This Week in Quality – January 19, 2026

Delta Air Lines selected GE Aerospace GEnx engines to power 30 new Boeing 787-10 aircraft with options for 30 additional units and long-term service support. Johnson & Johnson announced plans to invest billions in two new US manufacturing facilities in Pennsylvania and North Carolina as part of its $55 billion domestic production commitment. The US government formally approved Nvidia H200 AI chip exports to China under revised licensing rules while Ecolab ranked fourth on ChemSec’s 2025 report for its commitment to phase out PFAS chemicals by year-end 2026. 

Delta Selects GE Aerospace GEnx Engines for 30 Boeing 787-10s

Delta Air Lines selected GE Aerospace GEnx engines to power 30 new Boeing 787-10 aircraft with options for 30 additional units in an agreement that includes spare engines and long-term services support. The partnership extends a 60-year relationship between Delta and GE Aerospace that began in 1956 with CJ-805-3 engines for Convair 880 aircraft. 

The GEnx engine family has accumulated more than 70 million flight hours since its 2011 introduction and currently powers two-thirds of all 787 aircraft in operation worldwide. Delta operates a fleet exceeding 1,300 GE Aerospace and CFM-powered aircraft including CF6, CFM56-7B and LEAP engines across its commercial operations. 

Johnson & Johnson Invests Billions in Two US Manufacturing Plants

Johnson & Johnson announced plans to establish two US manufacturing facilities as part of a $55 billion commitment to support domestic production over four years. The pharmaceutical company will build a cell therapy manufacturing site in Pennsylvania and a drug production plant in Wilson, North Carolina, representing its third major investment in North Carolina within the past year. 

North Carolina state officials expect the Wilson project to create up to 500 plant jobs and are supporting the development through a $12 million Industrial Development Fund grant plus legislative appropriation for Wilson Community College training center expansion. The company said it has begun investing billions in domestic manufacturing over the past 10 months with a goal of producing the vast majority of its advanced medicines in the United States. 

US Approves Nvidia H200 AI Chip Exports to China

The US Department of Commerce formally approved Nvidia H200 AI chip exports to China under revised licensing rules requiring case-by-case review and third-party testing verification before shipment. The policy shifts from the previous presumption of denial stance and caps exports to China at 50% of US customer volume while requiring sufficient domestic supply and security procedures from Chinese customers. 

Chinese technology companies have placed orders exceeding 2 million H200 chips priced around $27,000 each according to December reports, surpassing Nvidia’s inventory of 700,000 units. The H200 ranks as Nvidia’s second-most-advanced AI processor behind current-generation Blackwell and Rubin chips, with the Trump administration requiring a 25% revenue share on all approved China-bound sales. 

Ecolab Ranks Fourth on ChemSec Report for PFAS Phase-Out by 2026

Minnesota-based Ecolab scored 35 points and ranked fourth among 40 global chemical manufacturers on the International Chemical Secretariat’s 2025 ChemScore report for its commitment to phase out perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals by the end of 2026. The company confirmed it is removing all chemical products manufactured with intentionally added PFAS from its global portfolio serving industrial, food safety and healthcare sectors. 

ChemSec revised its ranking methodology to increase possible points from 48 to 100 across four metrics of transparency, phase-out of persistent chemicals, product portfolio and safer solutions. Chemours placed last with zero points while other US-based companies including 3M at 32nd place with eight points and DuPont at 21st place with 13 points received significantly lower scores than Ecolab. 

Keurig Dr Pepper Renews 274,000 Square Foot Burlington Headquarters Lease

Keurig Dr Pepper renewed its lease for 274,000 square feet at its Burlington, Massachusetts headquarters in one of the largest Boston-area office leases in recent months according to Cushman & Wakefield’s quarterly market report. The beverage company’s decision to maintain its Massachusetts headquarters comes as it plans a split between its coffee and beverage business segments. 

The lease renewal follows Keurig Dr Pepper’s August 2025 announcement to acquire JDE Peet’s coffee business and subsequently separate into two independent companies focusing on coffee and beverages respectively. The Burlington facility serves as the primary headquarters for the combined entity as the company prepares for the organizational restructuring expected to be completed within the next fiscal year.