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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Clean Energy Bill Could Create 5,000 SD Jobs
September 28, 2009 4:17 am | by Roger Larsen | News | CommentsHURON, S.D. (AP) — Transitioning to a clean energy economy with passage of an energy bill pending in the Senate would create 5,000 South Dakota jobs, break the nation's dependence on oil and help solve the climate crisis, the state director of Repower South Dakota said Wednesday. Wind turbine blade manufacturer Knight & Carver stands to double or triple its current 60-employee base should the measure pass.
MN Pig Iron Plant Fights For American Steel
September 28, 2009 4:16 am | by Peter Passi | News | CommentsDULUTH, Minn. (AP) — The sea of vehicles crowding the approach to Mesabi Nugget bespeaks the project's scale. Somewhere between 600 and 700 contractors are on the job most days, working to launch the Iron Range's newest taconite processor. At the peak of activity, about a month ago, upwards of 800 tradespeople were working to construct the $270 million plant that will transform taconite into pig iron.
BP And Kuwait Begin Joint Venture For Chinese Oil
September 28, 2009 4:12 am | News | CommentsKUWAIT CITY (AP) — Oil giant BP PLC is interested in teaming up with Kuwait in a planned $9 billion joint venture refinery project in southern China, a senior Kuwaiti official said Monday. Hussein Ismail, president of the state-owned Kuwait Petroleum International, told the official Kuwait News Agency that "preliminary talks" with the British oil giant have begun, and that BP was evaluating the 300,000 barrel per day facility's site in southern China's Guangdong province.
IL-Based Abbott To Buy Solvay Pharma For $6.6b
September 28, 2009 4:11 am | by Damian Troise, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — Abbott Laboratories is buying the pharmaceutical business of Belgian chemicals maker Solvay for $6.6 billion in a move to further expand internationally and add to its product portfolio. North Chicago, Ill.-based Abbott already holds U.S. marketing rights for Solvay's Trilipix and TriCor, drugs which raise "good" HDL cholesterol while reducing triglycerides and "bad" LDL cholesterol.
Force Gauge For Any Application
September 25, 2009 9:45 am | Product Releases | CommentsThe Dart 2.0 FGV-XY Force Gage from the Paul. N. Gardner Company (Pompano Beach, FL) is an ergonomically-designed force gauge for inspection, finished goods testing, and R&D. The built-in USB port and 1,000 point memory allows for data exporting in real-time. Other features include: A 1,000 Hz sample rate to provide more accurate results.
Magnetic Particle Separator
September 25, 2009 9:44 am | Product Releases | CommentsBunting Magnetics Co. (Newton, KS) has recently added a redesigned RotoGrate Magnetic Separator to its product line. The RotoGrate is ideal for products with poor flow characteristics and features a powerful motorized grate magnet which will remove ferrous metals from powders and granular products.
The Medusa Of Smoke Detectors
September 25, 2009 9:41 am | Product Releases | CommentsThe Fireray 5000 optical beam smoke detector from Fire Fighting Enterprises (FFE, Corinth, TX) delivers a wide area coverage, ideal for large indoor spaces like manufacturing facilities. When utilizing the new Multi Head System, the Fireray 5000 becomes the first UL/ULC-listed, motorized, self-correcting beam smoke detector that allows up to four detectors installed into a single system.
Professional Splicing Kit
September 25, 2009 9:40 am | Product Releases | CommentsPAPCO Industries (Northvale, NJ) is now offering an array of splicing products and tools for making emergency repairs on non-metallic expansion joints, which can be purchased individually or as a part of a professional kit. The professional splicing kit includes the following: splicing iron (P38), stapler, spray adhesive, PFA splice film, spare fuses, a splice rubbing block, and more.
SCADA-Supporting Flow Meter
September 25, 2009 5:48 am | Product Releases | CommentsThe Model ML04 Water Specialties Propeller Flow Meter from McCrometer (Hemet, CA) is now available with an optional transmitter that supports 4-20 mA output in support of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems. The ML04 is a steel-flanged end tube meter with a measurement accuracy of ±2 percent while measuring liquid flow from 40 to 35,000 gpm.
Automatic Beam Drilling
September 25, 2009 5:46 am | Product Releases | CommentsNitto Kohki (Hanover Park, IL) has introduced its Atra Ace Automatic Drill, a solution for medium-volume and irregularly-shaped beam drilling. The Atra Ace enables fabricators to drill holes in steel in applications unsuitable for a CNC beam drill line. The Atra Ace also allows operators to bring the drill to the beam, rather than the beam to the drilling line for processing.
Air Force To Reopen $35b Boeing-Northrop Battle
September 25, 2009 4:47 am | by Donna Borak, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) -- The Air Force is poised to reopen the competition between rivals Boeing Co. and Northrop Grumman Corp. for a troubled $35 billion tanker contract. The Pentagon has tried and failed twice to award a contract to replace its Eisenhower-era fleet of tankers that refuel military planes in flight.
Feature: Critical Steps To Distribution Center Planning
September 25, 2009 4:42 am | by Craig Bertorello, Vice President of Operations, TriFactor LLC | Articles | CommentsBecause these facilities are critical components of the supply chain, they require a detailed planning process to ensure they meet return on investment expectations. More than ever, the “measure twice, cut once” rule applies, since having to tack on additional capital outlays five, six, or seven years down the road is costly.
Ford, UAW Talks 'A Delicate Balance'
September 25, 2009 4:37 am | by Kimberly S. Johnson, AP Auto Writer | News | CommentsPLYMOUTH, Mich. (AP) -- United Auto Workers union president Ron Gettelfinger said Thursday that while the group continues to discuss additional contract modifications with Ford Motor Co. both sides are working to maintain a good relationship. "It's a delicate balance," said Gettelfinger of Ford's desire to make changes and UAW workers' potential reluctance to agree to further concessions.
Chinese Startup To Build Hybrids In Alabama
September 25, 2009 4:29 am | News | CommentsMONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- A group of Chinese investors plans to construct a large-scale plant to manufacture hybrid automobiles in northern Baldwin County near Mobile. Gov. Bob Riley and the chairman of Hybrid Kinetic Motors, Yung "Benjamin" Yeung said the company is expected to begin operations in 2013 and will create more than 5,000 jobs.
Magna Reconsiders Closing of Antwerp Plant
September 25, 2009 4:20 am | by George Frey, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsFRANKFURT (AP) — Magna International Inc. is considering whether to keep the former General Motors Co. plant in Antwerp, Belgium open despite initially saying the plant would be shuttered, a German weekly reported Friday. Germany's Der Spiegel said that Magna, a Canadian car parts company, and GM are considering whether to move production of a small GM SUV, that had been intended to be built in China, to the Belgium plant.
