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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
In Search Of Universal Sensors
March 16, 2010 10:16 am | by Wesley Sund, Brooks Instrument | Articles | CommentsYou are working in a process development research laboratory. Wouldn’t it be easy if you could take a flow device off the shelf, install it, and have immediate, accurate and reliable measurements? This is a dream, a fantasy for some. Advances in sensor design, electronics and software, however, is bringing this day closer than ever through recently introduced developments.
Managing Energy With Modern Drive Systems
March 16, 2010 10:11 am | by Michael Perlman, Siemens Industry Inc., Motion Control Marketing Manager | Articles | CommentsWhile it is valid to state that energy efficiency is defined as the same level of production being achieved at an overall lower energy cost, it is equally important for today’s machine builders and automation engineers alike to remember than an energy-efficient system can actually translate into higher productivity.
Manufacturers Working To Save American Jobs
March 16, 2010 10:08 am | by Amanda Earing, News Editor, Manufacturing.Net | Articles | CommentsIn an economy where manufacturers are struggling to stay afloat, some are also fighting to find ways to keep their workers employed. Save An American Job (SAAJ) is a branding and networking initiative designed to do just that. Save an American Job, founded by Don Rongione, CEO and President of the Bollman Hat Company, is a proactive initiative to encourage more Americans to buy American-made products and help manufacturers prevent job losses in the industry.
Enough Of The 'Windwilling'
March 16, 2010 9:55 am | Product Releases | CommentsThe Draftguard anti-rotation device from Gates (Denver, CO) prevents belt-driven air-cooled heat exchanger (ACHE) fan drives from “windwilling” when they are idle. A free-spinning fan poses a safety hazard to maintenance workers and causes wear on belts, shafts, bearings, and attached equipment when the fan direction is reversed during start-up.
Sorting Made Easy
March 16, 2010 9:54 am | Product Releases | CommentsIntelligrated (Cincinnati, OH) now offers tilt-tray and cross-belt sortation solutions to its product portfolio. Intelligrated now designs and manufactures the complete line of Crisplant sorters, and offers them as standalone sub-systems or as parts of larger automated material handling systems.
Knowing The Code
March 16, 2010 9:52 am | Product Releases | CommentsCognex Corporation (Natick, MA) has introduced two new barcode readers to its DataMan line of industrial ID readers. The 100 QL and 200 QL fixed mount readers offer best-in-class 1D barcode reading performance. The included Cognex 1DMax code-reading algorithm handles quiet zone violations that can occur when codes are printed close to the edge of a label.
Working Up High Is E-Z
March 16, 2010 9:51 am | Product Releases | CommentsE-Z Drill (Stillwater, OK) now offers the E-Z Tray, a work tray designed for use on scissor lifts, boom lifts, aerial work platforms, and any equipment with railings. The E-Z Tray provides an ergonomically-friendly solution for the safe handling of tools while working at heights.
Analysts Weigh In On Cost Of Toyota's Recall Fiasco
March 16, 2010 9:33 am | by Tomoko A. Hosaka, Associated Press Writer | News | CommentsTOKYO (AP) — A massive global recall, mounting legal bills and a battered reputation add up to a very expensive problem for Toyota. How expensive? Depends who you ask. With new developments emerging almost daily, predicting a final pricetag for the Japanese automaker is a daunting calculation that only some analysts have attempted.
Unions Bash Kraft CEO On Cadbury Takeover
March 16, 2010 9:32 am | by Jane Wardell, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsLONDON (AP) — British union leaders and lawmakers lashed out at Kraft Inc. Chief Executive Irene Rosenfeld for failing to appear before an inquiry on the U.S. company's takeover of British confectioner Cadbury on Tuesday. The Unite union also criticized Rosenfeld for failing to meet directly with workers at Cadbury sites across the country to reassure them about the company's plans after it backtracked on a promise to keep open a local factory.
US Steel CEO Takes 83 Percent Salary Cut
March 16, 2010 9:31 am | by Sandy Shore, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsDENVER (AP) — United States Steel Corp. CEO John Surma's compensation package plummeted more than 83 percent last year as he took a salary cut and refused stock awards. The reduction came in a year the company struggled with withering demand for steel. Surma, who also is board chairman, received total compensation of $1.
AK Steel Sues Ex-Workers For Stealing Trade Secrets
March 16, 2010 9:30 am | News | CommentsWEST CHESTER, Ohio (AP) — AK Steel Holding Corp. has filed a lawsuit alleging three ex-employees of its Rockport, Ind., plant stole company trade secrets. The lawsuit filed March 11 says Donald Earley resigned as a senior process engineer last year and accepted a job with ThyssenKrupp Steel USA.
We Applies For $255 Million Wis. Biomass Plant
March 16, 2010 9:30 am | News | CommentsWAUSAU, Wis. (AP) — We Energies has filed for regulatory permission to build a $255 million biomass power plant near Wausau. In its application to the state Public Service Commission, the utility says the plant would supply steam to Domtar's paper mill in Rothschild and create up to 150 jobs.
Judge Overturns Suit Against Ford For Sudden Acceleration
March 16, 2010 9:29 am | by Meg Kinnard, Associated Press Writer | News | CommentsCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina's highest court on Monday overturned an $18 million verdict againstFord Motor Co. in a fatal crash, ruling that one expert shouldn't have been allowed to testify about cruise control problems. Sonya Watson, 17, was paralyzed after losing control of her Ford Explorer in December 1999.
Toyota, UAW Reach Tentative NUMMI Closure Agreement
March 15, 2010 11:25 am | News | CommentsFREMONT, Calif. (AP) — The United Auto Workers union has reached a tentative agreement to shut down California's sole remaining auto plant which employs 4,600 people. The terms weren't disclosed Monday but will include payouts for workers at the Fremont-based Nummi plantwhich is slated to close on April 1.
A Bitter Sweet Takeover
March 15, 2010 10:08 am | by by Krystal Gabert, Associate Editor, Food Manufacturing | Blogs | CommentsI guess there’s not much to defend, really. Kraft made an offer; Cadbury accepted. The once-British company is soon to join the ranks of the American food giant. And because Cadbury shareholders voted to approve the takeover bid, defending Cadbury would mean defending it against itself.
