Industrial Maintenance & Plant Operations

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Tesla Repays DOE Loan Nine Years Early

May 23, 2013 12:16 pm | by Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writer | News | Comments

Tesla Motors, which makes a highly acclaimed $70,000 electric car, has paid off a startup loan from the U.S. government nine years early. The Palo Alto, Calif., company said it wired in a $451.8 million payment to the government on Wednesday. The money, coupled with two prior payments, paid off a $465 million loan Tesla got from the Department of Energy loan in 2010 to foster development of advanced-technology vehicles.

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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers

Three Ways an Industrial Puller Will Boost Productivity in Your Plant

May 23, 2013 4:36 pm | by Industrial Pulley Puller | White Papers

How much downtime does the equipment in your plant spend per week as maintenance technicians work to remove frozen, rusted, or stuck pulleys, bearings, and sprockets from shafts? From the shipyard to the paper mill to the mines, removing frozen objects from shafts can be one of the biggest—and most unnecessary—time wastes that maintenance teams face.  Small-scale, hand tool-based removal methods such as torches and crowbars are at best risky and time-consuming, and often require the efforts of multiple maintenance workers to get the job done. An industrial puller, rugged-built for years of service in the plant and providing literally tons of force, solves this problem by allowing the same job to be done by just one person in much less time, saving you hours, labor, and ultimately cost.

Ford To End Auto Production In Australia In 2016

May 23, 2013 12:14 pm | by Kristen Gelineau, Associated Press | News | Comments

Ford Motor Co. said Thursday it will close its two Australian auto plants, ending production in the country in 2016, amid soaring manufacturing costs and plummeting sales. The closure of the U.S. automaker's plants in the state of Victoria will mean the loss of 1,200 jobs and will transform the company into an import-only brand in Australia.

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Chevy Spark To Be Among Lowest-Price Electric Cars

May 23, 2013 12:12 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

General Motors Co. says the Spark EV subcompact will be among the lowest-priced electric cars in the U.S. The electric Spark will have a starting price of $27,495 when it goes on sale next month in California and Oregon. GM also is offering a low-mileage lease for $199 per month, with $999 due when the lease is signed.

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GM Recalling Cadillac SUVs To Tighten Wheels

May 23, 2013 12:11 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

General Motors Co. is recalling more than 27,000 Cadillac SUVs worldwide because the wheels can fall off. The company says the recall affects the 2013 Cadillac SRX with 18-inch wheels. Canadian safety regulators say the wheel nuts may not have been tightened enough at the factory.

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Survey: China Manufacturing Contracting

May 23, 2013 12:10 pm | by Joe McDonald, AP Business Writer | News | Comments

A survey shows China's manufacturing contracted this month, adding to signs a fragile recovery in the world's No. 2 economy is slowing. HSBC Corp. said Thursday the preliminary version of its monthly purchasing managers index fell to a seven-month low of 49.6 from April's 50.4 on a 100-point scale. Numbers below 50 show a contraction.

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Fire Marshal's Office: Panel Had Blast Site Access

May 23, 2013 12:08 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

The State Fire Marshal's Office says a federal safety panel's investigators had access to the site of a Texas fertilizer plant blast that killed 15 people and injured about 200 others. The chairman of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board had asked for congressional help in obtaining evidence under the control of the state agency and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

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Driving Out Costs Using Manufacturing Project Management

May 23, 2013 10:51 am | by Manufacturing Business Technology | Videos | Comments

Project management is particularly effective in a manufacturing environment, considering the number of variables involved such as maintenance schedules and projects, run times, and quality control. But if you're like a lot of manufacturers, project management is really a five-letter word.

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What Is Cloud Computing?

May 23, 2013 8:03 am | by Dell | Videos | Comments

Dell and Intel experts discuss where cloud computing began, where it is now, and what quantitative and qualitative results it can bring to your enterprise. Smaller companies generally choose to start off with a public cloud, but as they grow, they bring those functions back in-house and create their own private cloud. Watch to learn more.

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Learn From "Dirty Jobs"

May 23, 2013 8:02 am | by CNN | Videos | Comments

Mike Rowe discusses what he learned working at QVC, his grandfather's influence, and what "Dirty Jobs" accomplished. From selling lava lamps to hosting the hit "Dirty Jobs," Rowe talks about a necessary skill that allowed him to work in Hollywood.

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Ram 1500: Good Looks, Great Truck

May 23, 2013 8:01 am | by CNN Money | Videos | Comments

The Ram 1500 combines great looks with fuel efficiency, air suspension, and real truck performance, reports CNN Money's Senior Writer Peter Valdes-Dapena. With nice looks both inside and out, the Ram 1500 also offers a fuel-saving eight speed transmission.

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Webinar: Clean Up The Process

May 22, 2013 2:41 pm | by Manufacturing Business Technology | Events

Project management is particularly effective in a manufacturing environment, considering the number of variables involved such as maintenance schedules and projects, run times, and quality control.

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EU Leaders Discuss Fight Against Tax Evasion

May 22, 2013 2:15 pm | by Juergen Baetz, Raf Casert, Associated Press | News | Comments

European Union leaders on Wednesday sought to advance their fight against tax fraud and close the loopholes for large corporations' tax avoidance schemes. European officials say tax fraud costs the 27-nation bloc an estimated 1 trillion euros ($1.3 trillion) a year at a time when much of the region is in recession and governments are forced to tighten their budgets.

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Italy Seizes 1.2B Euros From Steel Family

May 22, 2013 2:13 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Milan prosecutors have ordered the seizure of 1.2 billion euros ($1.5 billion) in assets belonging to the family that runs a troubled steel plant in southern Italy. Prosecutors allege in the order Wednesday that the real estate, stocks and other financial assets belonging to the Riva family were obtained through the misuse of funds belonging to the Ilva steel plant.

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Tesla Shows Model S To Influence NC Auto Bill

May 22, 2013 2:11 pm | by Chris Kardish, Associated Press | News | Comments

North Carolina lawmakers and passersby stopped to take in a display of Tesla Motors' award-winning electric cars Wednesday as the company presses against a bill in the General Assembly that effectively outlaws Tesla's Internet-based sales model.

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German Co., Pepsi Open NY Yogurt Plant

May 22, 2013 2:08 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

A second yogurt plant is about to open in a Genesee County business park. Sen. Charles Schumer says the Muller Quaker Dairy plant will have a grand opening on June 3. The $206 million dollar plant is a joint venture of PepsiCo and Germany's Theo Muller company.

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