News
FREE Email Newsletter
Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
The 105-Year 'Heart Of Clarion' Dies July 1
June 21, 2010 4:43 am | by Dante Anthony Fuoco, Associated Press Writer | CommentsCLARION, Pa. (AP) — There's a hum here, soft yet ever-present. The noise is drowned out during the din of the day, but late at night the sound of the Owens-Illinois glass plantreverberates through this town of 6,000 people. Mayor Andrea Estadt calls it the "heartbeat of Clarion," an enunciation from a plant that has been a centerpiece of community employment and pride for 105 years.
'Pool Noodle' Manufacturer Helps Clean Up The Gulf
June 21, 2010 4:41 am | by Stephen Tait, Associated Press Writer | CommentsMARYSVILLE, Mich. (AP) — Barry Jorgensen has never traveled to the Gulf of Mexico. That doesn't mean he isn't concerned about the extensive oil spill affecting that region. "I'm disgusted with what is going on there," said Jorgensen, 50, of Marysville. Now, Jorgensen is getting a chance to help.
Toyota Preparing To Hire 2,000 Miss. Workers
June 21, 2010 4:39 am | CommentsBLUE SPRINGS, Miss. (AP) — Toyota officials say they'll begin hiring later this year in Blue Springs, Miss., and details about the process will be announced in a few weeks. Ray Tanguay, president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada and executive vice president of Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, says the workers won't need any special skills.
Dawn Gets Product Placement In Oil Spill Coverage
June 18, 2010 5:01 am | Commentsby Joel Walsh, AP Writer KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — BP's brand may be tarnished with each week that oil spills into the Gulf of Mexico. But a brand manufactured in Kansas City, Kan., is enjoying the kind of publicity that can't be bought or planned. Just about any article or newscast about wildlife coated with oil in the gulf region mentions Dawn — the only detergent recommended for cleaning the hundreds of afflicted pelicans, gulls and gannets.
Toyota Next Up In Chinese Supplier Strikes
June 18, 2010 4:56 am | by Elaine Kurtenbach, AP Business Writer | CommentsSHANGHAI (AP) — Toyota Motor was assessing the impact Friday from strikes that hit two of its China-based parts suppliers, the latest unrest among migrant workers who are the backbone of the country's industrial sector. Workers at a plastic parts factory of Toyota Motor Corp. affiliate Toyoda Gosei Co.
Obama To Ohio: Jobs Are Still No. 1 Focus
June 18, 2010 4:45 am | by Ben Feller, Associated Press Writer | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — Determined to keep showing the economy is on his mind, President Barack Obama is dashing into Ohio for the groundbreaking of a road project, hoping to remind the nation that the massive, costly stimulus act is still churning out jobs. Millions of unemployed people have yet to feel the relief.
Boeing Wins $25 Million Navy Contract
June 18, 2010 4:37 am | CommentsSEATTLE (AP) — The U.S. Defense Department said Thursday that Boeing Co. received a $25 million modification to an existing contract. Boeing's St. Louis operations will make proposed engineering changes to the trailing edge flap for wings on F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler fighter aircraft.
UAW Accuses Toyota Of Phasing Out Unions
June 18, 2010 4:35 am | by Dan Strumpf and Tom Krisher, AP Business Writers | CommentsToyota's announcement that it will resume construction of a car factory in Mississippi was a much-needed piece of good news for both the state struggling with persistent unemployment and the automaker trying to recover some goodwill after a recall crisis bruised its reputation. But the decision drew fire from America's largest auto union, which accused Toyota of shifting production from a union plant to a nonunion facility.
Campell Recalls 15 Million Pounds Of SpaghettiOs
June 18, 2010 4:34 am | by Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press Writer | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — Campbell Soup Co. is recalling 15 million pounds of SpaghettiOs with meatballs after a cooker malfunctioned at one of the company's plants in Texas and left the meat undercooked. The Agriculture Department announced the recall late Thursday. Campbell spokesman Anthony Sanzio said the company is recalling certain lots of the product manufactured since December 2008 "out of an abundance of caution" because officials don't know exactly when the cooker at the Paris, Texas, plant malfunctioned.
Insurers Banned From Dropping Chinese Drywall Owners
June 16, 2010 5:06 am | by Melinda Deslatte, Associated Press Writer | CommentsBATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A ban on insurance companies dropping coverage of homeowners who have found corrosive Chinese drywall in their homes is headed to Gov. Bobby Jindal after getting final legislative passage Tuesday. The bill by Rep. Julie Quinn, R-Metairie, would prohibit insurers from canceling or refusing to renew policies for homes because of Chinese-made drywall, which has been blamed for home corrosion and health concerns.
Chrysler Won't Shut Down Production This Summer
June 16, 2010 4:59 am | CommentsDETROIT (AP) — Chrysler Group LLC has ended a cost-saving requirement that all workers take the same two weeks off during the summer, a company spokeswoman said Tuesday. For the past two years, cash-starved Chrysler shut down all of its operations during the same two weeks in July that it closed U.
Industrial Production Rises 1.2 Percent, Fuels Economy
June 16, 2010 4:42 am | by Daniel Wagner, AP Business Writer | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — Industrial production rose 1.2 percent in May as manufacturing remained a key engine of the economic recovery. The Federal Reserve says output at the nation's factories, mines and utilities rose over April's 0.7 percent increase. The industrial sector's gains reflect the growing strength of the recovery.
Lindt Expands Unique All-In-One Chocolate Plant
June 16, 2010 4:40 am | by Kathy McCormack, Associated Press Writer | CommentsCONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Swiss chocolate maker Lindt had humble beginnings when it set up its U.S. headquarters in southeastern New Hampshire back in 1989. "At that point in time we were a very small unit, manufacturing just a few products," said Ernst Tanner, Lindt CEO. "Our brand was really not established.
DuPont Ordered To Pay $59,000 For Mercury Pollution
June 16, 2010 4:35 am | CommentsKINSTON, N.C. (AP) — Industrial giant DuPont has agreed to pay a $59,000 penalty for mercury discharges at a North Carolina plant. The federal Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday the settlement relates to the company's polymer fiber manufacturing facility in Kinston. The EPA says discharges at the plant exceeded permitted levels of mercury for eight months between September 2008 and March 2009.
EPA: Climate Bill To Cost Less Than A Postage Stamp
June 16, 2010 4:34 am | by Matthew Daly, Associated Press Writer | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — A climate and energy bill being pushed in the Senate would cost American households 22 to 40 cents a day — less than the cost of a first-class postage stamp, the Obama administration said Tuesday. An analysis by the Environmental Protection Agency concluded that the Senate bill, sponsored by Sens.
