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For A 'Green' Company, BP Wreaks Environmental Damage
April 30, 2010 4:18 am | by Chris Kahn, AP Energy Writer | News | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — Oil giant BP brands itself a friend of the environment, an energy company that goes "beyond petroleum." That image, worth billions of dollars, is being sullied by the company's inability to contain a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. As the expanding oil slick threatens marshlands and wildlife along the coasts of Louisiana and Mississippi, BP faces perhaps the biggest public relations challenge an oil company has experienced in the United States since the Exxon Valdez tanker disaster in Alaska in 1989.
Lawmakers: Black Boxes For All New Cars
April 30, 2010 4:13 am | by Ken Thomas, Associated Press Writer | News | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — New cars and trucks would be required to carry black boxes to record crash information and automakers would pay fees to help fund the government's auto safety agency under a series of proposals in Congress in response to Toyota's massive recalls. The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday released a draft that could form the basis of legislation to strengthen vehicle safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Harley-Davidson Threatens To Abandon Wisconsin
April 29, 2010 11:29 am | News | CommentsMILWAUKEE (AP) — Harley-Davidson Inc. has warned its employees it may have to move its Milwaukee manufacturing operations if it can't cut millions of dollars in costs. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that company officials told employees Thursday there are significant "cost gaps" that must be filled.
The Price Is Right
April 29, 2010 9:36 am | by by Amanda Earing, News Editor, Manufacturing.Net | Blogs | CommentsI’m the proud owner of a 2010 Honda CR-V. I bought the car back in December—before Toyota’s problems had surfaced. When Toyota’s issues came to light a month later, I was even happier with my choice. But every now and then, I feel some guilt.
Hear The Heat
April 29, 2010 8:50 am | Product Releases | CommentsGeneral Technologies (Delta, BC, Canada) has designed the ThermoSounder feature on the LTX12 Infrared Thermometer to provide users with audio feedback of both cold and hot spots. The audio feature prevents users from having to interpret digital readouts. The LTX12 has a wide temperature range—20° to 1,200°F—and a 10:1 distance to measurement spot ratio.
Video Release: Get Movin'
April 29, 2010 8:47 am | Product Releases | CommentsMovinCool (Long Beach, CA) has released a new video that presents the features of its CM12 and CM25 celing-mounted commercial spot air conditioners. The CM12 and CM25 are designed to fit in the cramped ceiling space above equipment closets or server roomers, and built-in mounting brackets allow for a quick installation.
Rubber Stands Up To Anything
April 29, 2010 8:44 am | Product Releases | CommentsCornell Iron Works, Inc. (Mountain Top, PA) announces that it will distribute the line of industrial rubber doors from TNR Industrial Doors, Inc. The Extreme Performance Doors have been designed for applications with extreme dirt or corrosive factors, such as torrential rain, blizzard snow, scorching heat, or frigid cold.
Hardened Reactive Metals Drive Innovation
April 29, 2010 6:39 am | by Brian P. Hood, Product Manager, Flowserve Flow Control Division | Articles | CommentsMetal-seated ball valves used in highly corrosive or erosive applications must be able to withstand challenging operating environments. Zirconium, titanium, and other reactive/refractory metals are extremely corrosion-resistant and are often used by valve manufacturers to design valves for applications involving sulfuric, hydrochloric, and acetic acids.
Rising Chinese Currency Will Not Save U.S. Manufacturing
April 29, 2010 5:38 am | by Joel Hans, Associate Editor, IMPO | Articles | CommentsIMPO recently sat down with Josh Green, CEO of Panjiva, to discuss the ongoing tale of China’s yuan, the global pressure to allow the currency to rise in value, and what affect that might have on U.S. manufacturing. IMPO: Could you provide an overview of what China is doing with their currency, and why? Green: China has pegged its currency to its specific exchange rate.
Two Ohio Cabinetry Plants Threatened With Closure
April 28, 2010 6:37 am | News | CommentsWAVERLY, Ohio (AP) — A major employer in southern Ohio's Pike County says it will close its two cabinetry plants if it can't find a buyer, putting more than 1,200 jobs at risk. Taylor, Mich.-based Masco Corp. said Tuesday that if there is no sale, the Mill's Pride cabinetry factories in Waverly and nearby Seal Township are likely to shut down by spring of next year.
One Injured In Maryland Plant Explosion
April 28, 2010 6:32 am | News | CommentsWILLIAMSPORT, Md. (AP) — Washington County's emergency services director says a man has been airlifted to a Baltimore hospital after an explosion and fire at a paint manufacturing plant in Williamsport. Kevin Lewis said the blast shortly after 7 a.m. Wednesday was contained to one room at the Rust-Oleum plant where the victim worked.
Life Sentence Sought For Fraud, Illegal Immigrants
April 28, 2010 4:09 am | by Nigel Duara, Associated Press Writer | News | CommentsCEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A former kosher slaughterhouse manager who was convicted of financial fraud not only cheated a bank out of $26 million (€19.6 million), prosecutors claim, he also knowingly employed illegal immigrants. Sholom Rubashkin was never convicted of immigration violations and his attorneys dispute the allegations, but they still could be an issue at his sentencing hearing Wednesday on 86 financial fraud charges.
U.S. Pushes China On 'Protectionist' Technology Policy
April 28, 2010 4:05 am | by Joe McDonald, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsBEIJING (AP) — Global technology suppliers face a looming Chinese deadline to reveal the inner workings of computer encryption and other security products in a move the United States and Europe say is protectionist. Suppliers must comply with the rules that take effect Saturday or risk being shut out of the billions of dollars in purchases that the Chinese government makes of smart cards, secure routers, anti-spam software and other security products.
Automakers Bending Over Backwards For Wealthy Chinese
April 28, 2010 4:02 am | by Anita Chang, Associated Press Writer | News | CommentsBEIJING (AP) — The businessman climbed into the Rolls Royce Phantom with the gold-plated Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament and sank his feet into wine-red carpet. He says he has a Mercedes S600 sedan and a Jaguar sports car at home but needs something for work. "I just have to consider whether it's too flashy.
Chinese Drywall Maker To Pay For Renovation
April 28, 2010 3:59 am | by Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press Writer | News | CommentsNEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday awarded more than $164,000 to a Louisiana family whose home was ruined by Chinese-made drywall and said the tainted material must be removed. U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon's latest ruling comes less than a month after he awarded $2.
