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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Writing E-mails With Your Mind
February 17, 2010 7:07 am | Articles | CommentsBack in 1997, Kathy Wolfe was given a painful diagnosis: she has Lou Gehrig’s disease, also known as ALS. In the time since her diagnosis, Kathy has lost her ability to move, speak, and even breathe. But thanks to some new technology that translates electrical signals in the brain into text on her computer, she can still write e-mails, and, most importantly, communicate with her husband of 41 years.
Price Wars: China vs. Japan
February 17, 2010 7:06 am | Articles | CommentsCNN’s Kyung Lah (Tokyo) and John Vause (Beijing) compare prices on popular products in their respective countries, such as cars and TVs. The differences can be staggering, at times. If you're having trouble watching this video, try downloading the latest version of Flash Player or contacting your IT department.
Reviving Manufacturing, One Guitar At A Time
February 17, 2010 7:04 am | Articles | CommentsEvery summer, professors at the College of Technology at Purdue bring students in for the High School Guitar Workshop, which allows the youngsters to build a fully-functioning guitar in little more than a few days. Using their own designs, students go through the entire process, and get to take home their custom guitar at the end.
Manufacturing Olympic Gold
February 17, 2010 7:03 am | Articles | CommentsWith the Olympics at full-steam right now, we take a look with VBS.TV into where the gold, silver, and bronze medals came from. Visit Omer Studio in Vancouver, where designers were asked to create a medal that incorporates recycled metal from electronic components. It’s a great combination of industrial design, manufacturing, and sustainability.
Mueller Appeals $683K OSHA Fine After Blast Kills 1
February 17, 2010 3:48 am | News | CommentsFULTON, Miss. (AP) — Mueller Industries has appealed a $683,000 fine levied by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration for alleged safety violations. The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports John Hansen, Mueller's vice president of manufacturing, confirmed the appeal was filed but declined to discuss specifics.
Mueller Appeals OSHA Fine After Blast Kills 1
February 17, 2010 3:48 am | News | CommentsFULTON, Miss. (AP) — Mueller Industries has appealed a $683,000 fine levied by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration for alleged safety violations. The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports John Hansen, Mueller's vice president of manufacturing, confirmed the appeal was filed but declined to discuss specifics.
Dems Seek Tax Breaks For Rehired Workers
February 17, 2010 3:40 am | by Colleen Slevin, Associated Press Writer | News | CommentsDENVER (AP) — Democratic lawmakers want to give a tax break to businesses that rehire workers they laid off last year, a move that analysts estimate could speed up the return of some 10,000 people to work. However, no business groups turned out to testify for the proposal during its first hearing at the Capitol on Tuesday.
Officials Investigating Orange Cloud Over Houston-Area
February 17, 2010 3:31 am | News | CommentsPASADENA, Texas (AP) — Plant officials are investigating what caused a chemical release at a Houston-areaplant that forced neighbors to stay indoors for a couple of hours. An orange cloud was seen above Pasadena after Tuesday night's release, prompting emergency personnel to order a shelter-in-place.
The RV Is Back, Says Earthbound
February 17, 2010 3:19 am | News | CommentsMARION, Ind. (AP) — A startup company plans to open a factory in central Indiana making recreational vehicles and potentially hire 300 workers in the next few years. Officials of Earthbound RV say they'll hire 60 people this year for the Marion factory and expect to start production of its towable trailers in March.
Navistar Nabs $752 Million Military Vehicle Contract
February 17, 2010 3:18 am | News | CommentsWARRENVILLE, Ill. (AP) — Navistar Defense LLC, a unit of Navistar International LLC, said Tuesday that it received a $752 million contract to supply the U.S. military with 1,050 of its International MaxxPro Dash Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle. The company said that vehicles under the contract from the U.
Texas Energy Company Protests $18 Million Mercury Fine
February 17, 2010 3:17 am | by Eric Tucker, Associated Press Writer | News | CommentsPROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A Texas energy company convicted of illegally storing hazardous mercury in a rundown Rhode Island building asked a federal appeals court Tuesday to throw out an $18 million penalty, calling the punishment "grossly excessive." The mercury, stored by the Southern Union gas company in a building in Pawtucket, was exposed to the public in 2004 after vandals broke in and dumped a container of the hazardous liquid at a nearby apartment complex.
Obama Calls $8.3 Billion Nuclear Grant 'Only The Beginning'
February 16, 2010 10:02 am | News | Commentsbu Julie Pace, Associated Press Writer LANHAM, Md. (AP) — Promising "this is only the beginning," President Barack Obama announced more than $8 billion in federal loan guarantees Tuesday for the construction of the first nuclear power plant in the United States in nearly three decades.
Ford Cuts 900 At Michigan Mustang Plant
February 16, 2010 7:48 am | News | CommentsDETROIT (AP) — Ford Motor Co. is cutting 900 workers at the Michigan plant that makes the Mustang. Ford said Tuesday that the Flat Rock plant will go from two shifts to one in July. The plant, which is jointly owned with Mazda, also makes the Mazda6. Nearly 2,300 people work there.
The Big Shift
February 16, 2010 7:18 am | by Jim Lane, Editor, Biofuels Digest | Articles | CommentsIn the 2010 Dodgen Lecture at the annual meeting of the Mississippi Academy of Sciences, and in the Q&A that followed, I described four principles that must be observed in order to successfully complete the transition away from a fossil-fuel based society.
Eyewear For Manufacturing's Many Faces
February 16, 2010 6:29 am | Product Releases | CommentsUvex (Smithfield, RI) has launched the Specifix collection of protective eyewear. The collection includes three new styles (VersaPro, PrecisionPro, and ExtremePro), all of which are designed to meet the needs of workers in various industrial facilities. The eyewear comes with Uvex’s Supra-Dura anti-scratch coating.


