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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
IL Auto Parts Maker Gets State Help To Expand
April 19, 2013 4:03 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsThe Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity is giving an auto parts maker $4.4 million in tax breaks and other incentives after the company agreed to add 300 jobs at its plant in eastern Illinois. The department said Thursday that North American Lighting Inc. will add the jobs at its plant in Paris as part of a $50 million expansion.
KB Home, Ford Team Up On Energy Efficiency
April 19, 2013 4:02 pm | by Alex Veiga, AP Real Estate Writer | CommentsKB Home is teaming up with Ford Motor Co. in hopes of making energy efficiency a more compelling proposition to would-be homeowners who also drive hybrid and plug-in vehicles. The homebuilder-automaker partnership announced Friday doesn't involve any financial considerations, the companies said.
Hydraulic Institute Announces 2013 Board Of Directors, Officers
April 19, 2013 4:02 pm | CommentsThe Hydraulic Institute (HI), the global authority on pumps and pumping systems, announced the 2013 Board of Directors and Officers during its Annual Meeting recently held in Fort Myers, Florida. The new Board will be primarily responsible for providing organizational oversight to the Institute and guiding the direction of its strategic plan.
Penn Stainless Products Certified To ISO 9001:2008
April 19, 2013 4:01 pm | by Penn Stainless Products | CommentsPenn Stainless Products has been certified to the ISO 9001:2008 standard by National Quality Assurance, U.S.A. ISO 9001 is a family of standards for quality management systems maintained by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The standard is recognized world-wide, identifying those that employ best practices and continuous improvement.
Toyota To Build Lexus ES 350 At KY Plant
April 19, 2013 10:19 am | by Toyota | CommentsFor the first time, a Lexus vehicle will be produced in the United States. The Lexus ES 350 will be assembled at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky in 2015, Toyota announced today. The move will generate 750 new jobs. To support the new dedicated assembly line, Toyota will invest $360 million in the Georgetown plant.
'SWAT Robots' Soon To Protect First Responders
April 19, 2013 10:18 am | by Clarke Canfield, Associated Press | CommentsA Maine company that's developed high-tech tanks for the military and Hollywood has a new contraption — a ballistic police shield that sits atop a miniature, remote-controlled tank-like vehicle made to protect first responders. Brothers Mike and Geoff Howe said the "SWAT robot" keeps SWAT teams and other first responders safe.
OSHA Last Inspected TX Fertilizer Plant In 1985
April 19, 2013 10:15 am | by Sam Hananel, Associated Press | CommentsThe Occupational Safety and Health Administration most recently inspected the Texas fertilizer plant that exploded Wednesday night in 1985. Records reviewed by The Associated Press show that OSHA issued the West Chemical & Fertilizer Co., as the plant was called at the time, a $30 fine for a serious violation for storage of anhydrous ammonia.
U.S. Unemployment Aid Applications Rise To 352K
April 19, 2013 10:13 am | by Christopher S. Rugaber, AP Economics Writer | CommentsThe number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits increased just 4,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 352,000. The slight gain kept applications at a level consistent with solid hiring and suggests March's sluggish hiring may be temporary.
Honda Recalls Nearly 205K Vehicles To Fix Shifters
April 19, 2013 10:12 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsHonda is recalling nearly 205,000 minivans and SUVs in the U.S. to fix a problem with the automatic shifters. The recall includes the Honda CR-V small SUV and Odyssey minivan from the 2012 and 2013 model years. Also covered is the 2013 Acura RDX SUV.
German Industry Pay Offer Short Of Union Demand
April 19, 2013 10:10 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsEmployers in Germany's key manufacturing sector are offering a pay increase that falls well short of the 5.5 percent raise a union is seeking for some 3.7 million workers. The employers' association in the southern region of Bavaria is offering a 2.3 percent increase over a 13-month period, news agency dpa reported Friday. The IG Metall union is seeking the bigger raise as part of a 12-month deal.
Rescuers Search Ruins Of Texas Fertilizer Plant
April 18, 2013 2:14 pm | by John L. Mone, Michael Brick, Associated Press | CommentsRescue workers searched the smoldering ruins of a fertilizer plant Thursday for survivors of a monstrous explosion that leveled homes and businesses in every direction across the Texas prairie. As many as 15 people were feared dead and more than 160 others injured.
S. Koreans Hoping To Return To Kaesong Factories
April 18, 2013 2:12 pm | by Youkyung Lee, AP Business Writer | CommentsThe South Korean entrepreneurs who invested up to 10 years and millions of dollars in the Kaesong industrial complex, a symbol of economic collaboration between the rival Koreas that is now shuttered by the North, have little more than hope to cling to as assembly lines sit idle day after day.
Chinese Automakers Struggle Against Global Rivals
April 18, 2013 2:10 pm | by Joe McDonald, AP Business Writer | CommentsThese should be good times for Chinese automakers as they prepare to show off their latest models at the Shanghai auto show. Their home market is the world's biggest and growing. But independent automakers such as Chery and Geely are being squeezed by bigger, richer global rivals including General Motors and Nissan that have moved into turf the Chinese makers considered their own: low-priced models for local tastes.
Nissan To Recall 80,000 Minivans
April 18, 2013 2:09 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsNissan Motor Co. in a report to the government Thursday said it will recall a total of 85,220 minivans produced between November 2010 and February 2012 under its Serena and Suzuki Motor Corp.'s Landy brands. A component of an electricity generator attached to the engine could drop out due to a defective installment, causing the engine to stall in the worst-case scenario, Nissan said in the report.
VW Dropping Third Shift At Chattanooga Plant
April 18, 2013 2:07 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsVolkswagen is dropping the third assembly shift at its Chattanooga plant. As first reported by WRCB-TV, the move will eliminate 500 temporary jobs. Volkswagen spokesman Guenther Scherelis said strong domestic demand for the Passat drove adding the third shift.
