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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Oil Boom Manufacturing Jumpstarts Washington County, Ga.
July 19, 2010 4:41 am | by S. Heather Duncan, Associated Press Writer | CommentsMACON, Ga. (AP) — The manufacture of booms to help clean up the Gulf oil spill has become a boon to Washington County. The booms manufactured by Meltblown Technologies are used to corral oil floating on the surface and can be linked to form miles of barriers to absorb oil and prevent its spread.
Can Too Much Wind Power Be A Bad Thing?
July 19, 2010 4:39 am | by Ted Sickinger, Associated Press Writer | CommentsPORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — On the afternoon of May 19, in a single chaotic hour, more than a thousand wind turbines in the Columbia River Gorge went from spinning lazily in the breeze to full throttle as a storm rolled east out of Hood River. Suddenly, almost two nuclear plants worth of extra power was sizzling down the lines — the largest hourly spike in wind power the Northwest has ever experienced.
GM Closure, Gulf Spill Create 'Perfect Storm' For La. Economy
July 19, 2010 4:36 am | by Alan Sayre, Associated Press Writer | CommentsNEW ORLEANS (AP) — In the blink of an eye, the economic focus in Louisiana has shifted from recession recovery to avoiding actual and potential job losses piling up at a staggering rate. And there's very little that the state can do: The tally is due to the Obama administration decisions affecting petroleum, defense and space — all coming together in a perfect storm.
GE Nets First Profit Since 2007 On Cost Cutting
July 16, 2010 4:37 am | by Stephen Manning, AP Business Writer | CommentsCost cuts and an improved financial business helped General Electric Co. post its first increase in quarterly profit since 2007, but sales remained sluggish for the industrial giant. The second-quarter results showed that challenges remain for the economy and GE, one of the world's largestindustrial and financial companies.
Ethanol's Time Fading As $6 Billion In Subsidies Expire
July 16, 2010 4:36 am | by Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press Writer | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — The once-popular ethanol industry is scrambling to hold onto billions of dollars in government subsidies, fighting an increasing public skepticism of the corn-based fuel and wariness from lawmakers who may divert the money to other priorities. The industry itself can't agree on how to persuade Congress to keep the subsidies, which now come in the form of tax credits worth about $6 billion annually.
Toyota, Tesla To Co-Develop Electric RAV4
July 16, 2010 4:35 am | CommentsPALO ALTO, Calif. (AP) — Toyota Motor Corp. and electric vehicle upstart Tesla Motors Inc. will work together to develop an electric version of Toyota's RAV4 small crossover vehicle, with plans to begin selling it in the U.S. in 2012, the companies announced Friday. Tesla already is working on the electric power system for the RAV4, which looks like a small sport utility vehicle but is based on a car frame.
BP Stops Gulf Leak With Cap — Don't Celebrate Yet
July 16, 2010 4:34 am | by Colleen Long and Harry R. Weber, Associated Press Writers | CommentsNEW ORLEANS (AP) — BP finally gained control over one of America's biggest environmental catastrophes by placing a carefully fitted cap over a runaway geyser that has been gushing crude into the Gulf of Mexico since early spring, though no one was declaring victory just yet. Engineers, politicians and Gulf residents will watch anxiously over the next day and a half to see if the cap holds.
J&J Lays Off Hundreds To Renovate Tainted Plant
July 16, 2010 4:32 am | by Linda A. Johnson, AP Business Writer | CommentsTRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Johnson & Johnson said Thursday it will lay off most of the staff at a factory idled over repeated recalls of Tylenol and other popular nonprescription medicines. The healthcare giant said it has decided to make a significant investment in the manufacturing facilities, equipment and laboratories at its plant in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania.
Steel Coke Plants Inherently Dangerous, Some Say
July 16, 2010 4:29 am | by Jennifer C. Yates, Associated Press Writer | CommentsPITTSBURGH (AP) — From the outside, a typical coke plant looks like something from a dystopian science-fiction movie: a maze of metal buildings, pipes, conveyer belts and tall smokestacks belching white puffs of smoke and steam into the air. Inside, there's danger seen and unseen: ovens that heat coal to more than 3,000 degrees, massive steel doors for loading the ovens, moving cars and chutes for coal, and gases that can cause cancer or ignite.
White House: Stimulus Saving Millions Of Jobs
July 14, 2010 5:09 am | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — A new White House report says last year's $862 billion stimulus law has now "saved or created" between 2.5 million and 3.6 million jobs. That's up from 2.2 million to 2.8 million in the last quarterly report from the White House Council of Economic Advisers. Christina Romer, head of the council, says in congressional testimony prepared for Wednesday that every $1 from the stimulus bill is matched by $3 in private money.
Ford Edge Sport To Get Mustang V-6
July 14, 2010 5:04 am | by Dee-Ann Durbin, AP Auto Writer | CommentsDETROIT (AP) — The Ford Edge Sport is getting sportier with a new engine swiped from the Ford Mustang. Ford Motor Co. said Wednesday that the 2011 Ford Edge Sport — the high-performance version of the Edge, which is one of the country's top-selling mid-size crossovers — will have the same engine as the Mustang sports car.
DoT Says Many Toyota Accidents Due To Driver Error
July 14, 2010 4:50 am | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — The Department of Transportation has analyzed dozens of black boxes in Toyota vehicles involved in accidents blamed on unintended acceleration, finding the throttles were open and the brakes were not engaged, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. That suggests that drivers of the speeding cars were stepping on the accelerator rather than hitting the brakes.
Automakers Battle For Mid-Size MPG Trophy
July 14, 2010 4:47 am | by Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writer | CommentsDETROIT (AP) — To improve gas mileage, automakers are tweaking cars and trucks between model years, especially in the cost-conscious and popular market for midsize sedans. Honda Motor Co. recently announced changes in its Accord sedan that boosted highway mileage by almost 10 percent from the 2010 to 2011 model years.
GM To Guarantee Battery Packs Longer Than Engines
July 14, 2010 4:38 am | CommentsDETROIT (AP) — General Motors Co. will guarantee the battery in the Chevrolet Volt electric car for a longer period than its conventional car warranties, according to a person briefed on the plans. GM guarantees conventional car engines and transmissions for five years or 100,000 miles, but will guarantee the Volt battery for longer, the person said, who did not want to be identified because an announcement was scheduled Wednesday afternoon at the company's battery pack assembly plant south of Detroit.
Five Men Burned By Hot Tar At Asphalt Plant
July 14, 2010 4:36 am | CommentsWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say five men were taken to hospitals after being burned at an asphalt plant in Wichita. KFDI reports two of the men were flown to a hospital with critical burns following the accident Tuesday afternoon at Shilling Construction Co. The other three were taken to hospitals by ambulance.
