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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Weath Gap Hits Manufacturing Workers Hard
October 1, 2010 4:46 am | by Jim Fitzgerald and Vicki Smith, Associated Press Writers | CommentsMOUNT VERNON, N.Y. (AP) — A Wall Street adviser leaves early for work to avoid panhandlers at his suburban train station. In coal country, a suddenly homeless man watches from a bench as wealthy women shop for dresses. A down-and-out waitress sits glumly on her stoop across the street from a gleaming suburb.
HP's New CEO Befuddles Investors, Wall Street
October 1, 2010 4:45 am | by Michael Liedtke, AP Technology Writer | CommentsSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Hewlett-Packard Co.'s board upset many investors when it forced out Mark Hurd as CEO nearly two months ago. Now, those directors appear to have baffled Wall Street with its selection of HP's new leader — Leo Apotheker, who lost his job running German business software maker SAP earlier this year after he didn't live up to expectations.
At Paris Auto Show, Gasoline Is Still King
October 1, 2010 4:44 am | by Colleen Barry and Greg Keller, AP Business Writers | CommentsPARIS (AP) — Hybrids and electric cars may get top billing. But at the Paris Auto Show, conventional engines are showing they have plenty of mileage left. New gas and diesel models have carbon emissions not far behind those of hybrids, and there's nothing old-fashioned about their small size and highly efficient internal combustion technology.
Economists Expect Manufacturing Growth In September
October 1, 2010 4:43 am | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — Growth in the manufacturing sector likely continued in September but at a slightly slower pace, economists say. Makers of goods such as PCs, autos, furniture and factory machinery helped pull the economy out from the recession because of overseas sales and strong demand from businesses that needed to replenish their stockpiles of goods.
Boeing Receives $5.3 Billion Fighter Jet Order
September 29, 2010 3:39 am | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — The Navy is ordering $5.3 billion worth of F/A-18 Hornet aircraft from Boeing Co. Boeing says the order is for 124 aircraft to be delivered between 2012 and 2015. The order includes 66 Super Hornets and 58 of its new Growlers, which are two-seat jets equipped with radar-jamming equipment and other gear to knock out a wide array of electronic devices.
HP Paints Rosy Outlook Despite Missing A CEO
September 29, 2010 3:21 am | by Michael Liedtke, AP Technology Writer | CommentsSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Hewlett-Packard Co. offered a rosy financial outlook Tuesday without giving any guidance on the biggest issue hanging over the world's largest technology company: the identity of its next CEO. The leading maker of personal computers and printers has been looking for a new leader since its board pressured Mark Hurd, its CEO of five years, to step down in an early August scandal revolving around allegations of sexual harassment and deceptive expense reports.
Kid's Science Kits May Be No More Thanks To CPSC
September 29, 2010 3:16 am | by Jennifer C. Kerr, Associated Press Writer | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — One of the tools that teachers use to get kids jazzed about science — hands-on science kits — could face an uncertain future amid a debate on safety. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has been mired for weeks in deliberation as it writes guidelines on what makes a product a "children's product.
Caterpillar To Build Mini Excavators In China
September 29, 2010 3:13 am | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — Caterpillar Inc., the world's largest marker of construction and mining equipment, said Wednesday it plans to open a new facility in Wujiang, China, to build mini hydraulic excavators. The company currently supplies Chinese customers with mini excavators produced at a facility in Xuzhou, China, and with machines produced in Sagami, Japan.
Iowa-Based AMS 'Anxious' To Build Electric Cars
September 29, 2010 3:12 am | CommentsWEBSTER CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Webster City company is close to beginning production of electric vehicles. AMS Inc. owner Joe Fleming says the firm is about two weeks away from producing the autos and is putting final preparations in place. The Webster City Freeman Journal reports Tuesday that the company will start out assembling about 38 cars a week and increase that to about 100 cars a week in December.
Warehouse Shooter Quarreled With Woman He Shot 11 Times
September 29, 2010 3:09 am | CommentsCRETE, Neb. (AP) — Investigators say the man who shot three co-workers at a cold-storage warehouse in southeast Nebraska and then fatally shot himself had argued with the woman he shot 11 times. The Saline County Sheriff's office released an update Tuesday on its investigation of the Sept.
Hershey Approves $200 Million Expansion Project
September 29, 2010 3:07 am | CommentsHERSHEY, Pa. (AP) — Chocolate maker Hershey has gained township approval for a $200 million expansion project that would shift production from a century-old plant to a modern facility nearby. Derry Township supervisors on Tuesday approved the final land development plans for the 243,000-square-foot expansion at a plant in West Hershey.
India's Economy Primed To Grow 10 Percent A Year
September 28, 2010 4:47 am | by Vijay Joshi, Associated Press Writer | CommentsKUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — India's economy could easily grow 10 percent a year if the government makes dramatic improvements to infrastructure, boosts productivity and improves education standards, a top Indian policymaker said Tuesday. At a time when developed countries are barely growing, India expects to achieve a growth rate of 8.
California Bans Cadmium In Children's Jewelry
September 28, 2010 4:45 am | by Justin Pritchard, Associated Press Writer | CommentsLOS ANGELES (AP) — California became the largest U.S. state to limit the toxic metal cadmium in children's jewelry on Monday, effectively creating a new national standard ahead of promised federal action. Lawmakers and public health officials have worried that kids who suck or bite jewelry containing cadmium — a known carcinogen — could suffer long-term poisoning, including problems with their kidneys and bones.
RIM Announces 'Enterprise-Ready' Mobile Tablet
September 28, 2010 4:44 am | by Andrew Vanacore, AP Business Writer | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — The company that gave us the BlackBerry — still the dominant phone in corporate circles — thinks its business customers will have room in their briefcases for at least one more device: the PlayBook. Research in Motion Ltd. showed off the tablet for the first time Monday and is set to launch it early 2011, with an international rollout later in the year.
Oracle Sues Chip Makers Over Price-Fixing
September 28, 2010 4:42 am | CommentsBOISE, Idaho (AP) — Oracle Corp. is suing Micron Technology Inc. in federal court, saying the semiconductor maker and other companies artificially inflated prices for microchips. Oracle says Micron and other conspirators, including South Korea's Hynix and Samsung and Germany's Infineon, artificially inflated prices above what Oracle's Sun Microsystems business should have paid for them.
