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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Workers Lobby For Toyota's Reputation, Mourn Personal Failure
February 10, 2010 3:51 am | News | Commentsby Larry Margasak, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Jim Shuker, who tests vehicles for Toyota, says he feels so strongly about quality that he believes he personally failed by not finding the company's acceleration problem. Shuker was among 23 Toyota workers from across the country who were flown to Washington at company expense to fight Tuesday for their employer's reputation.
Toyota Turns Down Award For Prius, Cites Recalls
February 10, 2010 3:47 am | by Mari Yamaguchi,Associated Press Writer | News | CommentsTOKYO (AP) — Toyota has declined to accept a Japanese government energy efficiency award given to its hybrid Prius, saying Wednesday the honor is not appropriate for a car hit by massive recalls. The Prius was one of the three products that won the annual trade minister's grand prize for energy efficiency and ecological quality, said Hiroshi Tsuchiya, an official with the government's energy agency.
Toyota Turns Down Awards For Prius, Cites Recalls
February 10, 2010 3:47 am | by Mari Yamaguchi,Associated Press Writer | News | CommentsTOKYO (AP) — Toyota has declined to accept a Japanese government energy efficiency award given to its hybrid Prius, saying Wednesday the honor is not appropriate for a car hit by massive recalls. The Prius was one of the three products that won the annual trade minister's grand prize for energy efficiency and ecological quality, said Hiroshi Tsuchiya, an official with the government's energy agency.
Airgas Board Rejects 'Bargain Basement' Buyout
February 10, 2010 3:30 am | News | CommentsRADNOR, Pa. (AP) — Industrial gas supplier Airgas Inc. on Tuesday rejected the unsolicited $5 billion buyout bid from larger rival Air Products and Chemicals Inc., calling it a "bargain basement price." In a letter to Air Products CEO John McGlade, Airgas said the $60 per share offer, as well as an earlier bid of $62 per share, "grossly" undervalues the company.
Honda Expands 15-Month Air Bag Recall
February 10, 2010 3:30 am | News | Commentsby Malcolm Foster, Associated Press Writer TOKYO (AP) — Honda's expansion of its global recall for faulty air bags suggests automakers are turning cautious amid consumer scrutiny of Toyota's safety lapses, a trend that could see more recalls in the coming months. Honda Motor Co., Japan's No.
China Charges Rio Tinto Workers With Theft, Bribery
February 10, 2010 3:29 am | by Joe McDonald, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsBEIJING (AP) — China will put an Australian national and three other detained employees of mining giant Rio Tinto Ltd. on trial on charges of stealing commercial secrets and taking bribes, a state news agency said Wednesday. The four Rio employees were detained in July during contentious iron ore price talks with China's steel industry group.
Drum Lifting And Sealing
February 9, 2010 6:36 am | Product Releases | CommentsMaterial Transfer and Storage (Allegan, MI) now offers the hydraulic Lift & Seal System, which is an explosion-proof drum discharging and feeding system. The system seals the drum outlet to a dust-tight pour cone for a clean working environment. The Control Link Rotation System provides 180° drum rotation for a maximum product discharge, and a docking transition module supports a rotary valve feeder and a tool-free flexible connection to the screener inlet.
Unattended Laser Cutting
February 9, 2010 6:35 am | Product Releases | CommentsThe Cincinnati (Harrison, OH) Modular Material Handling System (MMHS) boosts the productivity of its CL-800 series of dual-pallet laser cutting systems, reducing cost-per-part and allowing unattended operation for up to three shifts via an automated load/unload of raw materials and finished parts.
Not Your Regular Stickers
February 9, 2010 6:35 am | Product Releases | CommentsBrady Worldwide, Inc. (Milwaukee, WI) introduces a new series of temperature indicating labels that permanently document the temperature levels for a piece of equipment during operation. When the labeled equipment reaches a certain temperature, the white area of the label will turn irreversibly black, which provides clear evidence of the highest temperature attained for that piece of equipment.
Liquid Magnetics
February 9, 2010 6:34 am | Product Releases | CommentsBunting Magnetics Co. (Newton, KS) has launched a new Tapered-Step design model in the plate-style series of their Magnetic Liquid Trap product line. The new style is structured to hold ferrous debris against its solid tapered step to prevent wipe-off of tramp iron, even in high-density applications.
Turning Waste Into Electricity Through Heat Recovery
February 9, 2010 4:52 am | Articles | CommentsDresser-Rand Company recently designed and installed a complete waste heat recovery system at the Greater New Haven Water Pollution Control Authority (GNHWPCA). The project included engineering, construction and testing of the waste heat boiler, steam turbine generator set and condenser, ducting and valves.
Extreme Nuclear Makeover
February 9, 2010 4:51 am | by by Luke Simpson, Associate Editor, Chem.Info | Blogs | CommentsFour days after President Obama announced plans to revive the United States’ nuclear power program in his State of the Union speech, we received the news that radioactive tritium, produced during the fission process, is leaking from at least 27 of the nation’s 104 nuclear plants .
Q&A with John Ratzenberger, Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs
February 9, 2010 4:40 am | by Anna Wells, Editor, IMPO | Articles | CommentsThrough its manufacturing summer camps and scholarships, NBT is inspiring the next generation of manufacturers, welders, plumbers, carpenters and more... one tinkerer at a time. John Ratzenberger, a founder of NBT, speaks on behalf of the organization and how it's addressing the urgent need to engage young people in career preparation for well-paid, fulfilling jobs that require hands-on skills.
Mill Workers Agree To Cuts With A 'Gun To Their Heads'
February 9, 2010 4:02 am | News | CommentsMADAWASKA, Maine (AP) — Unionized workers at a Madawaska paper mill will see their paychecks cut by eight and a half percent as part of a new contract mill management says is needed to keep the facility from closing. Officials with the United Steel workers say about 65 percent of the 460 members from the Fraser Papers Inc.
Recalls Compound Dangers Of Panicked Drivers
February 9, 2010 3:51 am | by Dee-Ann Durbin, AP Auto Writer | News | CommentsDETROIT (AP) — You're driving down the highway and suddenly your car starts accelerating on its own. Knuckles white, going from 60 to 90 miles an hour in a couple of seconds, you do what comes naturally — hit the brakes. But what if the car keeps going? There are options: Put the car in neutral, or in park, or switch off the ignition.
