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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Italy Seizes 1.2B Euros From Steel Family
May 22, 2013 2:13 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsMilan prosecutors have ordered the seizure of 1.2 billion euros ($1.5 billion) in assets belonging to the family that runs a troubled steel plant in southern Italy. Prosecutors allege in the order Wednesday that the real estate, stocks and other financial assets belonging to the Riva family were obtained through the misuse of funds belonging to the Ilva steel plant.
Tesla Shows Model S To Influence NC Auto Bill
May 22, 2013 2:11 pm | by Chris Kardish, Associated Press | CommentsNorth Carolina lawmakers and passersby stopped to take in a display of Tesla Motors' award-winning electric cars Wednesday as the company presses against a bill in the General Assembly that effectively outlaws Tesla's Internet-based sales model.
German Co., Pepsi Open NY Yogurt Plant
May 22, 2013 2:08 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsA second yogurt plant is about to open in a Genesee County business park. Sen. Charles Schumer says the Muller Quaker Dairy plant will have a grand opening on June 3. The $206 million dollar plant is a joint venture of PepsiCo and Germany's Theo Muller company.
Boeing Examining Speed-Ups On 787, 737
May 22, 2013 2:07 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsBoeing may accelerate production of two of its most popular planes — the 787 and the 737. It's already doubling 787 production, from 5 per month last year, on its way toward 10 per month by the end of this year. The efficiency of the 787, Boeing's newest plane, has made it very popular with airlines. The company has orders for more than 800 that it hasn't built yet.
Indian Guest Workers Sue Company In MS, TX
May 22, 2013 2:05 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsDozens of Indian guest workers are suing an Alabama-based marine and fabrication company, claiming it financially exploited them and forced them to live in squalid conditions after bringing them to work at Gulf Coast shipyards after Hurricane Katrina.
Safety Board: ATF Blocking Plant Blast Probe
May 22, 2013 10:27 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsFederal agents and the state fire marshal have effectively barred a federal safety panel from the site of a Texas fertilizer plant blast that killed 15 people and injured about 200 others, hampering its investigation, the panel's chairman said.
U.S. Auto Factories Cutting Back On Summer Downtime
May 22, 2013 10:25 am | by Dee-Ann Durbin, AP Auto Writer | CommentsThe Detroit automakers are largely forgoing the traditional two-week summer break at their factories and speeding up production to meet buyers' growing demand for new cars and trucks. Ford Motor Co. said Wednesday that 21 of its North American factories will shut for only one week this summer. That includes the Chicago plant that makes the Ford Explorer SUV and the Mexican plant that makes the Fusion sedan.
Fiat Industrial Considers Making Tax Home In U.K.
May 22, 2013 10:24 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsFiat Industrial is considering moving its tax home to Britain after it completes the merger with its U.S.-based subsidiary CNH. The possible move by the maker of heavy trucks, farm and construction vehicles would be a blow to the new Italian government of Enrico Letta, which is struggling to put public finances in order.
Ex-Ford Execs Charged In Argentine Torture Cases
May 22, 2013 10:21 am | by Michael Warren, Associated Press | CommentsThree former Ford Motor Co. executives were charged Tuesday with crimes against humanity for allegedly targeting Argentine union workers for kidnapping and torture after the country's 1976 military coup. All three were ordered to remain under house arrest on bail of about $142,000 each. Galarraga and Sibilla are Argentines and Muller is described in the indictment as a Czech national.
Apple Case Seen As Possible Spur To Tax Action
May 22, 2013 10:19 am | by Marcy Gordon, Peter Svensson, AP Business Writers | CommentsNow that tech favorite Apple Inc. has been dragged front and center into the debate over the U.S. tax code, lawmakers are hoping that the spotlight on such a high-profile company could be the catalyst for Congress to take action to close loopholes or reform the law.
Tesla Shares Pull Back After Huge Gains
May 22, 2013 10:17 am | by Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writer | CommentsTesla Motors fell more than 5 percent in early trading Tuesday, a brief decline amid huge gains this month after the electric car maker posted its first quarterly profit. And shares in the Palo Alto, Calif., company retook some of that lost ground by early afternoon. Tesla's stock price had jumped 74 percent between May 8, when first-quarter earnings were announced, and May 14, when it hit a 52-week high of $97.12.
GM To Invest $44.5M In MI Cadillac Factory
May 21, 2013 2:22 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsGeneral Motors says it will invest $44.5 million at a Lansing, Mich., factory, creating 200 new jobs. The automaker says it will build a 400,000-square-foot building next to the Lansing Grand River plant to assemble parts and put them in the right order for manufacturing.
Kohler Ordered To Pay $9.6M In Patent Suit
May 21, 2013 2:20 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsThe Kohler Co. has been ordered in federal court to pay $9.6 million to a Massachusetts manufacturer for infringing on two of its patents for components that reduce exhaust emissions in marine generators. Jurors in U.S. District Court in Boston last week found Kohler willfully infringed on the patents issued in 2008 and 2010.
High-Tech Startup Wades Into Gun Control
May 21, 2013 2:18 pm | by Martha Mendoza, AP National Writer | CommentsA high-tech startup is wading into the gun control debate with a wireless controller that would allow gun owners to know when their weapon is being moved — and disable it remotely. The technology, but not an actual gun, was slated to be demonstrated Tuesday at a wireless technology conference in Las Vegas and was shown to The Associated Press in advance.
France: Drugmaker On Trial, Suspected In Deaths
May 21, 2013 2:15 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsThe makers of a diabetes and weight loss drug suspected in the deaths of hundreds of people went on trial Tuesday, facing charges they misled the public about the product's safety. But after years of delays in one of France's biggest recent health scandals, the proceedings could still be pushed back further.
