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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
GOP Seeks Alternative To Overtime Pay
May 6, 2013 2:17 pm | by Sam Hananel, Associated Press | News | CommentsIt seems like a simple proposition: give employees who work more than 40 hours a week the option of taking paid time off instead of overtime pay. The choice already exists in the public sector. Federal and state workers can save earned time off and use it weeks or even months later to attend a parent-teacher conference, care for an elderly parent or deal with home repairs.
Adidas: Asia Laborers Can Send Complaints Via Text
May 6, 2013 2:16 pm | by Juergen Baetz, Associated Press | News | CommentsGerman sports gear maker Adidas said Monday it is encouraging workers in factories of some of its Asian suppliers to anonymously share possible grievances directly with the company via text message. The new hotline service will help bridge the communication gap between management and workers, enabling employees to "simply send an SMS when they feel their rights are breached," Adidas AG said.
Pressure On Bangladesh, Retailers To Fix Factories
May 6, 2013 2:14 pm | by Farid Hossain, Stephen Wright, Associated Press | News | CommentsIn the aftermath of a building collapse that killed more than 530 people, Bangladesh's garment manufacturers may face a choice of reform or perish. The shoddily constructed building's collapse has put a focus on the high human price paid when Bangladeshi government ineptitude, Western consumer apathy and global retailing's drive for the lowest cost of production intersect.
TX Fertilizer Plant Targeted By Thieves In Past
May 6, 2013 2:11 pm | by Nomaan Merchant, Associated Press | News | CommentsBurglars occasionally sneaked into and around a Texas fertilizer plant in the years before a massive, deadly explosion — sometimes looking for a chemical fertilizer stored at the plant that can be used to make methamphetamine, according to local sheriff's records.
Unemployment At 4-Year Low, Markets At New Highs
May 6, 2013 1:21 pm | by The Associated Press | Videos | CommentsThe United States economy showed last month why it remains the envy of industrialized nations: In the face of tax increases and federal spending cuts, employers added a solid 165,000 jobs in April. The U.S. economy is now boasting the lowest unemployment rates in four years.
China City Quashes Protest Against Petro Plant
May 6, 2013 10:28 am | by Didi Tang, Associated Press | News | CommentsResidents say they are worried the plant would pollute the air and water, and question why the plant is being built in a region prone to earthquakes. Pengzhou is in the same fault zone as the 2008 Wenchuan quake that left 90,000 people dead or missing, and for an earthquake last month that killed at least 196 people.
LG Chem To Begin MI Production In July
May 6, 2013 10:26 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsAn advanced battery maker said it plans to launch commercial production of automotive lithium-ion battery cells in southwestern Michigan in July. LG Chem Michigan Inc., a subsidiary of South Korean company LG Chem, announced Sunday night that test runs have begun at the facility in Holland and that it anticipates shipping products by the end of the summer.
CAT To Close Toronto Factory
May 6, 2013 10:25 am | by The Canadian Press | News | CommentsHeavy equipment giant Caterpillar Inc. says it is closing a tunnel-boring machine factory in Toronto by mid-2014, throwing 330 workers out of a job. Caterpillar acquired the facility in 2008 when it bought Lovat Inc. and got into the tunnelling business, but now says the plant is no longer a "strategic growth opportunity" and will be shut down.
TX Plant That Blew Up Carried $1M Policy
May 6, 2013 10:22 am | by Christopher Sherman, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Texas fertilizer plant that exploded last month, killing 14 people, injuring more than 200 others and causing tens of millions of dollars in damage to the surrounding area had only $1 million in liability coverage, lawyers said Saturday.
Moberly Dismissed From Mamtek Investor Lawsuit
May 6, 2013 10:20 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe city of Moberly and its industrial development agency have been dismissed from a civil lawsuit filed by spurned investors in the failed Mamtek artificial sweetener factory. The Columbia Daily Tribune reported that a Cole County judge on April 25 dismissed the city and the Moberly Industrial Development Authority from a 2012 suit filed by Shelter Insurance Cos. and the Waddell & Reed investment brokerage.
Solar Plane Lands In AZ, First Leg Of U.S. Trip
May 6, 2013 10:18 am | by Bob Seavey, Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press | News | CommentsAlone in the single-seat cockpit and high above the American Southwest, pilot Bertrand Piccard could hear only his plane's gear box and the quiet whine of four electric motors. No noisy jet engines. He's flying Solar Impulse, considered the world's most advanced sun-powered plane.
Preventing Discharge Damage: Conductive Rolling Bearing Greases
May 6, 2013 8:05 am | by Heiko Stache, Manager Business Unit – Bearing Technology & Sabine Petri, Product Manager, Klüber Lubrication | Articles | CommentsDamage caused by electric discharge is a well-known issue, and today it is more prevalent than ever. It primarily affects rolling bearings in machines susceptible to static charging. In many cases, conductive grease made especially for these applications can provide an inexpensive and efficient solution to this problem, while at the same time ensuring optimum rolling bearing lubrication.
An Opportunity For Intelligent Device Manufacturers
May 6, 2013 8:00 am | by Steve Schmidt, Vice President of Corporate Development & Strategy, Flexera Software | Articles | CommentsOpportunity beckons intelligent device manufacturers. They must evolve their products from fixed function and disconnected systems to flexible and seamlessly connected devices. Making products smarter will provide a wide array of benefits.
May 2013 - Behind Bars
May 3, 2013 5:09 pm | Digital Editions | CommentsIn this issue, Hearthside Food Solutions manufactures snack bars for some of the world's largest food companies, industry experts talk vibration detection for critical machinery, innovative manufacturers work to develop new avenues for conveyor efficiency, and more.
Texas Fire Official: 'Debris Could Give Answers'
May 3, 2013 5:08 pm | by The Associated Press | Videos | CommentsKelly Kistner, an assistant state fire marshal in Texas, said that investigators are still trying to figure out what caused a deadly fertilizer plant explosion that killed at least 14 people. He said that debris there could provide answers.
