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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Govt. Aims To Up Fuel Economy Ante Past 2016
May 21, 2010 4:36 am | by Erica Werner, Associated Press Writer | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — Looking to a day when cars and trucks use far less gasoline or none at all, President Barack Obama plans to order the government to prepare fuel efficiency standards for many years from now and renew its focus on electric-powered vehicles. Obama is also asking federal agencies to extend a national fuel-efficiency program to big rig and work trucks for the first time, beginning in 2014.
Obama Pushes For More Nuclear Power
May 21, 2010 4:28 am | by Erica Werner, Associated Press Writer | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is poised to ask Congress to agree to $9 billion more in loan guarantees for the nuclear energy industry, a Democratic aide said Thursday, in a renewed push for nuclear power as the growing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico highlights the risks of fossil fuel production.
PepsiCo To Invest $2.5 Billion In Chinese Manufacturing
May 21, 2010 4:15 am | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — PepsiCo Inc. said Friday that it plans to invest an additional $2.5 billion in China in the next three years on new plants and research facilities as the food and beverage maker builds up its presence in the growing market. The company made the announcement in a news release Friday from Shanghai, site of the Shanghai Expo, where PepsiCo is a sponsor of the USA Pavilion.
Polaris Moves Wisconsin Jobs To Mexico
May 21, 2010 4:13 am | CommentsOSCEOLA, Wis. (AP) — Polaris Industries Inc. says it will shut down its parts plant in the western Wisconsin city of Osceola (ahss-see-OH'-luh). The Medina, Minn.-based maker of snowmobiles, ATVs and Victory motorcycles says it's moving many of the operations to a new facility in the Monterrey-Saltillo area of Mexico.
More Suicides Plague Foxconn's Manufacturing Workers
May 21, 2010 4:12 am | by William Foreman, Associated Press Writer | CommentsGUANGZHOU, China (AP) — A worker at Foxconn Technology Group, which makes iPhones and iPads, jumped to his death Friday from a building in the southern Chinese boomtown of Shenzhen — the ninth suicide this year at the world's largest contract maker of electronics, state-run media reported.
Tesla And Toyota Announce NUMMI Joint-Venture
May 21, 2010 4:09 am | by Daisy Nguyen, Associated Press Writer | CommentsLOS ANGELES (AP) — The heads of Tesla Motors Inc. and Toyota Motors Corp. surprised the auto world Thursday by announcing a partnership to develop and build electric cars at a recently shuttered auto plant in the San Francisco Bay area. Akio Toyoda, CEO of the world's largest automaker, said Toyota will invest $50 million in Tesla when the company begins selling stock to the public, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk said his company will purchase the New United Motor Manufacturing Inc.
Nissan To Recall 48,700 Trucks And SUVs
May 19, 2010 4:53 am | CommentsJACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Nissan Motor Co. is planning to recall 48,700 trucks and sport utility vehicles for problems with a suspension part that could lead to a rough ride. Spokesman Colin Price says the company is working on details with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and expects the recall to begin this week.
EU Fines Memory Chip Cartel $403 Million
May 19, 2010 4:46 am | by Raf Casert, Associated Press Writer | CommentsBRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union fined 10 producers of memory chips, including Samsung, a combined euro331 million ($403 million) on Wednesday for colluding in a price-fixing cartel. The EU Commission said that the companies, mostly non-European, rigged the market between 1998 and 2002 by sharing secret information which allowed them to set prices and quotations for Dynamic Random Access Memory chips in Europe.
Ex-Hummer Manufacturer Goes 'Green' With Electric Transit
May 19, 2010 4:37 am | by Dee-Ann Durbin, AP Auto Writer | CommentsDETROIT (AP) — AM General LLC, best known as the maker of hulking Humvees and gas-guzzling Hummers, is going greener with a new foray into the electric vehicle business. The South Bend, Ind., company will handle final assembly of Ford Motor Co.'s electric Transit Connect commercial vans, which will go on sale next spring.
Geithner Pushes China On Currency, Intellectual Property Issues
May 19, 2010 4:36 am | by George Tibbits, Associated Press Writer | CommentsTACOMA, Wash. (AP) — U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner visited some of the top exporters in Washington state on Tuesday in advance of a trip to encourage China to open more of its markets to American companies and their products. After going to Boeing Co.'s 737 jetliner plant in Renton, Geithner and Gov.
Military Robots Become A Soldier's Lifesaver
May 19, 2010 4:34 am | by Verena Schmitt-Roschmann, Associated Press Writer | CommentsHAMMELBURG, Germany (AP) — On the outside, it looks like a normal SUV. But the prototype "autonomous robot car" — fitted with sensors and scanners, multifocal camera systems and powerful computers — might one day help avoid military fatalities from bombings and ambushes — or so its designers hope.
Deere Finds Green With 16 Percent Profit Jump
May 19, 2010 4:33 am | by Josh Funk, AP Business Writer | CommentsDeere & Co. said Wednesday that its second-quarter profit jumped 16 percent as sales of farm and construction equipment improved, so the maker of iconic green and yellow machinery raised its outlook for the second time this year. The Moline, Ill.-based company said it generated $547.5 million in net income, or $1.
State Of The Economy: Some Ups, Some Downs
May 18, 2010 5:02 am | by Martin Crutsinger, AP Economics Writer | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — Prices at the wholesale level fell in April, reflecting declines in energy and food. The Labor Department said Tuesday that wholesale prices edged down 0.1 percent last month, the second decline in the past three months. Core inflation, which excludes energy and food, rose 0.
Turbine Manufacturer To Open Shop In Sioux City
May 18, 2010 4:34 am | CommentsSIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — An Arizona-based company says it wants to open a wind turbine blade plant in Sioux City, which has recently suffered large layoffs. Sioux City officials and TPI Composites say in state documents that the company wants to open a 250,000-square-foot factory that would employ 500 workers.
Officials Promote U.S. Exports During Trip To China
May 18, 2010 4:33 am | by Elaine Kurtenbach, AP Business Writer | CommentsSHANGHAI (AP) — U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke led his first trade mission to China's financial center Tuesday, working to deliver on President Barack Obama's pledge to double U.S. exports and create 2 million jobs. The visit to China, ahead of an annual economic dialogue, comes as both countries seek to smooth trade tensions and cultivate new business opportunities while grappling with uncertainties revived by the European financial crisis.
