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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Germany: Merkel Vows To Avoid Trade War With China
May 28, 2013 1:22 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel said Sunday she would use her country's economic clout to prevent the European Union from imposing punitive tariffs on some Chinese products to avoid a trade war. Germany will push for "very intense talks" between the EU and China to seek a negotiated solution as swiftly as possible, the leader of Europe's biggest economy told visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.
Businesses Uncertain Of Future Without Plant
May 28, 2013 1:20 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsBusinesses in Paducah are bracing for uncertainty in the wake of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant's expected closure at the end of the month. The shutdown will put more than 1,100 workers out of high-paying jobs with benefits. Kele Sports Depot shop owner Stephen Kelly said the plant has a trickle-down effect economically and the loss of jobs will be felt.
Auto Parts Maker To Expand IL Plant
May 28, 2013 1:19 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsA Japan-based maker of auto components says its roughly $15 million planned expansion of a southern Illinois plant will add 80 jobs. Aisin Electronics Illinois joined regional officials in breaking ground this week on the 108-square-foot Marion project the company expects to be completed early next year.
Bridge Collapse A Major Break In Trade Corridor
May 28, 2013 10:17 am | by Donna Gordon Blankinship, Associated Press | CommentsFor farmers, business owners and government officials up and down the West Coast, Washington's bridge collapse on Interstate 5 represents much more than a close brush with tragedy. As much as $20 billion in freight travels to and from Canada and along the busy north-south corridor each year.
VW's German Workers Win Raises In Pay Deal
May 28, 2013 10:16 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsVolkswagen's German factory workers will get a two-stage raise under a new wage deal reached as the automaker grapples with slipping sales and profit. The company said Tuesday it agreed with the IG Metall union on increases of 3.4 percent from Sept. 1 and 2.2 percent from July 1 of next year through February 2015. The agreement covers 102,000 workers in six west German auto plants.
Automaker Tesla Takes Fight To North Carolina
May 28, 2013 10:14 am | by Chris Kardish, Associated Press | CommentsTesla Motors is fighting a bill in North Carolina that would effectively ban the company from selling its electric cars in the state, pitting it against auto dealers who say the car maker has an unfair advantage selling directly to consumers online.
U.S. Investigating Ford Pickups For Engine Issue
May 28, 2013 10:12 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsThe federal government is investigating Ford F-150 pickups with EcoBoost engines after drivers reported that the engines lost power during acceleration. The government estimates around 400,000 F-150 pickups from the 2011 through 2013 model years are involved.
Industry Giant GE Aims To Improve Fracking
May 28, 2013 10:11 am | by Kevin Begos, Associated Press | CommentsOne of America's corporate giants is investing billions of dollars in the new boom of oil and gas drilling, or fracking. General Electric Co. is opening a new laboratory in Oklahoma, buying up related companies, and placing a big bet that cutting-edge science will improve profits for clients and reduce the environmental and health effects of the boom.
Trailblazing Israeli Electric Car Company To Close
May 28, 2013 10:09 am | by Jpsef Federman, Associated Press | CommentsIt was an audacious idea that came to symbolize Israel's self-described status as "Start-Up Nation," a company that believed it could replace most gasoline-powered cars with electric vehicles and reduce the world's reliance on oil — and all within a few years. But it all came crashing down.
PCS Nitrogen To Cut Emissions From LA Plant
May 24, 2013 2:14 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsPCS Nitrogen has agreed to reduce air emissions from phosphoric acid production at its Geismar plant. The decision came as part of a settlement in a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. EPA and DEQ alleged that PCS Nitrogen Fertilizer LP violated the Clean Air Act by introducing phosphoric acid scrubber effluent into its cooling towers.
NHK Seating Expanding TN Facility
May 24, 2013 2:14 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsTennessee officials say that automotive seat manufacturer NHK Seating of America Inc. plans to expand its facility in Murfreesboro, adding 94 jobs in the process. Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Hagerty said Thursday that the company's expansion represents a $6.8 million investment in Rutherford County.
ND Body Gives Tax Break To Manufacturing Plant
May 24, 2013 2:14 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsThe Burleigh County Commission has agreed to give Midwest Manufacturing a 50 percent property tax break for three years on a $7.5 million manufacturing plant it plans to build in McKenzie Township. Midwest Manufacturing is a subsidiary of Menards. The Bismarck Tribune reports that the company plans to build the wood products and distribution facility along state Highway 10.
Auto Parts Supplier To Invest $40M In MI
May 24, 2013 2:14 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsAn auto industry parts supplier says it's investing $40 million to expand its Marysville facility and plans to add more than 350 jobs during the next three years. The Times Herald of Port Huron reports the announcement was made Thursday by SMR Automotive Systems.
China, Switzerland To Seal Free Trade Deal
May 24, 2013 2:14 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsChinese Premier Li Keqiang is in Switzerland to seal a free trade pact with the Alpine nation — the first comprehensive agreement his country has reached with a major western economy. Li met with Swiss officials in Zurich on Friday to conclude three years of negotiations.
Some Unions Now Angry About Health Care Overhaul
May 24, 2013 2:14 pm | by Sam Hananel, Associated Press | CommentsWhen President Barack Obama pushed his health care overhaul plan through Congress, he counted labor unions among his strongest supporters. But some union leaders have grown frustrated and angry about what they say are unexpected consequences of the new law — problems that they say could jeopardize the health benefits offered to millions of their members.
