Why the $90 M Stanley Automated Factory Failed to Deliver Black & Decker’s Craftsman Tools

Cryptopolitan ^ | 7/23/2023 | John Palmer

[rod5591]

Stanley Black & Decker acquired the Craftsman brand in 2017 to revitalize it and bring manufacturing back to the United States. The Fort Worth factory, announced in 2019, was meant to take this vision further by forging iconic Craftsman wrenches, ratchets, and sockets from American steel. The company believed that advanced automation would allow the plant to compete cost-effectively with imported products while meeting consumer demand for U.S.-made tools.

Former employees revealed that the factory’s automated system experienced critical problems that couldn’t be resolved before the company closed the facility. The pandemic also disrupted the production timeline, preventing proper testing of the new system at scale. Some adjustments required new tooling from overseas suppliers, causing delays of weeks. The factory struggled to achieve its production goals despite spending millions of dollars on making the machines work.

Attrition among experienced tool-making experts and turnover within Stanley’s tool division further contributed to the factory’s struggles. The absence of seasoned employees with deep knowledge of the manufacturing process hindered problem-solving efforts.

Stanley Black & Decker’s ambitious plan to automate the manufacturing of Craftsman tools in Fort Worth, Texas, faced insurmountable challenges, leading to the eventual closure of the factory. The difficulty of automating manual tasks and replicating the skills of human workers in a fully automated system became evident. While reshoring manufacturing is a growing trend, this case highlights the importance of considering the complexities of transitioning to automated processes. The search for the right balance between automation and human expertise remains a significant challenge for the tool industry and manufacturers across various sectors.

[NorthMountain]

but that does not effect envirowacko lawsuits, regulations

The lawsuits are based on the regulations ... reducing or eliminating the regulations (and the laws they're based on) is part of reducing the size, scope, etc. of the government.

The current difficulties related to, for example, mining rare-earth elements in the USA are entirely driven by obscure regulations that soccer-moms don't even know exist. It's all activists in "nonprofits" colluding with activists in government to advance an anti-American agenda that's completely obscure to the overwhelming majority of We the People.

And furthermore, I consider that the Nineteenth Amendment should be repealed.

[mo]

shareholder lawsuits on their way...