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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Cities Struggle To Revive Abandoned Automaking Plants
January 11, 2010 3:23 am | by David Runk and Jeff Karoub, Associated Press Writers | News | CommentsWIXOM, Mich. (AP) — Henry Ford's great-grandson arrived at the shuttered auto plant to brag about a plan to revive the vast empty space: Investors would transform it into a modern factory to make solar panels and high-tech energy systems instead of Town Cars and Thunderbirds. "I can't imagine a better way to reuse the facility," Bill Ford said during his visit to the former Wixom Assemblyplant in September.
Out With the Old, In With the Kardashians
January 11, 2010 3:02 am | by by Anna Wells, Editor, IMPO | Blogs | CommentsI recently watched a video on the prospected “obsolete” technology of 2010 —a compilation developed by the Huffington Post which highlighted once prosaic things that were now going the way of the dinosaur. Before I pressed PLAY, I pondered the obsolete… it stood to reason that things like analog television would make the list of the recently tapping out… or DVD in the wake of BluRay? Maybe the Snuggie was past its prime.
Good Housekeeping With Industrial Vacuums
January 8, 2010 11:11 am | Articles | CommentsUnder intense scrutiny since the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board’s (CSB), released its 2006 Combustible Dust Hazard Study, OSHA is taking action to amend is General Industry Housekeeping provision, 1910.22. The amendment to the housekeeping requirements comes as a result of employers’ misinterpretation of housekeeping standards already included in the provision.
Panasonic Aims For No. 1 'Green' Electronics Company
January 8, 2010 4:03 am | by Tomoko A. Hosaka, Associated Press Writer | News | CommentsTOKYO (AP) — Panasonic Corp. said Friday it aims to catapult sales by more than a third in three years in an aggressive bid to become the dominant electronics company in green technologies. The Japanese electronics giant is targeting revenue of 9.5 trillion yen ($101.7 billion) in the fiscal year ending March 2013, up from the 7 trillion yen ($74.
NY Seeks Change On Tax Breaks For Manufacturing Jobs
January 8, 2010 4:02 am | by Michael Virtanen, Associated Press Writer | News | CommentsALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The Paterson administration wants to change the way New York businesses get tax breaks for job creation, proposing credits for research and development, capital investment and payroll costs for new jobs in high technology, biotechnology, clean energy, finance and manufacturing.
Executives Covered Up Death Toll In Chinese Gas Leak
January 8, 2010 3:42 am | News | CommentsBEIJING (AP) — State media says 21 workers were killed by a gas leak at a factory in northern China earlier this week after executives were caught underreporting the number of deaths. The Xinhua News Agency says workers were poisoned after a gas pipeline broke at the Hebei Puyang Iron and Steel Co.
TVA Coal Spill A $428 Million Payday To Contractors
January 8, 2010 3:34 am | News | CommentsKNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Cleaning up the Tennessee Valley Authority's coal ash spill at Kingston is already delivering big paydays for some contractors and it's a tab rate payers should be watching. The nation's largest public utility has open contracts that total $428.5 million. A review of the contracts by The Knoxville News Sentinel shows that 10 firms are under contract to make more than $10 million each from the first phase of the cleanup.
Dutch Spyker Tosses Out Last-Ditch Bid For Saab
January 8, 2010 3:23 am | by Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writer | News | CommentsDETROIT (AP) — Hopes to keep Swedish car company Saab alive flickered Thursday as Dutch exotic automaker Spyker Cars made another bid to buy the troubled brand from General Motors, but a person briefed on the dealings said GM remains skeptical that Saab can be saved. Spyker confirmed in a statement issued Thursday evening that it made the last-minute offer, which came a day after GM's interim CEO, Ed Whitacre Jr.
Ind. Steel Plant Explosion Kills 1, Injures 4
January 8, 2010 3:20 am | News | CommentsPORTAGE, Ind. (AP) — An explosion at a steel plant in Indiana killed one worker and injured four more on Thursday, a fire official said. Portage Fire Chief Bill Lundy said the evening blast at the Beta Steel Corp. plant may have happened because water somehow met with molten steel.
Suspect In ABB Shooting Unhappy At Work, Says Neighbors
January 8, 2010 3:18 am | by Cheryl Wittenauer, Associated Press Writer | News | CommentsST. LOUIS (AP) — The man widely identified as the gunman in a fatal shooting spree at a St. Louis industrialplant was described as an amicable family man and good neighbor, who would rake an elder's leaves and bring him holiday treats. But 51-year-old Timothy Hendron of Webster Groves, a St.
What Does It Mean To Have A Creative Workforce?
January 7, 2010 11:25 am | by Mike Collins, Author of Saving American Manufacturing | Articles | CommentsIn November 2007, a study by the Conference Board and Americans for the Arts in partnership with the American Association of School Administrators, interviewed school superintendents and business executives to find out their views of creativity. Both groups thought creativity was important in the American workplace.
Shooting At St. Louis ABB Plant Claims Three Victims
January 7, 2010 10:33 am | by Jim Salter, Associated Press Writer | News | CommentsST. LOUIS (AP) — An employee of a St. Louis manufacturing plant walked in with an assault rifle and a handgun on Thursday morning and opened fire, killing at least three people and wounding five others, authorities said. Several hours after the shooting, police were still inside Swiss-based ABB Group's plant, going room to room in a search for both the gunman and additional victims, police Capt.
Ergonomics Can Save Money, Save Lives
January 7, 2010 8:13 am | by Patrick Penfield Whitman School of Management, Syracuse University | Articles | CommentsWhen we go to work, let’s face it: the last thing on our mind is getting injured or even dying. Unfortunately, the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reported that in 2008, 5,071 workers died on the job. That’s an alarming number! The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) states that the number of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses reported in 2008 was 3.
Fusion-Busting Lubricant
January 7, 2010 7:41 am | Product Releases | CommentsK88, a penetrating fluid from LPS Laboratories (Tucker, GA), is now available. The fluid features a high solvency, low surface tension, and special additives to enhance penetration, lubrication, and corrosion attack. According to the company, KB 88 meets local, state, and federal VOC regulations, such as those of the California Air Resources Board (CARB).
Slip Rings Keep Things Rolling
January 7, 2010 7:41 am | Product Releases | CommentsDEUBLIN Company (Waukegan, IL) introduces the Slip Rings, an electrical device that allows the transmission of power from a stationary to a rotating structure. The rings from DEUBLIN can be easily configured for both power and signal connections, and are compatible with Ethernet, Profinet, RS-232, RS-485, RS-422, CAN, as well as generic analog signals.
