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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
GM Rides Expense Cuts, Strong Sales To Profitability
May 17, 2010 4:30 am | by Dee-Ann Durbin & Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writers | News | CommentsDETROIT (AP) — General Motors Co. rode expense cuts from its bankruptcy and strong sales of redesigned models to its first quarterly net income in nearly three years. The $865 million first-quarter profit is a dramatic reversal from the huge $6 billion loss in the same period last year. The last time the company made a quarterly profit was the second quarter of 2007, when it earned $891 million.
Building Solar Panels On The Strip
May 17, 2010 4:29 am | News | CommentsLAS VEGAS (AP) — A California company is planning to build a $20 million manufacturing plant for solar power cells in the Las Vegas area. The operation will employ about 278 workers, according to officials at Amonix Inc., which is based in Seal Beach, Calif. The plan was announced Saturday during a dedication ceremony in Henderson for a 308-kilowatt solar installation that the company sold to Southern Nevada Water Authority.
Do Your Part—Recycle
May 14, 2010 8:12 am | Product Releases | CommentsShure Manufacturing (Washington, MO) offers new Recycle Cabinets, which have a large swing-out door to reveal a 40-gallon plastic receptacle with dolly for recyclable materials. The steel door can be closed to conceal unsightly containers, making the customer’s service area look clean and organized, while helping the environment.
Go Explosion-Free
May 14, 2010 8:11 am | Product Releases | CommentsFike (Blue Springs, MO) has introduced a new brand for its entire line of explosion protection products. The EPIC brand includes explosion venting, flameless venting, explosion isolation (chemical and mechanical), explosion suppression, and more. The EPIC name stands for “Explosion Protection Integrated Components,” and has changed the branding on other model names, so customers are encouraged to visit www.
Labeling For Safety
May 14, 2010 8:10 am | Product Releases | CommentsTyco Electronics (Harrisburg, PA) has announced the North American launch of Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive (PSA) labels for safety, warning, and electrical box identification. The labels have a permanent adhesion and are protected by a lamination that offers resistance to abrasions, fluids, dirt, and stains.
Learn Hydraulics In-And-Out
May 14, 2010 8:10 am | Product Releases | CommentsAmerican Technical Publishers (Orland Park, IL) has introduced a new textbook specifically designed for teaching the design, application, and maintenance of hydraulic and pneumatic systems. Fluid Power Systems addresses fluid power systems, components, and devices, and focuses on troubleshooting techniques by introducing descriptions, operational procedures, common applications, and operating characteristics.
Navistar Turns Stimulus Cash Into Electric Trucks
May 14, 2010 4:48 am | News | CommentsWAKARUSA, Ind. (AP) — An Elkhart County assembly line has begun turning out Navistar e-Star electric trucks that can travel 100 miles on a single charge. Navistar says the all-electric eStar medium-duty commercial truck being turned out in Wakarusa has batteries can be replaced in about 20 minutes and recharged in six to eight hours.
China Releases American Engineer After 17 Months
May 14, 2010 4:41 am | News | Commentsby Christopher Bodeen, Associated Press Writer BEIJING (AP) — An American engineer held in China for more than a year on accusations he misused trade secrets has been released, the U.S. Embassy in Beijing said Friday. Hu Zhicheng remains in China but plans to return home soon. The embassy said he was released late last month, but did not have an exact date.
Toyota To Idle Thai Plant Over Political Unrest
May 14, 2010 4:37 am | News | CommentsTOKYO (AP) — Toyota said Friday it will halt production at one of its four auto plants in Thailand and transfer the workers to the other factories in a move the carmaker says is unrelated to political unrest in the Southeast Asian country. Toyota Motor Corp. spokesman Takanori Yokoi said decision to stop production at a Toyota factory on the outskirts of the Thai capital Bangkok was made in November last year.
Ohio Unlikely To Land $1 Billion Russian Steel Plant
May 14, 2010 4:30 am | News | CommentsCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The governor is acknowledging that hope has faded for a Russian steelmaking company's plans for a $1 billion steel mill in southern Ohio. Amanda Wurst, spokeswoman for Gov. Ted Strickland, said Thursday the state has not heard from Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works for some time.
The 'Clouds Are Breaking' On Manufacturing
May 14, 2010 4:28 am | News | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — Industrial production is growing more strongly, more evidence that manufacturing is helping to power the economic recovery. Output at the nation's factories, mines and utilities rose 0.6 percent in April, according to economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters. If they are right, that would mark an improvement from the 0.
The Great Neck Invests $1 Billion In S.C Plant
May 14, 2010 4:26 am | News | CommentsCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina is getting some big economic news with word of a New York-based paper products company spending up to $1 billion on a new plant. State Rep. Dan Cooper of Piedmont says Friday's announcement would be good news for Anderson County, which has a 12.5 percent unemployment rate.
EPA Moves To Regulate Industrial Greenhouse Gases
May 14, 2010 4:25 am | by Matthew Daly, Associated Press Writer | News | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency moved Thursday to more tightly control air pollution from large power plants, factories and oil refineries, a step to limit emissions widely blamed for global warming. The EPA said it is completing a rule requiring large polluters to reduce the amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that they release into the air.
The Evolution Of Innovation
May 13, 2010 12:15 pm | by by Paul Livingstone, Senior Editor, R&D Magazine | Blogs | CommentsIn 1957, the Russians launched Sputnik. Two students at the Advanced Physics Lab at Johns Hopkins were able to find the signal that the Russians were broadcasting from the tiny satellite, and used it find the exact location of the silvery ball. It was a harmless trick until the government asked them to reverse the method to find objects on the ground.
Manufacturing Tech Consumption Up 33.7 Percent
May 13, 2010 10:52 am | News | CommentsMarch U.S. manufacturing technology consumption totaled $258.00 million, according to AMTDA, the American Machine Tool Distributors’ Association, and AMT — The Association For Manufacturing Technology. This total, as reported by companies participating in the USMTC program, was up 58.
