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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Manufactured Goods Decline 1.4 Percent In May
July 2, 2010 6:40 am | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — Orders to U.S. factories declined broadly in May after nine straight months of gains. The Commerce Department says orders for manufactured goods decreased by 1.4 percent in May. It was the biggest drop since March 2009. Excluding the volatile transportation sector, orders fell by 0.
F-Series Still Top-Selling Vehicle, Foreigns Strong
July 2, 2010 5:52 am | CommentsDETROIT (AP) — Automakers released June U.S. sales figures last Thursday. These were the top-selling vehicles, as well as the percent change in sales from June 2009. Vehicle June 2010 sales Percent change Ford F-series 46,502 29.5 percent Chevrolet Silverado 30,994 25.
ArcelorMittal: Forget The Law, No Guns At Our Mills
July 2, 2010 5:47 am | by Charles Wilson, Associated Press Writer | CommentsINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A new state law that went into effect on Thursday allowing employees to keep guns locked and out of sight in their vehicles while parked at work caused some confusion as the Indiana Chamber of Commerce weighed the possibility of a legal challenge. One steel company told workers at two northwestern Indiana mills that they were not permitted to bring guns onto its property despite the new law.
Wind Power Is Still Possible, Just Think Small-Scale
July 2, 2010 4:58 am | by Steve Everly, Associated Press Writer | CommentsKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — If Abigail Stutzman has anything to say about it, small wind turbines will someday dot backyards across the Midwest. The fifth-grader at Starside Elementary School in De Soto has an interest in the environment, including helping to recycle much of her family's trash.
The Blind Driving The Blind
July 2, 2010 4:38 am | by Ken Thomas, Associated Press Writer | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — Could a blind person drive a car? Researchers are trying to make that far-fetched notion a reality. The National Federation of the Blind and Virginia Tech plan to demonstrate a prototype vehicle next year equipped with technology that helps a blind person drive a car independently.
Toshiba To Build Batteries For Future Mitsubishi EVs
July 2, 2010 4:32 am | by Yuri Kageyama, AP Business Writer | CommentsTOKYO (AP) — Japanese electronics maker Toshiba Corp. said Friday it's jumping into the battery business for electric vehicles in a development deal with Mitsubishi Motors Corp. It's the first EV battery deal with a major automaker for Toshiba, which already makes batteries for laptops and cell phones, said company spokesman Ken Shinjo.
GM: China A Better Market Than The U.S.
July 2, 2010 4:30 am | CommentsSHANGHAI (AP) — General Motors Co. says its first-half sales of vehicles in China overtook the U.S. for the first time amid a fitful recovery in American demand. The 1.21 million GM-brand vehicles sold in China in January to June — a near 50 percent gain over a year earlier — compared with 1.
Unemployment Drops, Manufacturing Pitches In
July 2, 2010 4:29 am | by Christopher S. Rugaber, AP Economics Writer | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — A wave of census layoffs cut the nation's payrolls in June for the first time in six months, while private employers added a modest number of jobs. The unemployment rate fell to 9.5 percent, its lowest level in almost a year. Employers cut 125,000 jobs last month, the most since October, the Labor Department said Friday.
Jackpot Winners Won't Quit Working For Chrysler
July 2, 2010 4:27 am | by John Seewer, Associated Press Writer | CommentsCURTICE, Ohio (AP) — A year ago, William Shanteau and his 13 co-workers at a Detroit auto plant were worried their jobs could be gone at any moment. Now they're all millionaires after winning a share of last week's $96.9 million Powerball drawing. Most of the group from the paint shop at a Chrysler plant that makes Jeep Grand Cherokees still plan to keep working, Shanteau said Thursday after working a 12-hour shift.
Indiana Manufacturer Battles Guns-At-Work Law
July 1, 2010 12:06 pm | CommentsINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A northwestern Indiana steel company is disregarding a new state law that lets workers bring their guns to work, while other businesses are weighing a possible legal challenge. A memo to ArcelorMittal workers in East Chicago and Burns Harbor says that federal law pre-empts the state law and that the company will strictly enforce its firearms ban.
Indiana Manufacturer Battles Lifted Handgun Ban
July 1, 2010 12:06 pm | CommentsINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A northwestern Indiana steel company is disregarding a new state law that lets workers bring their guns to work, while other businesses are weighing a possible legal challenge. A memo to ArcelorMittal workers in East Chicago and Burns Harbor says that federal law pre-empts the state law and that the company will strictly enforce its firearms ban.
Seafood Supply Chains Jump 'Sideways' To Avoid Gulf
July 1, 2010 11:00 am | by Michael Hill, Associated Press Writer | CommentsGREEN ISLAND, N.Y. (AP) — At the Carioto Produce and Seafood warehouse, shrimp from India and Vietnam stock the freezer, while a refrigerated aisle is stacked with bags of clams from Rhode Island, cockles from New Zealand, a fresh 5-pound fillet of lane snapper from Nicaragua and mahi-mahi from Ecuador.
Makeup Can't Cover Manipulation In L'Oreal Case
July 1, 2010 10:59 am | by Angela Doland, Associated Press Writer | CommentsNANTERRE, France (AP) — Judges on Thursday postponed a highly awaited trial on whether a schemer manipulated France's richest woman out of euro1 billion ($1.2 billion) after secret recordings emerged suggesting the L'Oreal heiress was evading taxes by keeping millions in Swiss bank accounts. The recordings have implications that reach beyond the trial, shaking the highest echelons of power in France and embarrassing the government — in part because the wife of a leading minister worked for the company managing Liliane Bettencourt's fortune.
P & G To Make Fashionable Diapers
June 30, 2010 5:04 am | by Dan Sewell, AP Business Writer | CommentsCINCINNATI (AP) — The Procter & Gamble Co. is aiming to make disposable diapers fashionable. Popular designer Cynthia Rowley has designed 11 styles of Pampers, including pastels, stripes, madras and ruffles. P&G says they'll be offered in Target Corp. stores beginning in mid-July.
Sony Recalls 535,000 Overheating, Warping Laptops
June 30, 2010 4:57 am | CommentsTOKYO (AP) — Sony Corp. said Wednesday that it has started providing free software updates to more than half a million users worldwide to fix a glitch that could cause overheating in its popular VAIO laptops. So far, no injuries have been reported, but the Tokyo-based electronics company said it has received a total of 39 problem reports, including 26 in the U.
