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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
U.S. Trade Deficit Falls To $38.8B In March
May 2, 2013 2:11 pm | by Martin Crutsinger, AP Economics Writer | CommentsThe U.S. trade deficit narrowed in March for a second month as the daily flow of imported crude oil dropped to the lowest level in 17 years. The deficit with China hit a three-year low. The trade deficit decreased to $38.8 billion, an 11 percent drop from February's $43.6 billion, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.
Ford Adding 2,000 Workers To MO Plant
May 2, 2013 2:10 pm | by Dee-Ann Durbin, Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writers | CommentsFord Motor Co. said Thursday that it's adding 2,000 workers to the Missouri plant that makes the F-150 pickup because of surging U.S. truck demand. The company plans to add a shift with 900 workers in the third quarter of this year to make pickups. That's in addition to the 1,100 workers Ford will hire to make the new Transit van. Those workers will start in the fourth quarter.
Steel Firm To Add Jobs To Supply CAT Plant
May 2, 2013 2:08 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsA steel fabricator plans to add more than 150 jobs over the next three years at its Dawson County plant, company executives said, to supply parts for a new Caterpillar production facility near Athens. The Times of Gainesville reported that Impulse Manufacturing will produce parts for several small excavators that will be produced at the new Caterpillar plant.
Quincy Compressor Acquires Four National Pump & Compressor Midwest Branches
May 2, 2013 12:40 pm | by Quincy Compressor | CommentsQuincy Compressor has acquired the assets of four National Pump & Compressor’s (NPC) branches in the state of Illinois. Formerly operating as Cochrane Compressor and acquired by NPC in 2009, the acquired company has been a Quincy distributor for more than 60 years.
Michigan Manufacturing International: A New Name, New Web Site
May 1, 2013 2:41 pm | by Michigan Manufacturing International | CommentsMichigan Mechanical, a broad line supplier of high-quality mechanical assemblies and components, is pleased to announce the company’s new name: Michigan Manufacturing International (MMI). The new name provides a more accurate description of the company’s services and reflects its global presence.
Greenlee Textron Acquires Sherman & Reilly, Inc.
May 1, 2013 2:33 pm | CommentsIn a strategic move to broaden its position in the utility segment, Greenlee, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced today it has acquired ownership of Sherman & Reilly, Inc., a manufacturer of underground and aerial transmission and distribution products based in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Abused Disabled IA Plant Workers Awarded $240M
May 1, 2013 2:09 pm | by Ryan J. Foley, Associated Press | CommentsAn Iowa jury on Wednesday awarded a total of $240 million to 32 mentally disabled Iowa turkey processing plant workers for what government lawyers described as years of around-the-clock abuse and discrimination by the Texas company that oversaw their care, work and lodging.
Chrysler, Ford, GM, Nissan April U.S. Sales Up
May 1, 2013 2:07 pm | by Dee-Ann Durbin, Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writers | CommentsFord, GM, Chrysler and Nissan all reported double-digit U.S. sales increases last month, signaling the best April for car and truck sales in six years. A rebound in pickup truck sales led the way, especially for the Detroit automakers. Small businesses are replacing aging trucks that they've kept since the Great Recession.
Angry Workers Unite On May Day
May 1, 2013 2:05 pm | by Mehmet Guzel, Suzan Fraser, Associated Press | CommentsWorkers around the world united in anger during May Day rallies Wednesday — from fury in Europe over years of austerity measures that have cut wages, reduced benefits and eliminated many jobs altogether, to rage in Asia over relentlessly low pay, the rising cost of living and hideous working conditions that have left hundreds dead in recent months alone.
U.S. Manufacturing Growing At A Slower Pace
May 1, 2013 2:03 pm | by Christopher S. Rugaber, AP Economics Writer | CommentsU.S. factory activity expanded at a slower pace in April, held back by weaker hiring and less company stockpiling. The report is the latest sign that economic growth may be slowing this spring. The Institute for Supply Management said Wednesday that its index of manufacturing activity slipped to 50.7 last month.
Amid Low Prices, Alcoa Weighs Production Cutbacks
May 1, 2013 2:02 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsAlcoa Inc. said Wednesday that it might reduce production because of a slump that has cut aluminum prices by more than one-third since they peaked in 2011. The reduction could affect up to 11 percent of Alcoa's aluminum-smelting capacity, a cut of 460,000 tons of capacity. The company has already idled 13 percent of its capacity.
Carpet Company Planning New GA Plants
May 1, 2013 2:00 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsA spokesman for Gov. Nathan Deal says a carpet manufacturing company will open two plants in northwest Georgia and create about 2,400 jobs. Deal's spokesman Brian Robison confirmed Wednesday that Engineered Floors will build plants in Whitfield and Murray counties.
Ram Truck Demand Drives Chrysler Sales
May 1, 2013 10:18 am | by Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writer | CommentsStrong demand for the Ram pickup truck helped drive Chrysler's sales up 11 percent last month as the company posted its best April in six years. The increase is another sign that Americans continue to buy cars and trucks despite high unemployment and mixed economic signals.
China Automaker To Open CA Electric Bus Plant
May 1, 2013 10:16 am | by John Rogers, Associated Press | CommentsA Chinese company whose mantra is Build Your Dreams plans to build all-electric buses in California's Mojave Desert. Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris and officials of BYD Automotive scheduled a news conference Wednesday to announce plans to open the first Chinese-owned vehicle manufacturing plant in the United States in the wind-swept high-desert city 60 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
Mayor: Blast-Damaged Texas Town Will Rebuild
May 1, 2013 10:15 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsThe mayor of a Texas town devastated by a deadly fertilizer plant explosion says he expects the community to rebuild and he'll do the same. West Mayor Tommy Muska said Tuesday that his hometown of about 2,700 has received donations from across the country since the April 17 accident.
