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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Unilever Picks Up Sara Lee Franchises For $1.88b
September 25, 2009 4:12 am | News | CommentsAMSTERDAM (AP) — Consumer products giant Unilever NV said Friday it has agreed to buy businesses including the Sanex and Duschdas brands from Sara Lee Corp. for €1.28 billion ($1.88 billion) The businesses to be acquired, subject to regulatory approval, include Sara Lee's worldwide body care products business and its European detergents arms, which includes strong regional brands such as Radox bubble bath and Switzal, a maker of baby shampoo.
Ford To Spent $490m On Chinese Factory
September 25, 2009 4:07 am | by Elaine Kurtenbach, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsSHANGHAI (AP) — Ford Motor Co. said Friday it plans to spend $490 million on building a third assembly plant in China, ramping up production to meet surging demand in this fast-growing market as the U.S. automaker expands in Asia. The factory, to be built in the central Chinese city of Chongqing, will make the next-generation Focus compact car, which Ford plans to sell globally.
Sugar Refinery Ignored Explosive Dust Before Blast
September 25, 2009 4:04 am | by Rruss Bynum, Associated Press Writer | News | CommentsSAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Imperial Sugar Co. and managers of its Georgia refinery ignored known dangers of explosive dust for decades before a chain of dust-fueled fireballs erupted at the plant last year and killed 14 people, investigators said in a report Thursday. The U.S. Chemical Safety Board, which investigates industrial accidents, said it found written warnings of explosive dust hazards in refinery memos from the 1960s and that the deaths likely could have been prevented by routine housekeeping.
Thorough Fluid Analysis
September 25, 2009 3:54 am | Product Releases | Commentscaption Fluid Rx (Lincoln Gardens, NJ) has packaged its on-the-spot analysis technology into a easy to read kit designed to show the customer the extact conditions of their vehicle’s operating fluids. The Fluid Rx Underhood Fluid Evaluation pack provides service personnel with on-the-spot evaluation of brake, power steering, transmission, and transfer case fluids, and the results are shown on a single, convenient card.
Customized, Durable Topcoats
September 23, 2009 3:11 am | Product Releases | CommentsSherwin-Williams (Cleveland, OH) announces two breathable, low-odor, waterborne polyurethane floor topcoats containing less than 50 g/L of volatile organic compounds. The GP 4408/4409 topcoats can be used over concree or other existing coatins — anywhere a durable gloss or satin finish is desired.
Oil-Resistant, High-Strength Epoxy
September 23, 2009 3:05 am | Product Releases | Comments3M (St. Paul, MN) introduces its latest technology in structural adhesives, the 3M Scotch-Weld Toughened Epoxy Adhesive DP920, designed for metal-to-mtal bonding in a variety of applications. DP920 cuts through surface oil on surfaces, reducing the amount of cleaning necessary before application of adhesive, and cures at room temperature.
High-Performance Doors
September 23, 2009 3:01 am | Product Releases | CommentsHörmann Flexon (Montgomery, IL) announces the release of a brochure for its line of high-performance facility doors. The two-page, at-a-glance brochure was designed to provide general information about the entire lineup from Hörmann Flexon. For more information, or to see the brochure for yourself, visit www.
Champagne & Beer
September 23, 2009 2:42 am | by by David Mantey, Editor, PD&D | Blogs | Comments“Americans had a champagne taste while on a beer budget.” It wasn’t a particularly life-shattering statement, but as a fan of idioms I was immediately drawn to attention. With it, Alex Davern, National Instruments’ (NI) CFO and senior vice president of manufacturing and IT operations, had succinctly summed up our nation’s propensity to overspend.
Intel CEO: PC Sales May Rise In 2009
September 22, 2009 12:12 pm | News | CommentsSeptember 22, 2009 by Jordan Robertson, AP Technology Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The worldwide personal-computer market is pulling out of its slump quickly and could defy predictions by growing this year, Intel Corp. CEO Paul Otellini said Tuesday. Otellini's comments at a conference Tuesday were more bullish than many analysts have been.
ConAgra Nurses Profit Dip But Raises Outlook
September 22, 2009 12:03 pm | by Sarah Skidmore, AP Food Industry Writer | News | CommentsPORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — ConAgra Foods Inc. said Tuesday that its first-quarter profit dropped 63 percent compared with a year earlier — when it sold a business — but its adjusted profit beat estimates, and it raised its outlook. The Omaha, Neb.-based food maker said strong performance of its Healthy Choice, Marie Callender and Orville Redenbacher consumer lines meant its results for the year would be solid.
Manufacturers Battle Reform Taxes On Medical Devices
September 22, 2009 11:53 am | by Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Associated Press Writer | News | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — They were calling it the tax on Q-tips. Amid Republican ridicule, a Democratic chairman backed down Tuesday and exempted consumer items of $100 or less — from condoms to contact lenses — from a proposed tax on medical device manufacturers. It would help pay for health care coverage for the uninsured in comprehensive legislation.
OSHA Fines NE Company For Burned Worker
September 22, 2009 11:41 am | News | CommentsOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha asphalt surfacing and paving company Monarch Oil has been fined $52,000 by the federal government for an accident that badly burned a worker. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration says the company violated several safety rules when a worker was covered by almost 240-degree asphalt while transferring asphalt from rail cars into storage tanks.
Union Sues To Hold Pratt & Whitney Jobs
September 22, 2009 11:22 am | by Stephen Singer, AP Manufacturing Writer | News | CommentsHARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — The Machinists union asked a federal judge Tuesday to block Pratt & Whitney from moving 1,000 jobs from Connecticut, accusing the jet engine maker of negotiating in bad faith. The International Association of Machinists said in court papers filed in U.S. District Court in Hartford that Pratt & Whitney executives failed to make "every reasonable effort" to preserve the jet engine repair jobs in Connecticut.
CA Automaker Receives $500m Govt. Loan
September 22, 2009 11:12 am | by Ken Thomas, Associated Press Writer | News | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — Fisker Automotive, a California manufacturer of luxury electric vehicles, will receive more than $500 million in federal loans to develop a plug-in hybrid sports car with a sticker price of nearly $90,000 and a new plug-in hybrid vehicle to be built in the United States. The Energy Department said Tuesday it would lend $528.
GM Increases Production At 3 Plants
September 22, 2009 8:53 am | by Tom Krishner, AP Auto Writer | News | CommentsDETROIT (AP) — General Motors Co. will go to 24-hour operations at factories in Kansas, Michigan and Indiana to make up for production lost due to a large-scale factory consolidation announced earlier in the year. The automaker says it will add third shifts at its Fairfax plant in Kansas City, Kan.
