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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
That's A Wrap
May 10, 2013 3:38 pm | by Dan Schmidt, Business Development Manager, ITW Muller | Articles | CommentsIs the amount of load damage going up with the age of your stretch wrap equipment? Having trouble keeping up with production and the increasing number of SKUs and load configurations? Have a need to do more with less people and feel automation might be the answer? Would you save money on film and eliminate film breaks if you could just improve performance?
A Harder, Greener Cut
May 10, 2013 3:34 pm | by Rachel Leisemann Immel, Associate Editor, IMPO | Articles | CommentsWhile tooling may only account for five percent of the cost of producing a typical metal part, it can have an enormous impact on overall production efficiency, quality, and cost. Cutting tool consumers and manufacturers are considering emerging technologies, new tools, and new techniques to continue stay competitive in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.
Don’t Wait ... Automate!
May 10, 2013 3:02 pm | by By Jeff Burnstein, President, Association for Advancing Automation (A3) | Articles | CommentsRecently, there has been a large amount of media coverage on the issue of automation technologies taking jobs, especially in manufacturing. Though we appreciated the focus on how technological advances in automation and robotics are revolutionizing the workplace, we were very disappointed in how they characterized the segment as “robots taking jobs” in America.
Vibration Detection For A Safe, Reliable Plant Floor
May 10, 2013 2:49 pm | by Rachel Leisemann Immel, Associate Editor, IMPO | Articles | CommentsThere is no such thing as a vibration free machine,” says Steve Matthews, business manager of VibrAlign’s service company, PdM Solutions, Inc. Rotor unbalance, sheave misalignment, worn bearings, loose bolts, and bearing lubrication issues can affect every machine on the plant floor. And when they do, costly and dangerous failures can result.
Intertech Plastics Completes $2M Investment
May 10, 2013 2:43 pm | Articles | CommentsIntertech started 2013 off in a big way, after the addition of 2 new Husky 1100 ton high-speed molding presses, related automation, and state of the art centralized chilling system. These moves allow Intertech to support its clients’ needs for high quantity injection molded product production, warehousing, and distribution to the western United States, within a cost structure that keeps Intertech competitive in the global marketplace.
Industrial Doorway Accident Prompts Metal Fabricator’s Air Curtain Installation For Safety
May 10, 2013 2:40 pm | Articles | CommentsAfter several near-misses culminating with an injurious forklift truck collision involving strip curtains, a Northeast Ohio metal fabricator and manufacturer searched for creative solutions to improve safety, energy efficiency, and productivity at a high traffic ground level material handling doorway.
Raising The Bar
May 10, 2013 2:23 pm | by Krystal Gabert, Editor, Food Manufacturing | Articles | CommentsHearthside Food Solutions is a young company with deep roots. Co-founded in 2009 by a group of investors led by Hearthside Chairman and CEO Rich Scalise, the company strives to be the largest and best contract manufacturer of snacks in the country.
Better, Worse, Or Just Different?
May 10, 2013 2:17 pm | by Anna Wells, Executive Editor, IMPO | Blogs | CommentsRecently, Kiplinger released a forecast of its own, and it’s a direct and complex identification of both the good and the bad elements facing manufacturers and the economy as a whole. Notably, Kiplinger cites that, despite losing some steam this year, manufacturing will still power the economy and continues to outpace gains in the economy as a whole, both this year and next.
Texas Launches Criminal Probe Into Plant Explosion
May 10, 2013 2:04 pm | by Angela K. Brown, Ramit Plushnick-Masti, Associated Press | News | CommentsTexas law enforcement officials on Friday launched a criminal investigation into the massive fertilizer plant explosion that killed 14 people last month, after weeks of largely treating the blast as an industrial accident. The announcement came the same day a paramedic who helped to evacuate residents the night of the explosion was arrested on a charge of possessing a destructive device.
All Nippon Airways To Add Boeing 787 Routes
May 10, 2013 2:01 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsAll Nippon Airways Co. is planning to start flying the Boeing 787 to Taipei and Shanghai in addition to three other cities abroad previously served by the U.S. manufacturer's advanced aircraft, after it resolves the battery issue and resumes services on June 1.
Williams Delays Gas Plant Addition
May 10, 2013 2:00 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsPlans for a new addition to a gas processing plant in western Colorado are being pushed back, but officials say it has nothing to do with a leak of hydrocarbons recently discovered coming from a pipeline near the facility. A Williams spokesman told the Grand Junction Sentinel the expansion is being delayed until 2016 because of the decline in local drilling levels.
Homebuilders Can't Find Enough Qualified Workers
May 10, 2013 1:59 pm | by Alex Veiga, AP Real Estate Writer | News | CommentsU.S. builders and the subcontractors they depend on are struggling to hire fast enough to meet rising demand for new homes. Builders would be starting work on more homes — and contributing more to the economy — if they could fill more job openings. In the meantime, workers in the right locations with the right skills are commanding higher pay.
Deal: Dubai Company Plans To Build GA Plant
May 10, 2013 1:57 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsGov. Nathan Deal says a company based in Dubai plans to build a manufacturing plant in Murray County with the goal of creating 200 jobs over the next three years. Deal said Wednesday the expansion planned by Mattex "speaks to the continued revitalization of the floor covering industry in northwest Georgia."
Nissan Profit Up 46 Percent On Strong Sales
May 10, 2013 1:55 pm | by Yuri Kageyama, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsNissan's fiscal fourth quarter profit jumped 46 percent on stronger sales and a favorable exchange rate that offset declines in China over a bitter territorial dispute. Nissan Motor Co. reported Friday a January-March profit of 110 billion yen ($1.1 billion), up from 75.3 billion yen the same period the previous year. Quarterly sales gained 6 percent to 2.87 trillion yen ($28.7 billion).
Google Glass: A First Real Life Look
May 10, 2013 12:34 pm | by ABC News | Videos | CommentsABC News' Joanna Stern shares what life is like behind Google's connected glasses. With 16 gigabytes of storage, a 5 megapixal camera, Bluetooth radio, and more, Google Glass is making it's debut into the real world.


