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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Worker Found Dead Inside Empty Tank
February 3, 2010 3:28 am | CommentsNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A South Carolina contractor has been found dead at a Nashville tank farm. Metro Nashville Police say the body of 49-year-old Dan Dugan of Rock Hill, S.C., was found inside a tank at the Ashland Distribution plant on Tuesday. Nashville Fire Department spokesman Charles Shannon told The Tennesseans Dugan's last entry on his inspection clipboard was at 8:15 a.
Cadbury Shareholders Agree To Kraft's $19.5 Billion Offer
February 3, 2010 3:25 am | by Sarah Skidmore, AP Food Industry Writer | CommentsCadbury PLC shareholders have approved Kraft Foods Inc.'s roughly $19.5 billion offer to acquire the British candy maker — the final step in creating the global food giant. The focus now shifts to how Kraft will combine the companies and prove it was worth the often-bitter fight. Kraft announced Tuesday that nearly 72 percent of Cadbury shareholders voted in support of the deal.
LaHood: Toyota Slow On Recall, 'A Little Safety Deaf'
February 3, 2010 3:19 am | by Ken Thomas and Stephen Manning, Associated Press Writers | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Toyota was slow to deal with safety problems with its gas pedals, asserting in an interview Tuesday that it took government pressure to force the company to recall millions of its most popular vehicles. LaHood, in an interview with The Associated Press, defended his department's handling of the Toyota investigation and said the Japanese automaker was "a little safety deaf" during its probe of the problem.
Feds: China Overreacted With 'Sanctions' Over Arms Deal
February 2, 2010 3:44 am | by Alex Kennedy, Associated Press Writer | CommentsSINGAPORE (AP) — China has overreacted to Washington's approval of a $6.4 billion arms sale to Taiwan by threatening the companies that produced the weapons, a top U.S. military official said Tuesday. Bruce Lemkin, a deputy under secretary with the U.S. Air Force, said China shouldn't have been surprised by the arms sale and called on Beijing to continue talks with Taiwan to help reduce tensions.
Obama Pushes Free Money For Small Businesses
February 2, 2010 3:41 am | by Darlene Superville, Associated Press Writer | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's bid to sell his economic agenda and re-energize voters picks up in politically significant New Hampshire, where he will again promote an idea to free up money for small businesses that are hurting. Obama travels to Nashua, N.H., on Tuesday to draw attention to a proposal highlighted in his State of the Union address last week: funneling $30 billion to local banks so they can lend small businesses money they need to grow their enterprises and create jobs.
Accelerator Fixes Too Late For Battered Toyota Reputation
February 2, 2010 3:36 am | by Yuri Kageyama, AP Business Writer | CommentsNAGOYA, Japan (AP) — Toyota's fix for the gas pedal problem that led to the recall of millions of cars has not come soon enough to prevent a consumer backlash in the U.S. and elsewhere that is battering its sales. One of the automaker's top executives on Tuesday said the damage from the global recall of nearly 4.
Nationwide Salmonella Outbreak Settled For $12 Million
February 2, 2010 3:23 am | CommentsATLANTA (AP) — Dozens of victims of last year's nationwide salmonella outbreak will split about $12 million as part of a settlement with the insurer of the company linked to the illnesses. Atlanta attorney Alan Maxwell said Monday the money comes from an insurance policy that Lynchburg, Va.
Spyker To Return Saab To Profitability In 2012
February 2, 2010 3:22 am | CommentsAMSTERDAM, Netherlands — Spyker Cars NV, the new owner of Saab, plans to produce three Saab lines and return the troubled Swedish carmaker to profitability by 2012. "Saab will continue to be repositioned against other brands such as Audi (A4/A6) and BMW (3/5 series) as a premium brand," Spyker said in a statement Tuesday.
Sikorsky Begins $1 Billion Venture Into Unmanned Black Hawk
February 2, 2010 3:21 am | by Stephen Singer, The Associated Press | CommentsHARTFORD, Conn. — Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. announced a billion-dollar venture Monday that it hopes will respond to military demand for technology to fight two wars, including Black Hawk helicopters that can see and fly on their own. The Stratford-based helicopter maker and military contractor said Sikorsky Innovations is intended to speed the transformation of the mechanical helicopter into a computerized aircraft.
Doubling Exports: Possible, Two Million Jobs: Good Luck
February 1, 2010 3:57 am | by Jim Abrams, Associated Press Writer | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says he wants to double exports over the next five years, supporting 2 million American jobs. The doubling is doable; the job increase is debatable. "The more products we make and sell to other countries, the more jobs we support right here in America," Obama said in one of the few instances of his State of the Union address last week where he received hearty applause from Republicans.
Obama Encourages Privatization Of Space, 'Space Taxis'
February 1, 2010 3:37 am | by Alicia Chang and Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writers | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — Getting to space is about to be outsourced. The Obama administration on Monday will propose in its new budget spending billions of dollars to encourage private companies to build, launch and operate spacecraft for NASA and others. Uncle Sam would buy its astronauts a ride into space just like hopping in a taxi.
China Threatens Sanctions Against Boeing For Arms Sale
February 1, 2010 3:32 am | by Elaine Kurtenbach, AP Business Writer | CommentsSHANGHAI (AP) — China blasted Washington's approval of an arms sale to Taiwan again Monday, but industry experts say Beijing's reliance on foreign technology may limit its ability to make good on threats to impose sanctions on the companies involved. State media commentaries and editorials attacked U.
Tesla Planning IPO To Raise $100 Million
February 1, 2010 3:29 am | by Dan Strumpf, AP Auto Writer | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — Electric car manufacturer Tesla Motors Inc. said Friday it plans to sell stock to the public. The company, based in Palo Alto, Calif., did not disclose in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission specifically how much it plans to raise though it listed $100 million as a placeholder figure.
Despite Growth, High Jobless To Remain Until Mid-Decade
February 1, 2010 3:23 am | by Jeannine Aversa, AP Economics Writer | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — The economy's 5.7 percent growth last quarter — the fastest pace since 2003 — was a step toward shrinking the nation's 10 percent unemployment rate. There's just one problem: Growth would have to equal 5 percent for all of 2010 just to lower the average jobless rate for the year by 1 percentage point.
Toyota Begins Fixing Accelerators On Recalled Vehicles
February 1, 2010 3:13 am | by Ken Thomas and Tom Krisher, Associated Press Writers | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — Toyota Motor Corp. said Monday its dealers should get parts to fix a sticky gas pedal problem by the end of this week as the automaker apologized to customers and tried to bring an end to a recall that has affected 4.2 million vehicles worldwide. The company said in a statement that it has begun shipping parts and is training dealers on the repairs.
