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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Samsung: 'No Risk' Of Cancer For Manufacturing Workers
April 16, 2010 3:53 am | by Kelly Olsen, AP Business Writer | CommentsYONGIN, South Korea (AP) — Samsung Electronics said workers at its semiconductor factories face no heightened cancer risk as the world's top maker of memory chips tried to quell health fears following employee illnesses and deaths. South Korea's biggest company is trying to reassure the public after a January lawsuit involving six people who developed leukemia and lymphoma they claim was caused by exposure to radiation and benzene, a carcinogen, in Samsung chip factories.
Cintas, Widow Reach Settlement In Dryer Death Suit
April 16, 2010 3:52 am | by Justin Juozapavicius, Associated Press Writer | CommentsTULSA, Okla. (AP) — The widow of a Cintas Corp. worker who died after falling into an industrial dryer in Tulsa has settled her wrongful death lawsuit against the nation's largest uniform supplier, according to federal court records. Thursday's settlement with the Cincinnati-based company came four days before a federal trial was to begin in Tulsa.
Microsoft Investigates Child Labor In Chinese Supplier
April 16, 2010 3:51 am | CommentsSEATTLE (AP) — Microsoft Corp. said Thursday it will investigate reports of poor working conditions at a factory in southern China that makes some of its products. The world's largest software maker was responding to a report from The National Labor Committee, a nonprofit that looks into the treatment of foreign workers by U.
Pratt & Whitney: Don't 'Think Good Thoughts'
April 16, 2010 3:49 am | CommentsEAST HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Jet engine maker Pratt & Whitney says a federal court judge wrongly emphasized what company executives may have thought rather than what they did in deciding to shift 1,000 jobs out of Connecticut. The East Hartford-based subsidiary of United Technologies Corp.
OSHA Cites Buckhorn For Worker's Death
April 16, 2010 3:47 am | CommentsSPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A Springfield plant where a worker was crushed to death inside machinery has been cited for more than a dozen alleged safety violations. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Thursday it has found one willful and 15 serious violations at Buckhorn Inc.
Reid Supply Expands Through Web-Based Efforts
April 14, 2010 10:18 am | CommentsMuskegon, Michigan — Reid Supply Company, a Michigan-based global distributor of industrial supplies, announced the launch of more than 8,000 packaging and shipping products to its tens-of-thousands of industrial products inventory. It was a common sense decision to offer our customers packaging and shipping supplies ,” says Greg Palmer, Director of Marketing at Reid Supply.
Bernanke: Slow Economic Recovery Won't Kill Unemployment
April 14, 2010 4:48 am | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke goes to Capitol Hill on Wednesday with a bittersweet message: The economic recovery is taking hold but won't be strong enough to quickly drive down unemployment. Bernanke's out-of-the box thinking during the 2008 financial crisis helped prevent the Great Recession from turning into the second Great Depression.
Feds Slap Meat Industry With Massive Antitrust Rules
April 14, 2010 4:43 am | by Christopher Leonard, AP Agribusiness Writer | CommentsKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Federal regulators are set to release the most sweeping antitrust rules covering the meat industry in decades, potentially altering the balance of power between meat companies and the farmers who raise their animals. Activists, farmers and meat industry officials have been anxiously awaiting the new rules, which will be released this spring for public comment and are set to take effect this summer.
Toyota Halts Sale Of 'Do Not Buy' SUV
April 14, 2010 4:33 am | by Dan Strumpf and Ken Thomas, Associated Press Writers | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — Toyota Motor Corp. has suspended sales of the 2010 Lexus GX 460 after Consumer Reports warned car shoppers not to buy the sport utility vehicle because handling problems could lead to rollover accidents during sharp turns. Toyota said Tuesday it had asked dealers to temporarily suspend sales of the SUV while it conducts its own tests on the GX 460.
Jerky Manufacturer Drops Roethlisberger Endorsement
April 14, 2010 4:29 am | CommentsPITTSBURGH (AP) — A Pittsburgh company that markets food products endorsed by local sports stars has ended its beef jerky sponsorship deal with Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. PLB Sports president Ty Ballou says Roethlisberger is "falling short" of the company's standards after a Georgia prosecutor announced Monday he will not prosecute the quarterback over sexual assault allegations.
Rising Yuan Won't Save U.S. Manufacturing
April 14, 2010 4:28 am | by Christopher S. Rugaber, AP Economics Writer | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — Despite its latest public pushback, China is expected to soon let its currency rise against the dollar, a long-sought goal of U.S. manufacturers. For the U.S., that shift could boost exports and potentially raise the prices of imported Chinese goods. The undervalued Chinese currency has made Chinese goods cheaper for American consumers.
Man Killed By Polishing Machine
April 14, 2010 4:19 am | CommentsCUMMING, Ga. (AP) — A man working at a manufacturing plant in Forsyth County died Tuesday in an industrial accident after authorities say he became trapped in a machine that polishes heavy gauge metal. Authorities have not identified the 53-year-old man, who Capt. Jason Shivers of the Forsyth County Fire Department says died at the AP Specialty Metals plant on Grassland Parkway.
Carpet Maker, Employees Reach $18 Million Settlement
April 13, 2010 8:40 am | Commentsby Kate Brumback, Associated Press Writer ATLANTA (AP) — One of the world's largest carpet makers has agreed to an $18 million settlement with employees who claimed the company hired illegal immigrants in an effort to reduce wages. U.S. District Court Judge Harold Murphy on Monday granted a motion by employees of Mohawk Industries Inc.
Lexus SUV Deemed Unsafe
April 13, 2010 6:58 am | by Dan Strumpf , AP Auto Writer | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — Consumer Reports has given the Lexus GX 460 SUV a rare "Don't Buy" warning, saying a problem that occurred during routine handling tests could lead to a rollover accident in real-world driving. In the latest blow to Toyota's reputation, the magazine said that during a test of the vehicle's performance during unusual turns, the rear of the vehicle slid until it was nearly sideways before the electronic stability control system kicked in.
China's President Rejects Calls To Re-Value Yuan
April 13, 2010 4:37 am | CommentsBEIJING (AP) — Chinese President Hu Jintao rebuffed U.S. calls to re-value China's currency, telling President Barack Obama that any tinkering with the yuan will be done by Beijing in accord with domestic interests. Hu defended China's policy of pegging the yuan to the dollar at a Monday meeting with Obama in Washington and said changes to the exchange rate would not come from U.
