MANUFACTURING INSURANCE
BLIS helps manufacturers protect the people, machinery, inventory, products, property, and revenue that keep production moving. We learn what you make, how the floor operates, where products go, and what could interrupt delivery to your customers.
Built around production
Protect what keeps orders moving
Review property, machinery, employees, products, and downtime around the way your facility actually runs.
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Share your contact information and a few basics about your business. A licensed BLIS representative will review your request.
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Your business
Manufacturers share a common goal: keep people, machines, materials, and orders moving. A clothing plant with cutting and sewing lines does not have the same needs as a metal shop with CNC cells and welding stations. The insurance plan should start with the actual operation—not a generic manufacturing label.
Product liability helps when something your business made, assembled, or distributed is alleged to have injured someone or damaged their property. A component built into another machine, a part installed in a structure, and a finished consumer product can create different responsibilities. Product type, end use, quality controls, and distribution all help determine the protection the business needs.
Commercial property protects the building, machinery, raw stock, work in progress, and finished inventory against covered losses. Equipment breakdown addresses certain internal mechanical or electrical failures that standard property coverage typically leaves out. Business income can help with lost revenue and continuing expenses when a covered event stops production.
Workers' compensation costs depend partly on the jobs employees actually perform. Sewing, welding, machine operation, material handling, and office work do not carry the same injury patterns or rates. Keeping payroll organized by role helps owners plan costs and reduces surprises when the policy is audited at year end.
Scrap and recycling operations need particular attention to fire prevention, stored materials, equipment, drainage, and possible contamination. Environmental liability may be needed because standard general liability commonly excludes pollution. BLIS helps owners explain the operation clearly and compare available coverage without treating the business like a checklist.
Businesses we help
Choose the business type closest to yours to see the everyday risks, coverage choices, and information that may matter when you request a quote.
Product liability, general liability, workers comp, and property coverage for apparel and textile manufacturers — cut-and-sew, screen printing, and branded goods production.
Coverage for metal fabricators — general liability, product liability, property, equipment breakdown, and workers comp for welding, cutting, and forming operations.
General liability, product liability, property, and workers comp for clothing manufacturers — from pattern-cut production to finished-garment distribution.
Property, general liability, Workers' Comp, and pollution liability for scrap metal dealers. Fire prevention, yard operations, stored materials, and environmental controls can affect available options and cost.
Coverage for recycling centers — general liability, property, workers comp, and pollution liability. Fire controls, material composition, and environmental practices all shape the available options.
Coverage
These are common coverages to consider, not a one-size-fits-all package. What makes sense depends on how you operate, your contracts, state requirements, and the policy options available.
Product liability can respond when something your business built, assembled, or distributed is alleged to have injured someone or damaged their property. The right structure depends on the product, its end use, your role in making or distributing it, and the quality controls used before it ships.
A plant is a lot of value under one roof: the building, the machines, raw stock, work-in-process, finished goods. Value it right at inception. Undervalue the inventory and the gap goes unnoticed — until a loss lands mid-run, with the floor at peak stock, and the coverage falls short of what burned.
Standard property policies usually exclude mechanical and electrical breakdown. Equipment breakdown, historically called boiler and machinery coverage, can protect against certain equipment failures. If one machine can stop the entire line, review this coverage alongside business income protection.
A fire, equipment failure, or another covered event can stop production and revenue while repairs are underway. Business income can replace covered lost income during the restoration period. The selected coverage period, waiting period, and reported revenue all affect how much protection the policy provides.
Workers' compensation classifications follow the work being done, not just the employee's title. A press operator may be rated differently from someone moving finished goods in the warehouse. Keeping payroll separated by actual role helps the policy reflect the workforce and makes the year-end audit easier to plan for.
Scrap yards and recycling centers can face contamination from stored material, waste fluids, mixed metals, electronics, and fluid-bearing equipment. Standard GL policies commonly exclude pollution claims. Some insurers may require separate pollution liability before offering coverage.
Coverage examples
A few situations to make coverage concrete. These are illustrations only — not actual claims, and not a guarantee of any coverage outcome.
Example scenario: A metal fabricator produces a structural component. It is incorporated into a third party's assembled product. After distribution, a material defect is identified affecting a production run. The downstream party initiates a recall and files a claim for recall costs, replacement costs, and lost revenue.
Product liability can respond to third-party bodily injury and property damage claims from the defect. But product recall expenses and first-party financial loss from the recall itself are separate coverages. A standard GL policy doesn't include them automatically. Manufacturers whose products enter other companies' supply chains may face recall-related claims that exceed what standard product liability covers.
Example scenario: A clothing manufacturer's industrial cutting machine has an electrical component failure during peak production season. The machine is down for an extended repair period while a replacement part is sourced. Commercial property does not respond to the mechanical failure itself — equipment breakdown coverage is what addresses the repair cost.
During the repair period, production drops and orders are delayed. Business income coverage can respond to lost revenue during the covered restoration period. That response is subject to the indemnity period and waiting period in the policy. Manufacturers carrying commercial property without equipment breakdown may find that a production equipment failure is an uncovered event.
The claim scenarios above are illustrative examples only. They do not represent actual clients, actual claims, or guaranteed coverage outcomes. Coverage for any specific situation depends on the policy terms, conditions, exclusions, and the facts of the claim.
After coverage starts
Once coverage is in place, BLIS can help with certificates and policy changes. A certificate only summarizes policy information; the policy and insurer-issued endorsements determine the actual coverage.
FAQ
Product liability can respond to bodily injury or property damage caused by something you manufactured, assembled, or distributed, subject to policy terms. It is often included within general liability and sometimes written separately. The right coverage depends on what the product is, where it is used, how quality is managed, and whether your business makes, assembles, imports, or distributes it.
No. Standard property typically excludes mechanical breakdown, electrical breakdown, and operator error. Equipment breakdown is separate coverage for certain mechanical or electrical failures. Property may cover fire and listed causes of loss, while business income can protect revenue during a covered shutdown. Manufacturers often review all three together because one failed machine can stop an entire facility.
Workers' Comp premium is usually based on payroll and the class code assigned to each type of work. A sewing operator, press-brake operator, forklift driver, and shipping clerk may have different codes and rates. Describe actual duties rather than relying on job titles. Accurate classifications can reduce year-end audit adjustments.
Scrap yards and recycling centers combine combustible materials, heavy equipment, outdoor storage, vehicle traffic, and possible contamination. Fire suppression, material separation, housekeeping, drainage, and the types of material accepted all matter. Standard general liability may not cover pollution claims, so environmental liability often deserves a separate review alongside property, equipment, workers' compensation, and auto.
Business income, also called business interruption coverage, can replace lost income when a covered property loss or equipment breakdown stops production. A shutdown may cost more than the damaged equipment because it can affect orders, customers, employees, and revenue. Coverage depends on the restoration period, waiting period, selected limit, and reported revenue. Review those figures against a realistic shutdown before renewal.
From the insights library
Compare workers' compensation requirements, job classifications, payroll, audits, owner treatment, and claims history across BLIS's five licensed states.
Learn how to protect a growing manufacturing business from product injury claims, distributor requirements, coverage gaps, and the direct cost of a recall.
Learn how property-policy requirements for sprinklers, alarms, and other safeguards can affect maintenance, impairment notice, and a fire-loss claim.
Tell us how your business works and what you want help with. We'll review what you share and let you know what else may be needed.
Coverage availability, pricing, terms, conditions, limits, and eligibility depend on the insurer, state, details of the business, claims history, and policy terms. Nothing on this site guarantees coverage, pricing, approval, or savings.
Illustrative claim scenarios are examples only and do not represent specific claims, predicted outcomes, or coverage guarantees. Whether a specific claim is covered depends on the policy terms, conditions, exclusions, and the facts of the specific situation.
