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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Temp Workers No Longer Predictor Of Recovery
February 16, 2010 3:33 am | by Jeannine Aversa, AP Economics Writer | News | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — It's not the signal it used to be. When employers hire temporary staff after a recession, it's long been seen as a sign they'll soon hire permanent workers. Not these days. Companies have hired more temps for four straight months. Yet they remain reluctant to make permanent hires because of doubts about the recovery's durability.
Obama Provides $8.3 Billion Loan For Nuclear Plant
February 16, 2010 3:30 am | by Darlene Superville, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | News | CommentsWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will announce a guarantee of $8.3 billion (C6.1 billion) in loans for the first new U.S. nuclear power plant in nearly three decades, underscoring the administration's efforts to reduce dependence on foreign oil. Obama was to make remarks Tuesday after touring a jobs centre in Maryland.
Disaster Planning And Response For Food Processors
February 16, 2010 3:26 am | by Wayne Yon, Stephen Blackwell, Daniel Coto & Melvin N. Kramer, EHA Consulting Group, Inc. | Articles | CommentsDisaster: the word alone congers images of your facility in the worst possible condition; people not understanding what happened, not knowing how to respond to the event or what to tell the media, if anything, and more. But it doesn't have to be that way if you have an emergency plan in place.
Why Foreign Corporations Struggle In America
February 12, 2010 8:43 am | by Jeff Klingberg, President & CEO, Fluid Power Technologies | Articles | CommentsA recent LinkedIn post asked for experiences from foreign national corporations who have had trouble introducing their products and services to the North American market. From our experience in this area, foreign national corporations typically encounter the following issues: Send a foreign national to open the operation just because someone believes there is a large untapped market in North America, but no research is done and no plan is formulated before coming.
Safety Needs A Backup
February 12, 2010 7:16 am | Product Releases | CommentsSIS-TECH (Houston, TX) announces the DIAMOND-SIS automated independent backup (AIB), a standalone safety instrumented system that backs up current process control trip logic and meets the requirements of IEC 61511. The AIB is available in single, dual, and triplicated channel configurations with on-line diagnostics, testing, and maintenance capabilities.
You Hold The Power
February 12, 2010 7:15 am | Product Releases | CommentsThe Edison power distribution line from AutomationDirect (Cumming, GA) now includes the HPB-series open-style power distribution blocks as a convenient way to manage power distribution needs. The distribution blocks are manufactured with tin-plated aluminum connectors suitable for copper conductions, helping maintain a high SCCR rating of 200kA.
Get The Nastiest Of Drain Clogs
February 12, 2010 7:15 am | Product Releases | CommentsRIDGID (Elyria, OH) introduces the Auto-Clean drain cleaning machine for cleaning drain blockages in pipes from ¾” to 1½” in diameter. The machine features a dual-direction AUTOFEED technology, which advances and retrieves the drain-cleaning cable with the push of a lever.
Industrial Vacuuming With A Pulse
February 12, 2010 7:13 am | Product Releases | CommentsCamfil Farr Air Pollution Control (APC, Jonesboro, AR) has introduced a new pulse-cleaned industrial vacuum that reduces clogs to prevent problems that result from a loss of suction during cleaning. The FarrVac operates without compressed air and may be used for everyday cleanup.
Pick Wisely
February 12, 2010 6:50 am | Product Releases | CommentsTRI-TRONICS, Inc. (Tampa, FL) has introduced the SMARTEYE ColorWise Sensor that solves most difficult color applications at higher speeds than color cameras or other sensors. The ColorWise is ideal for intricate color sorting or inspection problems, such as high-speed packaging and production lines.
Brother: Work On Conn. Plant Had 'Substandard' Safety
February 12, 2010 5:40 am | by John Christoffersen, Associated Press Writer | News | CommentsNEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — The brother of one of five workers killed in an explosion at a power plant under construction says his brother called the project "screwed up," and a worker on the job the day before the explosion says safety on the job was "substandard." The concerns about pressure to get the job done and safety standards at the Kleen Energy Systems plant in Middletown were raised in interviews with The Associated Press on Wednesday, and add to a growing number of questions about work conditions at the site.
Strong Growth Predicted For Industrial Wireless
February 12, 2010 5:08 am | News | CommentsResearch Triangle Park, NC — The Wireless Industrial Networking Alliance (WINA), expert wireless resource for the industrial market, today announced results of its first End-Users survey on the application of wireless technology in the automation industry at the ARC Forum in Orlando, Florida.
Cleveland Home To New 'Gasification' Power Plant
February 12, 2010 4:43 am | News | CommentsCLEVELAND (AP) — The city of Cleveland will soon be burning trash to power homes and businesses. A $1.5 million agreement signed with the New Jersey-based Princeton Environmental Group would design a 20-megawatt power plant fueled by municipal waste. The plant, the first of its kind in the U.
Toyota Plans Tell-All To Rebuild Consumer Trust
February 12, 2010 4:08 am | by Malcolm Foster, Associated Press Writer | News | CommentsTOKYO (AP) — Toyota said Friday it's planning a new level of disclosure about car problems beyond what the automaker is legally required to reveal as it seeks to rebuild consumer trust. The move comes amid intensifying pressure for the automaker's president Akio Toyoda to testify before the U.
Inventor, Manufacturer Of The Frisbee Dies At 90
February 12, 2010 3:46 am | by Doug Alden, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | News | CommentsSALT LAKE CITY — Walter Fredrick Morrison, the man credited with inventing the Frisbee, has died. He was 90. Utah House Rep. Kay McIff, an attorney who represented Morrison in a royalties case, says Morrison died at his home in Monroe, Utah, on Tuesday. McIff is from Richfield, Morrison's original hometown.
Specialists Purge Gas Lines At Middletown Blast Site
February 12, 2010 3:44 am | News | CommentsMIDDLETOWN, Conn. (AP) — Specialists from a natural gas delivery company helped vent a pipe Thursday at a Connecticut power plant where an explosion killed five people. Officials say the venting procedure posed no danger to the public but was necessary to vent natural gas out of about 800 feet of pipeline to the Kleen Energy Systems plant in Middletown.
