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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Job Satisfaction Slips To 22-Year Record Low
January 5, 2010 3:38 am | by Jeannine Aversa, AP Economics Writer | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — We can't get no job satisfaction. Even Americans who are lucky enough to have work in this economy are becoming more unhappy with their jobs, according to a new survey that found only 45 percent of Americans are satisfied with their work. That was the lowest level ever recorded by the Conference Board research group in more than 22 years of studying the issue.
German Manufacturer To Build $300m Miss. Plant
January 5, 2010 3:37 am | by Emily Wagster Pettus, Associated Press Writer | CommentsJACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A German company will build a $300 million plant in northwestern Mississippi to manufacture stainless steel pipes for the oil and gas industry, Gov. Haley Barbour and a company executive announced Monday. The plant in Tunica County — about 20 miles south of Memphis, Tenn.
Electronics Makers Introduce Innovations At CES Show
January 4, 2010 4:09 am | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — Electronics sales rebounded in the just-ended holiday season, but the industry's biggest event will still have the recession hanging over it. The International Consumer Electronics Show, which opens Wednesday, will be smaller than usual, with key products unveiled at prices that are far from extravagant.
Survey: Midwest Manufacturing Still Weak, Losing Jobs
January 4, 2010 4:02 am | CommentsOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha economist says a December survey in nine Midwest and Plains states suggests that the region's economy will recovery weakly over 2010. The Business Conditions Index for the Mid-America region rose above growth neutral last month, reaching 50.3, compared with 47.5 in November.
China's Manufacturing Expands For Ninth Month
January 4, 2010 3:53 am | CommentsBEIJING (AP) — China's manufacturing expanded in December for a ninth straight month as government stimulus spending boosted domestic demand and foreign sales rose, according to a survey released Monday. The HSBC China Manufacturing PMI rose to 56.1 from November's 55.7 on a 100-point scale where numbers above 50 show activity expanding.
Kraft vs. Nestle Bidding War Over Cadbury Looms
January 4, 2010 3:50 am | CommentsLONDON (AP) — Speculation of a bidding war for British candy maker Cadbury PLC mounted on Monday after Swiss food group Nestle agreed to sell off its majority stake in eyecare unit Alcon and announced a smaller-than-anticipated share buyback program. Analysts suggested that Nestle could be clearing its decks in preparation to counter a hostile 9.
Cities, States Get Tough On Tax Breaks For New Jobs
January 4, 2010 3:46 am | by Don Babwin, Associated Press Writer | CommentsCHICAGO (AP) — Cash-strapped communities have a message for corporations that promised jobs in return for tax breaks: A deal's a deal. As the recession drags on, municipalities struggling to fix roads, fund schools and pay bills increasingly are rescinding tax abatements to companies that don't hire enough workers, lay them off or close up shop.
Novartis Pays $38.5 Billion To Swallow Up Alcon
January 4, 2010 3:41 am | CommentsBASEL, Switzerland (AP) — Drug maker Novartis AG said Monday it plans to take over Alcon Inc. by paying $38.5 billion for the 77 percent stake it does not already own in a deal that would make it one of the biggest players in the global market for eye-care products. The Swiss pharmaceutical company will purchase Nestle SA's 52 percent stake for $28 billion before carrying out a merger with Alcon that would give it control of the remaining 23 percent held by minority shareholders.
Boeing Acquires 787 Subassembly Plant
December 22, 2009 3:51 am | CommentsSEATTLE (AP) — Boeing Co. said Tuesday that it has purchased Alenia North America's 50 percent stake in a fuselage subassembly plant for its 787 Dreamliner. The transaction occurred through a Boeing subsidiary, making Boeing the sole owner of Global Aeronautica LLC. Further terms of the deal were not disclosed.
China Becomes World's Biggest Automotive Market
December 22, 2009 3:44 am | by Elaine Kurtenbach, AP Business Writer | CommentsCHENGDU, China (AP) — Minivan salesman Zhu Yi has a problem that most auto dealers elsewhere would happily swap for their own — he doesn't have enough vehicles to satisfy customer demand. "Sales are exploding," says Zhu, a 32-year-old manager at a General Motors Co. joint venture dealership in Chengdu, pointing to charts on his laptop that vividly plot the steep incline.
Boeing's Second 787 To Take Flight Today
December 22, 2009 3:39 am | CommentsEVERETT, Wash. (AP) — Boeing says its second 787 will take to the skies on Tuesday. The company has scheduled a test flight for the second jetliner at 8:45 a.m. The aircraft will take off from Paine Field in Everett, Wash., as long as flight conditions cooperate. About 25,000 people turned out for the first test flight last Tuesday.
Border Patrol Warns Against Illegally Imported Toys
December 22, 2009 3:36 am | CommentsSARAH LARIMER,Associated Press Writer MIAMI (AP) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials warned holiday shoppers Monday to stay away from toys that might be dangerous for children or break copyright, patent or trademark laws. Authorities last year seized more than 1,500 shipments of products that either failed to meet consumer safety standards or violated intellectual property laws, said Harold Woodward, director of the agency's field operations in Miami.
Ind. Attorney General Sues Recycler For Safety Violations
December 22, 2009 3:26 am | CommentsELKHART, Ind. (AP) — Indiana's attorney general is suing a northern Indiana lumber recycling plant with a history of environmental and worker-safety violations. The lawsuit filed Monday in Elkhart County seeks preliminary and permanent injunctions to halt open dumping of wood wastes at VIM Recycling Inc.
Small Calif. Town Haunted By Pollutants, Birth Defects
December 21, 2009 11:14 am | by Noaki Schwartz, Associated Press Writer | CommentsKETTLEMAN CITY, Calif. (AP) — Maricela Mares-Alatorre was well aware of the industrial and agricultural pollutants that surrounded her as she grew up in this tiny farm town just three miles from the largest toxic waste dump in the West. Her parents had founded People for Clean Air and Water two decades ago to successfully fight a proposed incinerator at the dump.
Ford Offers Buyouts To Its 41,000 Hourly Workers
December 21, 2009 11:04 am | by Tom Krishner, AP Auto Writer | CommentsDETROIT (AP) — Ford Motor Co. has offered buyout or retirement incentive packages to all of its 41,000 U.S. hourly workers as it tries to further reduce its factory work force. Ford, the healthiest of Detroit's three automakers and the only one to avoid government aid and bankruptcy protection, still has more workers than it needs to produce cars and trucks at current sales levels, said company spokesman Mark Truby.
