FREE Email Newsletter

Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
ALCOA Expanding TN Plant For Auto Making Needs
May 3, 2013 5:08 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsALCOA says resurgent auto manufacturing is creating demand for its aluminum products and it will expand its plant in Tennessee. The Daily Times first reported the company will create 200 new jobs with a $275 million expansion of its rolling mill in Alcoa, Tenn. Some 400 construction jobs will be created in building it.
Clean Technology Investors Shift Focus To Drilling
May 3, 2013 5:08 pm | by Jonathan Fahey, AP Energy Writer | News | CommentsA decade ago, large investors in so-called clean technology had a straightforward goal: finance companies that would help eliminate the world's dependence on oil, natural gas and coal. But as profits from wind, solar, biofuels and other alternatives consistently fell short of expectations — and as the fossil fuel business boomed — things got complicated.
Survey: China Manufacturing Growth Is Slowing
May 3, 2013 5:08 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsChinese manufacturing growth slowed in April as global demand weakened, adding to signs its shaky recovery might be weakening, a survey showed Thursday. HSBC Corp.'s purchasing managers index fell to 50.4 from March's 51.6 on a 100-point scale on which numbers above 50 show an expansion in activity.
GM Is Buying 'Factory One' Facility In Flint
May 3, 2013 5:08 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsGeneral Motors is buying the original Durant-Dort Carriage Co. facility, a century-old building in Flint known as "Factory One" that officials say was the automaker's birthplace. GM North America President Mark Reuss signed an agreement Wednesday to purchase the 133-year-old, 25,000-square-foot facility, MLive.com reported.
U.S. Factory Orders Down 4 Percent In March
May 3, 2013 5:08 pm | by Martin Crutsinger, AP Economics Writer | News | CommentsOrders to U.S. factories fell in March by the largest amount in seven months but a key category that signals business investment plans managed a small increase. Factory orders dropped 4 percent in March, reflecting a big plunge in the volatile category of commercial aircraft, the Commerce Department reported Friday.
Fire At TX Formosa Plant Leaves 16 Hurt
May 3, 2013 5:08 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA fire at a South Texas petrochemical plant has left 16 workers hurt — including two critically — and the ethylene purification area shut down. A spokesman for Formosa Plastics Corporation, U.S.A. said Friday that the cause of the fire at the Port Comfort plant remains under investigation.
24/7 Case Sealers
May 3, 2013 5:03 pm | by Intertape Polymer Group | Product Releases | CommentsThe InterpackUSA Series Case Sealers are adjustable, operator fed machines that process same sized RSC style cases.
The Roll Raptor™
May 3, 2013 5:01 pm | by SPS Ideal Solutions | Product Releases | CommentsThe Roll Raptor™ is the company’s latest design for the roll film industry to replace the wooden pallet/end board method of smaller roll handling.
Laser Marking System
May 3, 2013 4:58 pm | by Primera Technology, Inc. | Product Releases | CommentsLP130 enables fast and easy in-house production of labels and tags for use in a wide range of severe and harsh-duty applications, says the company, including part numbers, warning and instruction labels, and serial tags.
Waterproof LED Work Light
May 3, 2013 4:54 pm | by Larson Electronics | Product Releases | CommentsThe WAL-M-LED72-120 LED work light is a compact and highly versatile lighting solution that produces 4,320 lumens of brilliant illumination in a wide flood pattern from 72 watts of power use.
NORGLIDE® Composite Bearings
May 3, 2013 4:51 pm | by Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics | Product Releases | CommentsSelf-lubricating and wear-resistant, this technology ensures friction control within pump applications throughout the long life of the mechanism, says the company.
JetSlinger
May 3, 2013 4:50 pm | by Hunter Foundry Machinery Corporation | Product Releases | CommentsJetSlinger™ can help ensure improved pattern definition, as well as uniformity of mold hardness and surface integrity.
Support Arm System
May 3, 2013 4:48 pm | by Rittal | Product Releases | CommentsWith the 60/120/180 Support Arm System, monitoring units, controls, and specialized devices can be mounted and precisely positioned via an easily adjusted 3-pendant support arm system that can handle loads from 135 to 405 pounds.
Lift Truck Navigation Technology
May 3, 2013 4:43 pm | by Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America Inc. | Product Releases | CommentsThree available lift truck navigation technologies today—manual, fully-automated, and hybrid—require key issues for managers to consider when evaluating these systems for their application.
Carbide Epoxy Putty
May 3, 2013 4:40 pm | by Tri-Chem | Product Releases | CommentsResistant to chemicals, impact, corrosion, and abrasion, CEP can be used on both vertical and horizontal surfaces.


