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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Hyundai's Montgomery Plant Sets Monthly Production Record
April 2, 2010 4:29 am | CommentsMONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Montgomery's Hyundai plant reports that it produced more vehicles in March than ever before in a single month. A preliminary report says the plant produced more than 28,000 vehicles last month. That broke the plantrecord of 27,157 set in May 2007.
French Workers Protest Plant Closure With Bomb Threats
April 2, 2010 4:27 am | CommentsCREPY-EN-VALOIS, France (AP) — Workers at a factory north of Paris are threatening to set fire to a huge gas tank to protest the planned closure of the factory. About 50 workers at Sodimatex, which makes car rugs, have been occupying the site in Crepy-en-Valois since Thursday. They want to pressure the company for better compensation.
Last Corolla Rolls Off Nummi Assembly Line
April 2, 2010 4:25 am | by Brooke Donald, Associated Press Writer | CommentsFREMONT, Calif. (AP) — California's sole auto plant shut down Thursday as the last car rolled off the assembly line and thousands of now unemployed workers walked out the doors, some crying. A red Toyota Corolla was the last of nearly 8 million vehicles that have moved through production at New United Motor Manufacturing Inc.
OSHA Fines Bimbo Bakeries $230,000
April 2, 2010 4:23 am | CommentsLOS ANGELES (AP) — State regulators have fined Bimbo Bakeries more than $230,000 for violations of health and safety laws at three of its California plants. The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health said Thursday that citations were issued at Bimbo Bakeries in Montebello, Escondido and South San Francisco.
Accident Kills Two At Kansas Fertilizer Plant
April 2, 2010 4:22 am | CommentsLAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — An industrial accident at a Kansas fertilizer plant has left two workers dead and another injured. The incident occurred around 2:30 p.m. Thursday at the MagnaGro International plant in Lawrence. Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical Chief Mark Bradford says a worker fell into a tank of a nonhazardous substance he wouldn't identify.
Neb. CommScope Manufacturing Shut Down
March 31, 2010 8:17 am | CommentsOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — CommScope Inc. has announced it will close its Omaha plant late next year, eliminating about 400 manufacturing jobs. The Omaha plant, operating as a Connectivity Solutions Manufacturing Inc. subsidiary, manufactures parts used in cable networks. CommScope said Wednesday those operations would be relocated to its other U.
GM, DOE Partner On Jatropha Biofuel Research
March 31, 2010 4:48 am | CommentsDETROIT (AP) — General Motors Co. will spend the next five years working with federal authorities to study whether oil from a weed can become a sustainable source for biodiesel, the automotive company said Tuesday. The partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy will study whether the jatropha plant can be a dependable biofuel crop.
Body Parts Found At Medical Waste Company
March 31, 2010 4:39 am | by Maria Sudekum Fisher, Associated Press Writer | CommentsKANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Officials in Kansas have been trying to identify several body parts, including six heads, found in a truck at a medical waste company. The body parts were found last week in 12 large red plastic tubs inside a delivery truck at Stericycle Inc., a company that disposes of medical waste.
Feds Investigate Boston Scientific Defibrillator Recall
March 31, 2010 4:34 am | by Tom Murphy, AP Business Writer | CommentsNATICK, Mass. (AP) — Investors shrugged off a report Tuesday that medical device maker Boston Scientific could face a fresh wave of regulatory problems thanks to a product recall investigation. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission are looking into the recent recall of defibrillators.
Nissan Electric 'Leaf' To Cost $25,000 In U.S.
March 31, 2010 4:31 am | by Dan Strumpf and Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writers | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — Nissan's new electric car will cost just over $25,000 when it goes on sale in the U.S. in December, aiming to bring gasoline-free technology within reach of mainstream drivers. The Leaf, a four-door hatchback, will have a base price of $32,780, but it's eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit for electric vehicles.
Ford Enters Luxury Hybrid Market With Lincoln MKZ
March 31, 2010 4:28 am | by Dee-Ann Durbin, AP Auto Writer | CommentsDETROIT (AP) — Ford Motor Co. will become a player in the small market for luxury hybrids this fall when it launches its first Lincoln hybrid, a gas-electric version of the 2011 Lincoln MKZ. Ford says the hybrid MKZ — to be introduced Wednesday at the New York International Auto Show — will be the most fuel-efficient luxury sedan on the market, getting an estimated 41 miles per gallon in city driving.
Toyota's March Sales Jump 35 Percent
March 31, 2010 4:12 am | CommentsNEW YORK (Kyodo) — Toyota Motor Corp's U.S. sales rocketed about 35 percent in March from a year before after Japan's top automaker offered sharp discounts to lure back consumers after massive recalls, U.S. media reported Tuesday. The forecast was provided by Jim Lentz, president of Toyota Motor Sales U.
Nine Arrested For Drug Use At N.C. Goodyear Plant
March 31, 2010 4:08 am | CommentsFAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Sheriff's deputies have arrested nine employees at a North Carolina tire plant on drug charges after an undercover investigation prompted by employees' concerns. The Fayetteville Observer reported Wednesday that agents posing as Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.
Laid Off Workers Win Appeal Over 'English-Only' Plant
March 30, 2010 5:04 am | CommentsFresno, Calif. (AP) — A Federal appeals court has ordered a new trial for nearly two dozen women who were laid off from a Fresno plant for failing to get a perfect score on an English-only skills test. The workers had sued NIBCO Inc., an Indiana-based irrigation systems manufacturer, in 1999.
Elkhart RV Manufacturer Expands, Adds 265 Jobs
March 30, 2010 5:02 am | CommentsELKHART, Ind. (AP) — A northern Indiana recreational vehicle manufacturer is expanding its Elkhart operations and plans to hire up to 265 new workers by 2013. Heartland Recreational Vehicles LLC announced Monday that it will invest more than $2.6 million to buy and equip a 125,000 square-foot manufacturing complex in Elkhart.
