson has announced that he will retire from the company. At the same time, the company’s President and Chief Operating Officer, Norman Adkins, has also announced his retirement, which will take place in April of 2026.  Since joining Southwire in 2015, Stinson’s leadership has been focused on long

Nidec rolls out new line of EV powering equipment Japanese motor company Nidec , which calls St. Louis home for its American operations, has long been an established electric motor brand. It also has a history of expanding into other innovative areas, as it just did with the introduction of electric vehicle charging equipment. "Leveraging Nidec’s global footprint and decades of experience in renewable energy, energy conversion and electrical grid management, we bring you our

Waldom Awards for electromechanical products and more Waldom Electronics (Rockford, Illinois) announced the winners of its 2024 ESG Awards October 23, which were presented during the company's annual dinner held ahead of the ECIA Executive Conference earlier this week. Waldom says its series of awards represent "the only ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) recognition program in the IP&E (Interconnect, Passive, and Electromechanical) distribution industry, honoring s

America's largest nuclear plant set to go in Georgia with a $35 billion price tag After officially adding Units 3 and 4 and putting them online this month, a famous Georgia power plant is now the country's largest nuclear site, at no less than a $35 billion price tag. Run by major utility Georgia Power---specifically its Southern Nuclear division---Plant Vogtle in Waynesboro, Georgia, features four reactors. With the recent completion of Units 3 & 4, the first new nuclear uni

New uninterruptible power supply products for mission critical operations Toshiba has introduced its latest innovation: the Toshiba 3000 SP Series UPS (Uninterruptible Power System.) This modular, high-performance system is designed to support mission critical applications.  Available in 6kVA/kW, 18kVA/kW and 24kVA/kW capacities, it features online double-conversion topology with Voltage and Frequency Independent (VFI) operation for "ultimate power protection," per a press r

Kaiser Aluminum commits $575 million to revolving credit facility Kaiser Aluminum Corporation of Franklin, Tennessee, a leading producer of semi-fabricated specialty aluminum products, announced October 16 that it has extended its $575 million senior secured revolving credit facility for up to an additional five years, subject to certain conditions, now maturing in October 2030. The facility has also been modified to incorporate certain improved terms offering greater operati

Pentagon looking to make big purchase of materials to keep pace with China The Pentagon is looking to buy as much as $1 billion of critical minerals to stockpile, the Financial Times reported, citing public filings published in recent months by the Pentagon’s Defense Logistics Agency.  The increased purchases come as new export controls of rare earths and other key materials for defense and technology manufacturing were unveiled by China’s Ministry of Commerce last week. Chin

Holland pulls rank on Chinese chipmaker Nexperia In a rare diplomatic move, a European governing body recently took action against a Chinese manufacturer. On September 30, the Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs invoked the Goods Availability Act, due to "serious governance shortcomings at semiconductor manufacturer Nexperia," per an international press release from The Hague (Netherlands). The company’s headquarters are located in Nijmegen, Netherlands, with additional subsi

DOE announces billion-plus loan to American Electric Power AEP Transmission, a Columbus, Ohio-based subsidiary of American Electric Power, has reportedly closed on a $1.6 billion loan guarantee at a preferred interest rate from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office (LPO) to upgrade nearly 5,000 miles of transmission lines in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, and West Virginia. According to a corresponding press release , the agreement could save an estimated $

Deadline approaching for non-commercial submissions Calling all contributors: EASA still has openings for non-commercial presentations to provide informative peer-to-peer learning during the 2026 Convention in Orlando, Florida (June 13-16 of next year.) The association says "this is your opportunity to share your knowledge, experience and insights with professionals in the electromechanical industry."   Those interested need to submit their abstract by October 17 (tomorrow!)