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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Pressurized Tube Cleaning
March 12, 2010 3:19 am | Product Releases | CommentsThe Saflex 3000 from NLB Corp. (Wixom, MI) is a semi-automated water jet system that cleans tube bundles more productively than manual methods and has wireless remote controls that let the operator stand clear of the action. The system can clean three tubes at once, on both the in and out stroke.
Rotating And Tilting On Scissors
March 12, 2010 3:12 am | Product Releases | CommentsHerkules Equipment Corporation (Walled Lake, MI) has designed and built a new Scissor lift Table that tilts and rotates, which was requested for an application that raises, spins, and tilts large containers during the production process to improve ergonomic conditions for workers.
High-Temperature Thread Locking
March 12, 2010 3:10 am | Product Releases | CommentsHenkel Corporation (Rocky Hill, CT) has introduced two new Loctite threadlockers formulated to withstand consistent operating temperatures up to 360°F. The new products tolerate the oils and lubricants typically found on “as received” threaded fasteners, and will also cure on plated, aluminum, stainless, and chromated fasteners without primers.
Siemens AG Expands, Creates 825 N.C. Jobs
March 11, 2010 5:41 am | by Emery P. Dalesio, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — German industrial conglomerate Siemens AG plans to expand a North Carolina unit that makes equipment for electric utility plants, adding hundreds of jobs. The company plans to invest $135 million and create 825 engineering and manufacturing jobs in Charlotte in five years, according to a project description approved by a state incentives committee on Thursday.
Our 'Elements In Action'
March 10, 2010 11:22 am | Articles | CommentsThe Metals Service Center Institute (MSCI) celebrates its centennial this year with this video dedicated to the importance four conspicuous metals have in our daily lives: iron, carbon, nickel, and aluminum. Although manufacturers deal with these materials on a daily basis, it’s easy to forget how our lives outside of work would be significantly different without them.
GM Robots Aim For Space
March 10, 2010 11:16 am | Articles | CommentsContinuing their long history of collaboration, NASA and GM partner up once more to design and build the R2, an industrial robot with human-like movements and dexterity. For GM, these robots are great at automating repetitive, dull, or ergonomically-challenging tasks. Whether it’s in manufacturing plants or in space, this new generation of robotics will help free workers up from repetitive manual labor and allow them to do things only humans can do: think.
Is Time Travel Possible?
March 10, 2010 11:13 am | Articles | CommentsTIME ’s resident science comedian Brian Malow asks a simple question: Is time travel really possible? According to Hollywood, it’s already happened, but if you ask world-renowned physicist Stephen Hawking, the answer is no. A few interesting paradoxes keep the nay-sayers with plenty of evidence, namely that if time travel were possible, we would already have seen travelers from the future.
From Racing To Hybrids
March 10, 2010 11:10 am | Articles | CommentsTo the tune of some—ahem—sexy music, CNN's Jim Boulden takes a look into last week’s Geneva Auto Show, where the biggest automakers in the world unveiled their newest wheels. Between Spyker’s attention to detail, Morgan’s oh-so-British roadsters, and a Ferrari hybrid, this show has something for just about anyone.
Dribbling, Catching, Chopstick-Loving Robots
March 10, 2010 11:07 am | Articles | CommentsThe Ishikawa Komuro Lab in Japan is developing some robotic “hand” technology that far outpaces its human counterparts. Using high-speed actuators with harmonic drive gears, the hand can open and close in 1/10 of a second. In addition, tactile sensors inside the fingers allow the robotic hand to grasp and handle almost any object with a grace normally reserved for humans.
Reid Supply Adds Dickies Workwear Online
March 10, 2010 6:47 am | News | CommentsMuskegon, MI (PRWEB) — Reid Supply Company, a Michigan-based, premier global distributor of industrial supplies, added the Dickies family clothing line as well as more safety products to its online offerings at ReidSupply.com . “We have no doubt that many of our customers will appreciate the extra value that the Dickies workwear line offers the entire family.
When Words Collide
March 10, 2010 4:26 am | by Kim H. Pries and Jon M. Quigley PMP, Value Transformation, LLC | Articles | CommentsThis is what many organizations espouse every day. However, these words often don’t match the actions of an organization toward its employees. If you consider a person as a consumable item, then perhaps this perspective is valid.
China Tells U.S. To 'Do More' On Climate Change
March 10, 2010 4:13 am | by Gillian Wong, Associated Press Writer | News | CommentsBEIJING (AP) — China told the United States on Wednesday to make stronger commitments on climate change and provide environmental expertise and financing to developing nations. At the same time, China said its own efforts to reduce energy intensity have been hampered by its economic recovery in the latter part of last year, which brought growth in heavy energy-consuming industries.
Meatpacking Inspector Cuts Hurting Small Businesses
March 10, 2010 4:09 am | by Ken Kusmer, Associated Press Writer | News | CommentsINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana's plan to lay off some meat inspectors to save money and reduce the time inspectors spend with small, independent processors has the industry and farmers fearing it could hurt what has been a growing industry. It's not clear how many of the state's 52 inspectors will be let go, but meatpackers say any layoffs will prevent them from growing to meet demand for locally raised meat.
French Call Obama 'Anticompetitive' Over Tanker Contract
March 10, 2010 3:57 am | News | CommentsPARIS (AP) — French President Nicolas Sarkozy will raise concerns that the U.S. Air Force's $35 billion tanker contract is anticompetitive when he visits President Barack Obama later this month, a spokesman said Wednesday. EADS, the parent company of Airbus, had partnered with Northrop Grumman to vie for the 179-tanker order, but their consortium pulled out on Monday.
Toyota Sales Up 50 Percent From Last March
March 10, 2010 3:36 am | by Jeffrey McMurray, Associated Press Writer | News | CommentsERLANGER, Ky. (AP) — A high-ranking Toyota executive says the auto company's North American sales spiked around 50 percent the first eight days of March as incentives helped lure customers after a series of embarrassing safety recalls. Don Esmond, senior vice president of automotive operations for Toyota Motor Sales, said in an interview Tuesday that the early numbers surpassed the company's expectations.
