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Authorities: Crime Not Ruled Out In TX Blast
May 17, 2013 | by Nomaan Merchant, Associated Press | Comments
Investigators working in the remnants of an exploded Texas fertilizer plant sifted by hand through untold kernels of corn, moved tons of debris and conducted more than 400 interviews, while searching for the missing piece to solve what many officials compared to an extraordinary puzzle. One month after a fire triggered a massive blast killing 15 people, officials on Thursday had to declare the cause of the blaze as "undetermined."
Flying Car Prototypes Grounded After Crash
May 17, 2013 12:47 pm | by The Canadian Press | Comments
The Transportation Safety Board says the U.S. manufacturer of flying cars has grounded all five...
FL Gov. Signs Manufacturing Tax Break Into Law
May 17, 2013 12:46 pm | by The Associated Press | Comments
Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Friday signed a bill that creates a tax break for the state's...
Cadillac Recalls SUVs In China
May 17, 2013 12:44 pm | by The Associated Press | Comments
China's product safety agency says General Motors Co.'s main Chinese joint venture is recalling...
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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
CAT Purchase In China Gets Huge Price Cut
May 17, 2013 12:42 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsCaterpillar will pay $135 million less for a Chinese mining equipment company after uncovering dodgy accounting practices that inflated its value. Caterpillar announced a non-cash $580 million charge earlier this year related to the sale after uncovering "accounting misconduct" during an internal investigation of ERA Mining Machinery Ltd. and its subsidiary Zhengzhou Siwei Mechanical & Electrical Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
Problems Surface Over AZ's 2007 Immigration Law
May 17, 2013 12:41 pm | by Jacques Billeaud, Associated Press | CommentsThe immigration debate in Arizona reached a boiling point in 2007 when the state passed a groundbreaking law targeting those often blamed with fueling the nation's border woes: Employers who hire immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.
Is It Possible to Bring Manufacturing Back to the U.S.?
May 17, 2013 12:33 pm | by David Mantey, Executive Editor, PD&D | CommentsIn the press, “reshoring” is defined as the repatriation of manufacturing operations from a low-cost country, back to the home country. In Washington, it stands as the repatriation of manufacturing operations from China, back to the U.S. But in reality, according to Young, it is the transfer of “some manufacturing production from a low-cost country back to the home country or to another country, low-cost or not.”
Kentucky Plant To Add 100 Full-Time Jobs
May 17, 2013 11:19 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsAn auto parts maker is adding a new building and 100 full-time jobs to its operation in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Kobe Aluminum Automotive Products LLC broke ground Wednesday on its second expansion since November. Gov. Steve Beshear's office said the company plans to add an 87,000-square-foot building with a capital investment of up to $66 million.
Prosecutors Want Closer Monitoring Of Ex-Mamtek CEO
May 17, 2013 11:19 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsMissouri prosecutors want a judge to let them keep closer tabs on the former head of a failed artificial sweetener plant in Moberly. Attorney General Chris Koster's office said Thursday it has filed a motion in St. Charles County Circuit Court seeking to monitor ex-Mamtek CEO Bruce Cole with a wearable GPS device.
Alcoa To Cut 500 Canadian Jobs
May 17, 2013 11:19 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsAluminum smelter and parts-maker Alcoa said on Thursday that it will close down two production lines at a plant in Canada and cut about 500 jobs there because of lower aluminum prices. A major portion of a planned upgrade for the facility in Quebec is being pushed back by three years, to 2019, the company said.
Labor Group: Apple Making Progress At Foxconn
May 17, 2013 11:18 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsA labor group Apple Inc. joined to assess working conditions at three manufacturing plants in China, where its products are made, says conditions are improving. But employees are still working more hours than the country's legal limit. The Fair Labor Association said Thursday that Apple's largest supplier, Foxconn, has made all recommended improvements to working conditions that were due by the end of December.
4-Month Strike At Peugeot Plant Ends
May 17, 2013 11:18 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsA four-month strike at a car factory north of Paris has come to an end, although the workers say they will still fight a plan to close the plant. PSA Peugeot Citroen said Friday that it had signed an agreement with the CGT union to end the strike, which started in January. The CGT called the strike "suspended."
Only 2 Of 13 Small SUVs Do Well In Crash Tests
May 16, 2013 2:28 pm | by Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writer | CommentsOnly two of 13 small SUVs performed well in front-end crash tests done by an insurance industry group, with several popular models faring poorly in the evaluations. Fast-selling models such as the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V and Jeep Wrangler received only "marginal" or "poor" ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Cambodian Shoe Factory Collapses, Kills 2
May 16, 2013 2:26 pm | by Sopheng Cheang, Associated Press | CommentsThe ceiling of a Cambodian factory that makes Asics sneakers collapsed on workers early Thursday, killing two people and injuring seven, in the latest accident spotlighting the often lethal safety conditions faced by those toiling in the global garment industry.
Toyota Begins To Export Yaris Out Of France
May 16, 2013 2:24 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsToyota Motor Corp. said Thursday it started manufacturing the Yaris compact car at its French factory for export to North America. Toyota began producing the North American-bound Yaris, known in Japan as the Vitz, at the factory of Toyota Motor Manufacturing France S.A.S. in Onnaing near the city of Valenciennes. It will be the first export of European-assembled models to North America.
Trade Group Slams Safety Pact For Bangladesh
May 16, 2013 2:21 pm | by Anne D'Innocenzio, AP Retail Writer | CommentsThe largest U.S. retail-industry group on Wednesday criticized an international pact aimed at improving factory conditions in Bangladesh's garment industry, saying it was a "one-size-fits-all" approach promoted by special interests. The five-year, legally binding contract requires them to help pay for fire safety and building improvements in Bangladesh.
Honda To Return To F1 As Engine Supplier
May 16, 2013 2:19 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsJapanese car manufacturer Honda is returning to Formula One in 2015 as an engine supplier to the automaker's former partner McLaren of Britain. Honda president Takanobu Ito announced the decision at a news conference in Tokyo on Thursday.
IN Fertilizer Plant Operator Defends Safety
May 16, 2013 2:17 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsThe developer of a proposed southern Indiana fertilizer plant said Wednesday the project will be safe and not handle explosive materials like a Texas plant where a deadly explosion occurred last month. All of the products made at the Ohio Valley Resources LLC proposed for the Ohio River city of Rockport will be liquid, non-flammable and non-explosive, Fairfield, Ill.-based developer Doug Wilson said.
U.S. Wholesale Prices Fall By Most In 3 Years
May 15, 2013 2:08 pm | by Christopher S. Rugaber, AP Economics Writer | CommentsSharp drops in fuel and food costs reduced a measure of U.S. wholesale prices in April by the most in three years. Outside those volatile categories, inflation stayed tame. The producer price index, which measures price changes before they reach the consumer, fell a seasonally adjusted 0.7 percent in April from March, the Labor Department said Wednesday.
