News
FREE Email Newsletter
Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Edy's Adds Jobs As Consumers Demand "Comfort Food"
March 29, 2010 5:14 am | CommentsFORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — Making ice cream is no cake walk. Some time ago, an Edy's Grand Ice Cream job candidate was asked what he thought working at the Fort Wayne plant would be like. The description smacked of Willy Wonka. "He thought there were these huge mixing bowls with guys standing on ladders stirring the ice cream with large wooden spoons," said Gaylord Brooks, a production floor leader and 15-year veteran at the local Edy's plant.
Toyota Shares Prius Technology With Mazda
March 29, 2010 4:56 am | CommentsTOKYO (AP) — Toyota will provide its key hybrid technology to Mazda under a licensing agreement reached Monday, the two companies said. Toyota Motor Corp., the world's leader in hybrids, will supply Mazda Motor Corp. the key components of its hybrid system used in the top-selling Prius, the two companies said in a joint statement.
Hormel Opens $80M Plant In Iowa
March 29, 2010 4:49 am | CommentsAUSTIN, Minn. (AP) — Hormel Foods Corp. officially opens its new $80 million plant in Dubuque, Iowa Tuesday — the first plant the company has built from the ground up in more than a decade. The plant has been operating for a couple months, but will host a grand opening. It's already producing microwaveable meals.
Rio Tinto Sentencing "Very Harsh"
March 29, 2010 4:43 am | CommentsSHANGHAI, China — A Chinese court slapped four employees of mining giant Rio Tinto with jail terms of seven to 14 years on bribery and commercial secrets charges, unexpectedly harsh sentences that include a decade of imprisonment for Australian Stern Hu. The punishment for Hu was a "very tough sentence," Australia's foreign minister said after the verdict was read out Monday by the lead judge at the Shanghai People's Intermediate Court.
Employee Admits To Tainting Product Over Pay Concerns
March 29, 2010 4:25 am | CommentsBEIJING, March 28 (Kyodo) — A suspect caught in the poison dumpling case, which caused anxiety in Japan over the safety of foods imported from China, has admitted during questioning earlier this month that he tainted the food with pesticide, the Ministry of Public Security said Sunday.
Ford Reaches Agreement To Sell Volvo
March 29, 2010 4:17 am | CommentsDEARBORN, Mich., March 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell Volvo Car Corporation and related assets to Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Company Limited. The sale is expected to close in the third quarter of 2010, and is subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of applicable regulatory approvals.
Geely, Ford Could Finalize Volvo Sale Sunday
March 26, 2010 6:06 am | CommentsSTOCKHOLM (AP) — A spokesman for Volvo Cars says that China's Zhejiang Geely Holding Group could sign a binding deal to buy the Swedish automaker from Ford Motor Co. this weekend. Geely and Ford have earlier said that they expect to pen it by the end of March. Volvo spokesman Per-Ake Froberg said Friday that the deal could be reached on Sunday, "but it's not set in stone yet.
Late 2009 Economic Growth Teases Manufacturers
March 26, 2010 5:05 am | by Jeannine Aversa, AP Economics Writer | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — The burst of energy the economy showed at the end of last year isn't likely to be repeated anytime soon. The Commerce Department reported Friday that the economy grew at a 5.6 percent pace in the October-to-December quarter in its third and final estimate of economic activity during the period.
Toyota Ceasing Production In France, UK For 9 Days
March 26, 2010 4:42 am | by Malcolm Foster, Associated Press Writer | CommentsTOKYO (AP) — Toyota said Friday it is stopping production at its factories in France and Britain for a total of nine days amid falling sales that the company partly attributed to its recent recall woes. The world's No. 1 automaker will suspend output at it plant in France for four days starting April 6, said spokeswoman Ririko Takeuchi.
Siemens AG: Industrial Sector To Stabilize This Year
March 26, 2010 4:39 am | CommentsFRANKFURT (AP) — Siemens AG expects demand for products from its industrial division to stabilize this year after the economic downturn hit spending on big-ticket items, the Munich-based company said Friday. Assuming there is a steady economic recovery, new orders in the sector should reach the level of the company's 2009 fiscal year, which ended in September, Siemens said.
GM Recalls 600 Canadian Workers
March 26, 2010 4:35 am | CommentsDETROIT (AP) — General Motors Co. says it will bring back 600 workers and add equipment at two Canadian factories in order to turn out more hot-selling midsize crossover vehicles. The company said Friday that it will beef up the body-making capacity at its plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, where it assembles the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain crossovers.
Last Day For 465 At Evansville Whirlpool Plant
March 26, 2010 4:33 am | CommentsEVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — More than 450 jobs are being eliminated as Whirlpool Corp. ends a production shift at an Evansville factory that is being shut down in June. Union officials say Friday was the last day for 465 workers at the plant. Whirlpool announced last year that it would shut down the 1,100-worker refrigerator factory and move production to Mexico.
China Last To Lift Embargo On U.S. Pork
March 26, 2010 4:32 am | by Michael J. Crumb, Associated Press Writer | CommentsDES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Nearly a year after nations banned U.S. pork over fears about swine flu, China has become the last one to lift its embargo and is expected to accept shipments by early next month. It's a move welcomed by an industry that has suffered several years of losses, but some experts caution farmers shouldn't expect to see a surge in exports.
DOE Rejects Federal Loan For V-Vehicle
March 25, 2010 5:35 am | by Alan Sayre, AP Business Writer | CommentsNEW ORLEANS (AP) — A startup automaker that planned to build a fuel-efficient vehicle in Louisiana and employ 1,400 workers lost its bid Wednesday for $321.1 million in federal loans considered vital in getting the company running. V-Vehicle Co. said the federal Energy Department turned aside two loan applications — $241.
Smucker Cutting 700 Jobs, Closing Four Plants
March 24, 2010 8:50 am | CommentsORRVILLE, Ohio (AP) — The J.M. Smucker Co. is closing four plants and cutting 700 jobs, about 15 percent of its workforce, the food maker said Wednesday. The company, which makes Folgers Coffee, Smucker's jams and other products, said it is closing its fruit-spread plants in Memphis, Tenn.
