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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Boeing's Composites, Compressors & Pumps
September 10, 2009 11:36 am | by by Luke Simpson, Associate Editor, Chem.Info | Blogs | CommentsBonjour! This week’s column comes from about 30,000 feet above Quebec, on my way home after three glorious days in Montreal for the Labor Day weekend. Perfect weather, two days of great music on the city’s waterfront and some interesting food (beef tartare — basically a raw hamburger patty but surprisingly good) was exactly what the doctor ordered, and I’m returning to Chem.
Official Arrested At Factory Of Dec. Sit-In
September 10, 2009 8:59 am | News | CommentsSeptember 10, 2009 CHICAGO (AP) — Authorities say a former official at a Chicago factory where workers staged a high-profile sit-in has been arrested and others who ran Republic Windows and Doors are also under investigation. The six-day occupation of the shuttered plant last December drew national attention to the plight of laid-off workers.
Electronic Pressure Switch
September 10, 2009 7:39 am | Product Releases | CommentsWIKA (Lawrenceville, GA) has released the PSD-30, an electronic pressure switch with display, which can be used in machine-building, hydraulics, pneumatics, pumps, or compressors. The display is easily-readable and robust, and the PSD-30 features an intuitive setup. In addition, the switch is flexible for your particular application.
The Eco-Friendly Mini-Heater
September 10, 2009 7:39 am | Product Releases | CommentsThe Reznor (Memphis, TN) Model CAUA, a vertical gas-fired air handler is available with staged heating from 75 to 400MBH to provide the right amount of heat in non-extreme conditions. This system will save on energy usage particularly during the fall and spring, but also during mild winters.
Safety That’s Cool
September 10, 2009 7:38 am | Product Releases | CommentsGateway Safety (Cleveland, OH) has developed the Serpent Ventilated Safety Helmet, designed to offset the adverse effects of working in hot weather. According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, workers in hot environments face the risk of heat stress, which can lower mental alertness and physical performance, particularly when wearing safety clothing.
Strike A Chord
September 10, 2009 7:38 am | Product Releases | CommentsMartin Tool & Forge (Fort Worth, TX) has three styles of drop-forged, heavy-duty striking wrenches, including the offset 12 point, straight-pattern 12 point, and “roughneck” straight-pattern six point. All three styles are produced using alloy steel and are heat-treated for extended life, especially when used on difficult fasteners requiring large amounts of force.
Double Decker Racing
September 10, 2009 5:13 am | by Top Gear | Articles | CommentsTop Gear's crew heads to the mainland to take on their German counterparts in a no-holds-barred car race. The only problem? They're racing home-made double decker cars. The driver on top controls the steering, while the bottom participant navigates the throttle, brake, and gearbox.
SUV-Sized Engines
September 10, 2009 5:11 am | by Caterpillar Inc | Articles | CommentsCaterpillar, along with MaK, creates massive marine engines for cruise ships and other large boats at this manufacturing facility in Germany. Watch how these incredible machines are built with the same precision and delicacy you would see in a car's engine.
Shades Of Green
September 10, 2009 5:07 am | by Faro Technologies and Discovery | Articles | CommentsThe Discovery Channel has recently featured FARO technologies in a documentary entitled "Shades of Green," a behind-the-scenes look at how those massive turbines progress from design and engineering to manufacturing.
Robots With A Taste For Flesh
September 10, 2009 5:00 am | by New Scientist | Articles | CommentsJames Auger, at the Royal College of Art in London, has built a series of furniture that do a little more than decorate your home. A table that eats mice? Yes, it's true. A fuel cell hidden inside the table can decompose a trapped mouse and generate enough electricity to not only power a table-top display, but also capture the next sorry rodent.
Forklift Safety: 16 and Paralyzed
September 10, 2009 4:53 am | by Work Safe BC | Articles | CommentsJohn Higgins was a regular 16-year-old who found a good-paying job, and was eager to help most anyone around the workplace. All was well, up until a simple mistake — along with improper forklift training — led to an accident that left John with a broken back and without a kidney.
Goodyear-Steelworkers Contract To Protect 6 Plants
September 9, 2009 5:46 am | News | CommentsSeptember 9, 2009 AKRON, Ohio (AP) — The United Steelworkers says the union's tentative contract with Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. protects six U.S. tire plants from closing for the next four years. Union members on Tuesday received a summary of the deal reached with the Akron, Ohio-based tire maker on Aug.
German Labor Anxiously Awaiting GM's Opel Decision
September 9, 2009 4:45 am | by George Frey, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsSeptember 9, 2009 FRANKFURT (AP) — German workers and politicians waited anxiously Wednesday for a decision by the board of General Motors Co. on the fate of its Opel unit, with thousands of jobs at stake and national elections less than three weeks away. The automaker had little to say about the second day of the meeting in Detroit on Wednesday.
Chinese Geely Group Considers Volvo Buyout
September 9, 2009 4:33 am | News | CommentsSeptember 9, 2009 SHANGHAI (AP) — Geely Group, one of China's main independent automakers, is considering bidding for Ford Motor Co.'s Volvo Cars unit in alliance with an unnamed investment partner, a company spokesman confirmed Wednesday. Geely, based in the eastern city of Hangzhou, is among several Chinese automakers that reportedly have shown interest in the Swedish automaker, though company officials had earlier denied such reports.
Global Air Travel May Not Recover Until 2011
September 9, 2009 4:27 am | by Jeremiah Marquez, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsSeptember 9, 2009 HONG KONG (AP) — International air travel, whacked by the economic downturn, is starting to stabilize but may not recover until 2011 as companies and passengers continue to scale back, executives at aviation giants Boeing Co. and Airbus SAS said Wednesday. Passenger travel, somewhat better so far in the second half of 2009 than in the first, was still expected to slump between 6 percent and 8 percent for the year, said Randy Tinseth, a Boeing vice president for marketing.
