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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Subaru's Strong Sales Might Boost IN Plant Work
September 5, 2012 10:26 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsStrong sales figures for Subaru could lead to increased production at its central Indiana factory. Subaru reported August sales up more than 35 percent from a year ago, joining other automakers in pushing U.S. sales to their highest level in three years.
MN Boat Plant Settles Sex Discrimination Claim
September 5, 2012 10:25 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsBrunswick Corp. and Lund Boat Co. have agreed to pay $295,000 to settle a sex discrimination claim at a Lund boat plant in Minnesota. The agency had alleged Lund and its Lake Forest, Ill.-based parent company, Brunswick, systematically discriminated against more than 200 women who applied for entry-level jobs at the New York Mills plant.
Murata Turns To Tiniest Device For Big Business
September 5, 2012 10:23 am | by Yuri Kageyama, AP Business Writer | CommentsSmall is big for Murata: The Japanese electronics maker has developed the world's tiniest version of a component known as the capacitor. And that's potentially big business. Capacitors, which store electric energy, are used in the dozens, even in the hundreds, in just about every type of gadget — smartphones, laptops, parts for hybrid cars, medical equipment and digital cameras.
Gadget Makers Jockey For Edge In Holiday Lineups
September 4, 2012 2:15 pm | by Anick Jesdanun, AP Technology Writer | CommentsThink of it as the opening act at a concert: Nokia, Motorola and Amazon are expected to unveil new mobile devices this week before attention turns to a new iPhone and possibly a smaller iPad from Apple. Makers of consumer electronics are refreshing their products for the holiday shopping season.
Survey: U.S. Manufacturing Shrinks For Third Month
September 4, 2012 2:12 pm | by Christopher S. Rugaber, AP Economics Writer | CommentsU.S. factory activity shrank for the third straight month in August as new orders, production and employment all fell. The report adds to other signs that manufacturing is struggling around the globe. The Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchasing managers, said Tuesday its index of manufacturing activity ticked down to 49.6.
Olympic Ads Help Boost GM Sales
September 4, 2012 2:10 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsGeneral Motors says its U.S. sales rose 10 percent last month as advertising on the Olympics and a Chevrolet money-back guarantee program drew more customers. GM rebounded from a bad July to sell almost 241,000 cars and trucks in August. Chevy brand sales were up more than 11 percent, and Chevy car sales rose 25 percent. But SUV sales tumbled in a month with rising gasoline prices.
Apple Wants More Samsung Products Added To Suit
September 4, 2012 2:08 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsFresh off its court victory over Samsung Electronics Co., iPhone maker Apple Inc. is asking a federal court to add four more of its rival's products to the list of patent-infringing products. Apple filed documents in San Jose federal district court on Friday asking a judge to end Samsung's release of "copycat products," and urged the court to pull Samsung products released after its lawsuit was filed in April.
GM Vauxhall Plants In Britain To Close For A Week
September 4, 2012 2:07 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsGM's Vauxhall brand will close two plants in Britain for a week starting Sept. 24 because of weak auto markets in crisis-hit Europe. The closures at Ellesmere Port and Luton will idle some 3,000 workers. Vauxhall communications director Denis Chick said Tuesday the workers would still be paid and their hours would be banked, to be worked off later.
Nation's 'Carpet Capital' Struggles To Recover
September 4, 2012 2:04 pm | by Ashley Hopkinson, Associated Press | CommentsFactories dot the highway and carpet retailers and mills line the main street through this town nestled in the north Georgia foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, making clear why Dalton was dubbed Carpet Capital of the World. Many of those businesses are shuttered now, hinting at one of the city's more dubious distinctions: The city has lost more jobs per capita in the past year than any other in the U.S.
U.S. Steel, Union Agree On Pact For 16,000 Workers
September 4, 2012 10:30 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsU.S. Steel and the United Steelworkers announced a tentative agreement Sunday on a three-year contract covering more than 16,000 workers at domestic facilities. Details of the contract were not announced. The union said members will vote after reviewing details over the next few weeks.
Chrysler Sales Rise On Demand For Pickups
September 4, 2012 10:28 am | by Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writer | CommentsChrysler's U.S. sales rose 14 percent in August on strong demand for Ram pickup trucks. The Ram, which had its best August in five years, helped Chrysler sell more than 148,000 vehicles last month. The results are a sign that car and truck sales will remain strong despite consumers' worries about the economy.
Hyundai Motor Union Approves Deal, Ends Strike
September 4, 2012 10:27 am | by Youkyung Lee, AP Business Writer | CommentsHyundai Motor's labor union has voted to accept a deal for increased wages and the elimination of overnight shifts, ending one of the costliest strikes ever at South Korea's largest car maker. The union, which elected a hardline leader at the end of last year, walked out on July 13, starting the first strike at Hyundai in four years.
Bernanke: With Unemployment High, Fed Can Do More
September 4, 2012 10:25 am | by Paul Wiseman, AP Economics Writer | CommentsChairman Ben Bernanke sent a clear message Friday that the Federal Reserve will do more to help the still-struggling U.S. economy. His remarks left two questions: What exactly will the Fed do? And when? Bernanke described the U.S. economy's health as "far from satisfactory" and noted that the unemployment rate, now 8.3 percent, hasn't declined since January.
Hong Kong Company Completes Purchase Of Saab
September 4, 2012 10:24 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsA Hong Kong-owned company says it has completed the acquisition of bankrupt car maker Saab and will move ahead with its business plan to make electric cars under the Swedish brand. National Electric Vehicle Sweden, or NEVS, said Monday it expects to introduce its first electric vehicle "in approximately 18 months."
Samsung To Audit All Of Its Suppliers In China
September 4, 2012 10:23 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsSamsung said it plans to examine all of its Chinese suppliers for possible violations of labor policies. Samsung Electronics Co. said it will carry out audits of 105 Chinese companies that are its exclusive suppliers this month. The move comes after Samsung's audit of a supplier, HEG Electronics, in response to an allegation it used child labor.
