News
FREE Email Newsletter
Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Angry Workers Unite On May Day
May 1, 2013 2:05 pm | by Mehmet Guzel, Suzan Fraser, Associated Press | CommentsWorkers around the world united in anger during May Day rallies Wednesday — from fury in Europe over years of austerity measures that have cut wages, reduced benefits and eliminated many jobs altogether, to rage in Asia over relentlessly low pay, the rising cost of living and hideous working conditions that have left hundreds dead in recent months alone.
U.S. Manufacturing Growing At A Slower Pace
May 1, 2013 2:03 pm | by Christopher S. Rugaber, AP Economics Writer | CommentsU.S. factory activity expanded at a slower pace in April, held back by weaker hiring and less company stockpiling. The report is the latest sign that economic growth may be slowing this spring. The Institute for Supply Management said Wednesday that its index of manufacturing activity slipped to 50.7 last month.
Amid Low Prices, Alcoa Weighs Production Cutbacks
May 1, 2013 2:02 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsAlcoa Inc. said Wednesday that it might reduce production because of a slump that has cut aluminum prices by more than one-third since they peaked in 2011. The reduction could affect up to 11 percent of Alcoa's aluminum-smelting capacity, a cut of 460,000 tons of capacity. The company has already idled 13 percent of its capacity.
Carpet Company Planning New GA Plants
May 1, 2013 2:00 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsA spokesman for Gov. Nathan Deal says a carpet manufacturing company will open two plants in northwest Georgia and create about 2,400 jobs. Deal's spokesman Brian Robison confirmed Wednesday that Engineered Floors will build plants in Whitfield and Murray counties.
Ram Truck Demand Drives Chrysler Sales
May 1, 2013 10:18 am | by Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writer | CommentsStrong demand for the Ram pickup truck helped drive Chrysler's sales up 11 percent last month as the company posted its best April in six years. The increase is another sign that Americans continue to buy cars and trucks despite high unemployment and mixed economic signals.
China Automaker To Open CA Electric Bus Plant
May 1, 2013 10:16 am | by John Rogers, Associated Press | CommentsA Chinese company whose mantra is Build Your Dreams plans to build all-electric buses in California's Mojave Desert. Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris and officials of BYD Automotive scheduled a news conference Wednesday to announce plans to open the first Chinese-owned vehicle manufacturing plant in the United States in the wind-swept high-desert city 60 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
Mayor: Blast-Damaged Texas Town Will Rebuild
May 1, 2013 10:15 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsThe mayor of a Texas town devastated by a deadly fertilizer plant explosion says he expects the community to rebuild and he'll do the same. West Mayor Tommy Muska said Tuesday that his hometown of about 2,700 has received donations from across the country since the April 17 accident.
Jury Deliberates In IA Worker Abuse Case
May 1, 2013 10:12 am | by Ryan J. Foley, Associated Press | CommentsA government attorney asked jurors Tuesday to award damages to 32 mentally disabled workers, saying they were subjected to around-the-clock discrimination by a Texas company that profited from their work at an Iowa turkey plant. qual Employment Opportunity Commission attorney Robert Canino said the former workers for Henry's Turkey Services suffered "broken lives" because of the conditions they endured.
Nissan Cuts Prices On 7 U.S. Models
May 1, 2013 10:09 am | by Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writer | CommentsNissan is cutting prices on seven of its 18 models in the U.S., hoping its cars and trucks will show up in more Internet searches by shoppers. The price cuts vary with the amount of equipment on each model and run from 2.7 percent, or $580, on the top-selling Altima midsize car to 10.7 percent, or $4,400, on the Armada big SUV.
Apple Sells $17B In Bonds In Record Deal
May 1, 2013 10:08 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsApple Inc. sold $17 billion in bonds Tuesday in a record deal spurred by the company's plan to placate its frustrated shareholders. The Cupertino, California-based company sold the bonds in its first debt issue since the 1990s to raise money to pass along to shareholders through dividend payments and stock buybacks.
Porsche 911, Viper Probed For Safety Problems
April 30, 2013 1:48 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsU.S. safety regulators are investigating coolant leaks in Porsche 911 sports cars that could cause roadway spills and send vehicles careening out of control, and complaints that a rear suspension part can fail on the iconic Dodge Viper muscle car.
Power Company, Smelter Reach Tentative Deal
April 30, 2013 1:46 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsA regional utility has reached a tentative agreement with an aluminum smelter on electric rates that would keep the facility in western Kentucky open. Media report that Henderson-based Big Rivers Electric Corp. and Hawesville-based Century Aluminum announced the agreement on Monday.
GE Sues Utility As Dredging Restarts On Hudson
April 30, 2013 1:44 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsGeneral Electric Co. said it sued a utility for a share of costs associated with the $1 billion-plus Superfund cleanup of the upper Hudson River on Monday, the day the fourth season of dredging began to remove contaminated sediment from the river.
NE Lawmakers Debate Approaches To Wind Energy
April 30, 2013 1:42 pm | by Grant Schulte, Associated Press | CommentsLawmakers have advanced a bill intended to attract more wind-energy companies to Nebraska as long as residents receive some of the benefits. The measure would make it easier for renewable energy firms to qualify for sales-tax exemptions under an existing state program — the Rural Community-Based Energy Development Act — that was created to encourage wind-energy projects.
Heat, Air Conditioning Maker Expanding Dayton
April 30, 2013 1:41 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsGoodman Manufacturing will expand its plant in Dayton, creating 200 new jobs. State and company officials announced Tuesday that Goodman is investing $2 million in the plant in Rhea County, which makes commercial and light commercial heating and air conditioning equipment.
