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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Sector Snap: Solar Companies Decline
May 7, 2013 2:26 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsSolar companies took a hit Tuesday after First Solar fell short of Wall Street expectations for the first quarter and announced job cuts in North America. First Solar, which had offered a very rosy outlook just last month, led the way down, declining nearly 10 percent after hitting new highs for the year on Monday before it released earnings.
NY Group Buys Tesla Property, Plans Science Center
May 7, 2013 2:24 pm | by Frank Eltman, Associated Press | CommentsA New York community group that raised $1.3M in a six-week online fundraising effort has purchased a laboratory once used by visionary scientist Nikola Tesla. "We're feeling very excited and gratified that we've reached this milestone," said Jane Alcorn, president of the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe, on New York's Long Island. Her group announced last week that it had finalized the purchase of the Tesla lab and property for $850K.
Ammonium Nitrate Was Explosive In Plant Blast
May 7, 2013 10:11 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsA store of ammonium nitrate is what exploded April 17 at a Central Texas plant, killing 14 people, injuring hundreds and devastating an adjoining town. The finding was expected, and officials had said they were focusing their investigation on the explosive chemical used in many fertilizers, said Rachel Moreno, spokeswoman for the Texas State Fire Marshal's Office.
China's Struggling Automakers Jump On SUV Boom
May 7, 2013 10:09 am | by Joe McDonald, AP Business Writer | CommentsBYD is known for electric cars but this year's flagship model is the S7, a gasoline-powered SUV. It comes with an air purifier, radar to help with backing and digital TV. An onboard hard drive can hold 1,000 films. This is China's Year of the SUV. Whatever their specialties used to be, automakers ranging from global brands to China's ambitious rookies are scrambling to cash in on the explosive popularity of sport utility vehicles.
BMW Recalls 3 Series For Faulty Air Bags
May 7, 2013 10:08 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsBMW is recalling 45,500 3 Series sedans in the U.S. and Canada because their passenger air bags may not inflate properly. The recall affects 3 Series from the 2002 and 2003 model years. The defective air bags have an inflator housing that can rupture during deployment and send shrapnel flying into the vehicle.
GM Stock Climbs, Then Drops After Analyst Report
May 7, 2013 10:06 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsShares of General Motors rose more than 4 percent early Monday after an analyst raised his earnings estimates and stock price target. But the shares gave up all of their gains and then some in late-afternoon trading. Last week, GM said its first-quarter profit fell 14 percent to $865 million, or 58 cents per share.
Safety Agency Watches Ford Vans For Rust Signs
May 7, 2013 10:05 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsU.S. auto safety regulators are monitoring about 100,000 Ford and Mercury minivans that were not covered by a recall issued earlier this year for rust problems. Ford recalled about 230,000 Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey minivans in March to fix rust in the wheel wells that can cause the third-row seats to come loose.
Ethiopian Air Wants Compensation For 787 Grounding
May 7, 2013 10:04 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsThe chief executive of Ethiopian Airlines says his company will seek compensation from Boeing for the grounding of its 787 Dreamliner planes. Tewolde Gebremariam told The Associated Press on Tuesday his company will soon start discussions with Boeing over compensation.
FAA Safety Oversight Of Aircraft Repairs Faulted
May 6, 2013 2:21 pm | by Joan Lowy, Associated Press | CommentsThe government's oversight of hundreds of domestic and overseas repair stations that service U.S. airliners is ineffective and doesn't target the factors most likely to present safety risks, the Department of Transportation's inspector general said Monday.
HK Dockworkers Accept Offer, End 40-Day Strike
May 6, 2013 2:19 pm | by Kelvin Chan, AP Business Writer | CommentsHong Kong dockworkers have accepted a 9.8 percent pay increase, ending a 40-day strike that slowed traffic at one of the world's busiest ports. About 90 percent of the workers voted late Monday in favor of the offer from four middleman contractors that provide staff to a container terminal operator controlled by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing.
GOP Seeks Alternative To Overtime Pay
May 6, 2013 2:17 pm | by Sam Hananel, Associated Press | CommentsIt seems like a simple proposition: give employees who work more than 40 hours a week the option of taking paid time off instead of overtime pay. The choice already exists in the public sector. Federal and state workers can save earned time off and use it weeks or even months later to attend a parent-teacher conference, care for an elderly parent or deal with home repairs.
Adidas: Asia Laborers Can Send Complaints Via Text
May 6, 2013 2:16 pm | by Juergen Baetz, Associated Press | CommentsGerman sports gear maker Adidas said Monday it is encouraging workers in factories of some of its Asian suppliers to anonymously share possible grievances directly with the company via text message. The new hotline service will help bridge the communication gap between management and workers, enabling employees to "simply send an SMS when they feel their rights are breached," Adidas AG said.
Pressure On Bangladesh, Retailers To Fix Factories
May 6, 2013 2:14 pm | by Farid Hossain, Stephen Wright, Associated Press | CommentsIn the aftermath of a building collapse that killed more than 530 people, Bangladesh's garment manufacturers may face a choice of reform or perish. The shoddily constructed building's collapse has put a focus on the high human price paid when Bangladeshi government ineptitude, Western consumer apathy and global retailing's drive for the lowest cost of production intersect.
TX Fertilizer Plant Targeted By Thieves In Past
May 6, 2013 2:11 pm | by Nomaan Merchant, Associated Press | CommentsBurglars occasionally sneaked into and around a Texas fertilizer plant in the years before a massive, deadly explosion — sometimes looking for a chemical fertilizer stored at the plant that can be used to make methamphetamine, according to local sheriff's records.
China City Quashes Protest Against Petro Plant
May 6, 2013 10:28 am | by Didi Tang, Associated Press | CommentsResidents say they are worried the plant would pollute the air and water, and question why the plant is being built in a region prone to earthquakes. Pengzhou is in the same fault zone as the 2008 Wenchuan quake that left 90,000 people dead or missing, and for an earthquake last month that killed at least 196 people.
