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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Trade Deficit Surges To $40 Billion In December
February 11, 2010 8:36 am | by Martin Crutsinger, AP Economics Writer | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. trade deficit surged to a larger-than-expected $40.18 billion in December, the biggest imbalance in 12 months. The wider deficit reflected a rebounding economy that is pushing up demand for imports. The Commerce Department said the December deficit was 10.4 percent higher than the November imbalance.
Governors To Congress: Be Fair To Toyota
February 11, 2010 4:36 am | by Roger Alford, Associated Press Writer | CommentsFRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Four governors of states with Toyota plants called Wednesday for Congress to be fair to the automaker in hearings concerning safety recalls. Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and Alabama Gov. Bob Riley asked in a letter Wednesday that Toyota get "a responsible and fair response from the federal government.
Grainger Announces 2010 Catalog, 300,000 MRO Products
February 10, 2010 8:55 am | CommentsLAKE FOREST, IL (Feb. 8, 2010) — Grainger (NYSE: GWW), North America’s leading distributor of facilities maintenance supplies, today announced the release of its 2010 catalog including more than 300,000 maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) products, the company’s largest offering yet.
Contractors May Compromise Investigation At Middletown Site
February 10, 2010 6:58 am | CommentsMIDDLETOWN, Conn. (AP) — A federal investigator says employees of the main contractor at a Connecticut power plant that exploded have had unfettered access to the site and could compromise probes into the deadly blast. Don Holmstrom, the lead investigator for the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, says he's concerned that employees of O&G Industries could unintentionally alter the scene at the Kleen Energy Systems plant in Middletown.
Twin River Chicken Processing Plant To Close In April
February 10, 2010 4:00 am | CommentsNEOSHO, Mo. (AP) — The owners of the Twin Rivers Foods plant in Neosho says it will close on April 6, costing 485 workers their jobs. The Fayetteville, Ark.-based company's human resources director, Doug Quillen, notified the state on Tuesday of plans to close the chicken deboning plant. The Joplin Globe reports that in a letter to the state, Quillen said the closing would be permanent.
Workers Lobby For Toyota's Reputation, Mourn Personal Failure
February 10, 2010 3:51 am | Commentsby Larry Margasak, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Jim Shuker, who tests vehicles for Toyota, says he feels so strongly about quality that he believes he personally failed by not finding the company's acceleration problem. Shuker was among 23 Toyota workers from across the country who were flown to Washington at company expense to fight Tuesday for their employer's reputation.
Toyota Turns Down Award For Prius, Cites Recalls
February 10, 2010 3:47 am | by Mari Yamaguchi,Associated Press Writer | CommentsTOKYO (AP) — Toyota has declined to accept a Japanese government energy efficiency award given to its hybrid Prius, saying Wednesday the honor is not appropriate for a car hit by massive recalls. The Prius was one of the three products that won the annual trade minister's grand prize for energy efficiency and ecological quality, said Hiroshi Tsuchiya, an official with the government's energy agency.
Toyota Turns Down Awards For Prius, Cites Recalls
February 10, 2010 3:47 am | by Mari Yamaguchi,Associated Press Writer | CommentsTOKYO (AP) — Toyota has declined to accept a Japanese government energy efficiency award given to its hybrid Prius, saying Wednesday the honor is not appropriate for a car hit by massive recalls. The Prius was one of the three products that won the annual trade minister's grand prize for energy efficiency and ecological quality, said Hiroshi Tsuchiya, an official with the government's energy agency.
Airgas Board Rejects 'Bargain Basement' Buyout
February 10, 2010 3:30 am | CommentsRADNOR, Pa. (AP) — Industrial gas supplier Airgas Inc. on Tuesday rejected the unsolicited $5 billion buyout bid from larger rival Air Products and Chemicals Inc., calling it a "bargain basement price." In a letter to Air Products CEO John McGlade, Airgas said the $60 per share offer, as well as an earlier bid of $62 per share, "grossly" undervalues the company.
Honda Expands 15-Month Air Bag Recall
February 10, 2010 3:30 am | Commentsby Malcolm Foster, Associated Press Writer TOKYO (AP) — Honda's expansion of its global recall for faulty air bags suggests automakers are turning cautious amid consumer scrutiny of Toyota's safety lapses, a trend that could see more recalls in the coming months. Honda Motor Co., Japan's No.
China Charges Rio Tinto Workers With Theft, Bribery
February 10, 2010 3:29 am | by Joe McDonald, AP Business Writer | CommentsBEIJING (AP) — China will put an Australian national and three other detained employees of mining giant Rio Tinto Ltd. on trial on charges of stealing commercial secrets and taking bribes, a state news agency said Wednesday. The four Rio employees were detained in July during contentious iron ore price talks with China's steel industry group.
Mill Workers Agree To Cuts With A 'Gun To Their Heads'
February 9, 2010 4:02 am | CommentsMADAWASKA, Maine (AP) — Unionized workers at a Madawaska paper mill will see their paychecks cut by eight and a half percent as part of a new contract mill management says is needed to keep the facility from closing. Officials with the United Steel workers say about 65 percent of the 460 members from the Fraser Papers Inc.
Recalls Compound Dangers Of Panicked Drivers
February 9, 2010 3:51 am | by Dee-Ann Durbin, AP Auto Writer | CommentsDETROIT (AP) — You're driving down the highway and suddenly your car starts accelerating on its own. Knuckles white, going from 60 to 90 miles an hour in a couple of seconds, you do what comes naturally — hit the brakes. But what if the car keeps going? There are options: Put the car in neutral, or in park, or switch off the ignition.
Residents Awarded $117,000 Against Messy Smelter
February 9, 2010 3:45 am | CommentsDETROIT (AP) — A jury has awarded $117,000 in damages and $220,000 for legal and other fees to neighbors of a lead smelting company that once operated in northeast Detroit. The Detroit Free Press reports the Wayne County jury reached its decision Monday in a lawsuit against NL Industries, which ran Master Metals until 1974.
WTO: U.S.-China Protectionism Damaging Global Trade
February 9, 2010 3:43 am | by Rod McGuirk, Associated Press Writer | CommentsCANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The global economic crisis has not led to a return to trade protectionism to the extent feared, but free trade remains under threat, the World Trade Organization's director general said Tuesday. "I still believe we're not out of the woods, but this notion that for the moment .
