FREE Email Newsletter

Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
June 2013: Toshiba, Made In America
June 13, 2013 10:49 am | Digital Editions | CommentsIn this issue, check out the 2013 Jobs Report, which feature's American-made Toshiba HEV engines, veterans in today's skilled labor jobs, the latest industry numbers, how manufacturers can take back American-made, and more.
Firefighting Robot Paints 3D Thermal Images
June 13, 2013 8:04 am | by UCSDRobotics | Videos | CommentsThis project integrates infrared and RGB imagery to produce dense 3D environment models reconstructed from multiple views. The resulting 3D map contains both thermal and RGB information which can be used in robotic fire-fighting applications to identify victims and active fire areas.
Apparel Brands Look To New Asian Frontiers
June 13, 2013 8:03 am | by Reuters TV | Videos | CommentsAttention shoppers: Southeast Asia is the emerging hotspot for apparel manufacturing, with cost and safety concerns driving global brands to shift sourcing from stalwarts China and Bangladesh. Today, countries including Vietnam, Cambodia, and Indonesia are making clothing for some big brands.
U.S.-China Summit Shows Two Powers 'In The Same Boat'
June 13, 2013 8:02 am | by Reuters TV | Videos | CommentsA successful weekend summit between U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping points to the countries boosting cooperation on issues from North Korea to China's alleged cyber theft, says one Chinese academic. U.S. officials now say that China is ready to begin working more closely with the U.S. on these big issues.
Driverless Car Steering Course To Road-Readiness
June 13, 2013 8:01 am | by ReutersVideo | Videos | CommentsResearchers at Carnegie Melon University are putting the finishing touches on their version of a driverless car that, they say, lays the groundwork for computers to replace humans in the driver seat within a decade and will make roads safer. Reuters' Ben Gruber went for a ride.
U.S. Chief Executives More Optimistic About Hiring
June 12, 2013 1:41 pm | by Christopher S. Rugaber, AP Economics Writer | News | CommentsChief executives for the largest U.S. companies are more optimistic about sales over the next six months and plan to add more workers. The Business Roundtable said Wednesday that its April-June quarterly survey found 32 percent of its members expect to expand payrolls in the next six months.
GM Tells Analysts It's Making Progress On Costs
June 12, 2013 1:39 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsGeneral Motors says it's making progress cutting costs to improve profit margins. The company's product development chief, Mary Barra, tells analysts GM is saving money by using the same parts on many vehicles. It also has moved parts suppliers closer to factories to cut shipping costs.
Fiat: Supplier Delays Will Force Shutdowns
June 12, 2013 1:36 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsItalian carmaker Fiat says it will temporarily stop production at some European car plants in the coming days due to insufficient deliveries of plastic parts. Fiat said in a statement Wednesday that more than 5,500 vehicles can't be completed due to missing components from the Italian supplier Selmat, creating an "unmanageable" backlog.
Fukushima Plant Steps Closer To Fuel-Rod Removal
June 12, 2013 1:33 pm | by Malcolm Foster, Associated Press | News | CommentsPlant chief Takeshi Takahashi told journalists given a tour of the plant Wednesday that workers have cleaned up much of the debris in their work areas, but that the priorities are keeping the plant stable and working toward shutting it down — a process that operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. estimates will take 40 years.
BP: U.S. Oil Production Surged In 2012
June 12, 2013 1:30 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsBP says the United States saw its biggest-ever annual increase in oil production in 2012, while the world's demand for energy grew at a slower pace than the year before. In its annual Statistical Review of World Energy released Wednesday, BP PLC says the U.S. produced 8.9 million barrels a day, up 13.9 percent from 2011.
Glaxo Fires Worker Over Misrepresented Study Data
June 12, 2013 1:27 pm | News | CommentsBritish drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline PLC says it dismissed one employee and a second has resigned in the wake of a scandal over misrepresented data in a research paper published in 2010. The company says its investigation of recent allegations of questionable data has established that some information in the paper had been misrepresented.
U.S. Economy Graded A 'B'
June 12, 2013 12:00 pm | by CNN Money | Videos | CommentsPimco CEO Mohamed El-Erian says uncertainty is keeping the United States economy from growing faster, but we're still doing better than the rest of the world. El-Erain discusses the factors behind economic growth and what's holding it back.
U.S.-China Climate Deal Was Long In The Works
June 12, 2013 9:47 am | by Josh Lederman, Associated Press | News | CommentsAlthough it took most proponents by surprise, the deal was in the bag before President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived at the California desert retreat where they announced it over the weekend. And for China, it came only after a change in financial incentives made it more lucrative to get on board.
EEOC Sues Over Criminal Background Checks
June 12, 2013 9:45 am | by Sam Hananel, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed lawsuits Tuesday against discount retailer Dollar General Corp. and a BMW manufacturing plant in South Carolina over their use of criminal background checks to screen out job applicants or fire employees.
Japanese Carrier's Boeing 787 Has Engine Problem
June 12, 2013 9:42 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA Japanese carrier's Dreamliner had engine trouble before takeoff Wednesday, a day after a rival airline had a problem on another 787 plane. Neither problem was with the lithium-ion batteries that were overheating and resulted in the Boeing Co. aircraft being grounded for four months.


