New Wave of Inflation—and Disruptions—Hits US Factory Floors

New Wave of Inflation—and Disruptions—Hits US Factory Floors
A worker operates a metal cutting machines at Gent Machine Co.'s factory in Cleveland on May 26, 2021. Timothy Aeppel/Reuters
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Surging inflation is disrupting everything from carpools to the ability to quote prices on new business at already-strained U.S. factories.

At BCI Solutions Inc., a metal foundry in Bremen, Indiana, 14 workers quit in the last two weeks—over 7 percent of its total workforce and an unprecedented number compared with pre-pandemic times. BCI has long struggled to hold workers but never lost that many in such a short span.