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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Daimler AG: Mercedes Benz, Meet Alabama
December 2, 2009 3:21 am | by George Frey, AP Business Writer | CommentsDecember 2, 2009 FRANKFURT (AP) — German carmaker Daimler AG said Wednesday it will move some of its Mercedes Benz C-Class car production to its Tuscaloosa, Ala., plant to take advantage of a growing market, lower production costs and to avoid currency fluctuations. Daimler said production of the new generation of the C-Class should start there in 2014.
Northrop Abandoning $35b DOD Tanker Battle
December 2, 2009 3:15 am | by Joshua Freed, AP Business Writer | CommentsDecember 2, 2009 Northrop Grumman Corp. said on Tuesday it won't bid on a huge contract to make a new Air Force tanker plane unless the Defense Department changes the rules. Northrop has been tussling for years with Boeing Co. over a contract worth at least $35 billion to build 179 new Air Force tankers.
Another Recession Possible For Midwest
December 1, 2009 4:12 am | CommentsOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Rural areas in middle America are being hit particularly hard by what could be another dip into recession for the region, according to a survey of business leaders and supply managers in nine Midwest and Plains states released Tuesday. November's Business Conditions Index for the Mid-America region stood at 47.
Newsprint Plant Still Running Despite Steep Declines
December 1, 2009 3:59 am | by Ruth Jensen | CommentsGRENADA, Miss. (AP) — The AbitibiBowater newsprint plant in Grenada now employs 181 people — its lowest number on record — but Manager Wade Taylor says they "have been willing to do whatever is necessary to keep the plant going." Newsprint sales have been shrinking over the years, and this year was difficult, Taylor said.
Sharp Showcases New LCD Plant, 'Mother Glass'
December 1, 2009 3:50 am | CommentsSAKAI, Japan (AP) — Huge sheets of glass are guided by robotic arms, sliding and turning in a towering germ-free plant, the world's first making giant "10th generation" panels for flat screen TVs. Japanese electronics maker Sharp Corp.'s futuristic-looking plant doesn't have a single worker on the floor.
Boeing Completes 'Important Milestone' In 787 Hoopla
December 1, 2009 3:43 am | CommentsHARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Boeing Co. has completed a key test of the long-expected 787 jetliner, which an analyst called an "important sign of progress" Tuesday. The Chicago-based aerospace giant said Monday it completed the test, five months after it delayed the first test flight and said it needed to reinforce small areas near the connection of the wings and fuselage.
Mysterious Slaughterhouse Illness? Pig Brain Mist
December 1, 2009 3:34 am | by Chris Williams, Associated Press Writer | CommentsMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Doctors at the Mayo Clinic and government public health experts have confirmed the mysterious illnesses in 24 slaughterhouse workers in Minnesota and Indiana from 2006 to 2008 was caused by an autoimmune response to a mist of pig brain tissue. Their article was published Monday in the British medical journal Lancet Neurology.
Nokia Sues Bevy Of LCD Makers For Price Fixing
December 1, 2009 3:20 am | by Matti Huuhtanen, Associated Press Writer | CommentsHELSINKI (AP) — Nokia Corp., the world's biggest mobile phone maker, said Tuesday it has filed suits against several leading liquid crystal display makers — including Philips, Toshiba, Sharp and Samsung — for alleged price fixing. Nokia spokesman Mark Durrant said the suits — filed last month in the United States and Britain — came amid international criminal investigations in the U.
The Real 'Twelve Days' Cost Of Christmas: $87,403
November 30, 2009 4:04 am | by Dan Nephin, Associated Press Writer | CommentsPITTSBURGH (AP) — Making one's true love happy will cost a whopping $87,403 this year, a minuscule increase from last year, according to the latest cost analysis of the items in the carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas." That's the grand total for the single partridge in a pear tree to the 12 drummers drumming, purchased repeatedly as the song suggests, according to the annual "Christmas Price Index" compiled by PNC Wealth Management.
Employers Play Dr. Mom Over Swine Flu Threats
November 30, 2009 4:00 am | CommentsTRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Big businesses are spending serious time and money trying to limit the swine flu pandemic's impact on operations, from bankrolling video on good hygiene to training employees to cover for co-workers with critical jobs. Companies from health insurer UnitedHealth Group Inc.
Hyundai's Montgomery Plant Reaches Milestone
November 30, 2009 3:53 am | CommentsMONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A white Sonata getting the finishing touches at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama is the 1 millionth vehicle produced at the plant. The vehicle was at the center of attention from plant officials and the company's supply chain as it headed for completion on Monday.
German Workers Fight Against Mercedes Move To U.S.
November 30, 2009 3:49 am | CommentsFRANKFURT (AP) — About 10,000 workers at German carmaker Daimler AG's Sindelfingen plant gathered Monday to ask management not to send production of its C-Class Mercedes cars to the U.S., a move the company is considering to take advantage of lower production costs and to avoid currency fluctuations.
Caterpillar Expands Operations To S. Korea With Acquisition
November 30, 2009 3:35 am | CommentsPEORIA, Ill. (AP) — Caterpillar Inc. said Monday it plans to buy a subsidiary of a South Korean manufacturer of components for earthmoving and other machinery. The world's largest maker of mining and construction equipment says it will acquire JCS Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Jinsung T.
India Still Reeling From Bhopal Industrial Accident
November 30, 2009 3:33 am | by Muneeza Naqvi, Associated Press Writer | CommentsBHOPAL, India (AP) — Hazra Bi wishes she could forget. But her damaged family is a living reminder of that December night 25 years ago when lethal gas leaked from a pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, in the worst industrial disaster the world has ever seen. The gas that swept through her poor neighborhood left her nearly blind in one eye, menopausal at 36, with searing headaches and breathlessness.
Automakers Up MPG Ratings, But Only Slightly
November 20, 2009 10:07 am | by Ken Thomas, Associated Press Writer | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — The fleet of new cars and trucks sold to U.S. consumers averaged 21 miles per gallon in the 2008 model year, a modest increase over the previous year, the Environmental Protection Agency reported Friday. New vehicle fuel efficiency improved 2 percent in 2008 from 20.
