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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Appeals Court Strikes Down Union Poster Rule
May 8, 2013 10:11 am | by Sam Hananel, Associated Press | CommentsIn another blow to the nation's dwindling labor unions, an appeals court struck down a federal rule that would have required millions of businesses to put up posters informing workers of their right to form a union. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said the NLRB violated employers' free speech rights in in trying to force them to display the posters or face charges of committing an unfair labor practice.
GM To Open Cadillac Plant In China
May 8, 2013 10:08 am | by Dee-Ann Durbin, AP Auto Writer | CommentsGeneral Motors Co. confirms that it's building a new Cadillac factory in China. GM will start building the $1.3 billion plant next month in Shanghai's Jinqiao zone. It will produce 150,000 vehicles per year. The auto maker recently received regulatory approval for the new plant.
Investigation Retraces Lines Of TX Plant Blast
May 8, 2013 10:07 am | by Nomaan Merchant, Associated Press | CommentsAlmost a month into their review of the deadly blast at a Texas fertilizer plant, investigators are hoping to draw a picture from the air of how the plant looked before the explosion and compare it to the 93-foot-wide crater that's there now.
Subaru Invests $400M In Indiana Plant
May 8, 2013 10:05 am | by Yuri Kageyama, AP Business Writer | CommentsSubaru said Wednesday it is investing $400 million to expand its Indiana factory and will add 900 workers to build the Impreza small car there in 2016. The plant now employs about 3,600 people and builds the Legacy and Outback cars and the Tribeca SUV. It also builds the Camry midsize car under contract with Toyota Motor Corp., the top shareholder in Subaru with a 16.5 percent stake.
Siemens Launches Job Training Program For U.S. Vets
May 8, 2013 10:04 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsA job training initiative is being offered in the Detroit area to help military veterans with engineering and manufacturing backgrounds transition to the civilian workforce. Siemens Corp. says the program was launched by Siemens' product lifecycle management software business in 22 cities across the country.
U.S. Job Postings Fell In March; Hiring Slowed
May 7, 2013 2:33 pm | by Christopher S. Rugaber, AP Economics Writer | CommentsU.S. employers posted fewer job openings in March compared with February and slowed overall hiring, underscoring a weak month of job growth. The Labor Department said Tuesday that job openings fell 1.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted 3.8 million jobs. Total hiring declined 4.3 percent to 4.3 million.
Lawsuit: Intel Worker Subjected To 'Kick Me' Prank
May 7, 2013 2:31 pm | by Russell Contreras, Associated Press | CommentsIntel workers secretly taped a "Kick Me" sign to the back of a co-worker as a prank, then kicked the confused man a number of times as employees at the Rio Rancho Intel plant laughed hysterically at the episode, according to a federal lawsuit.
GM Recalls 38K Cars For Battery Control Defect
May 7, 2013 2:29 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsGeneral Motors Co. is recalling 38,197 Chevrolet Malibu Eco, Buick LaCrosse and Buick Regal sedans in the U.S. because a defective battery control module could stall the engine or cause a fire. Vehicles from the 2012 and 2013 model years equipped with GM's eAssist hybrid system are affected. Vehicles built after December 2012 are not part of the recall.
NRC: 'Very Slightly Radioactive Water' Enters Lake
May 7, 2013 2:28 pm | by David N. Goodman, Associated Press | CommentsSeventy-nine gallons of "very slightly radioactive water" from a leaky tank at Entergy Corp.'s troubled Palisades Nuclear Power Plant spilled into Lake Michigan, a Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokeswoman said Monday. There is no risk to human health because the radioactive material was further diluted when it entered a storage basin before flowing into the lake, NRC spokeswoman Viktoria Mitlyng told The Associated Press.
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.
