News
FREE Email Newsletter
Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Tesla Promises To Add Charging Stations
May 31, 2013 1:43 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsElectric car maker Tesla Motors Inc. promises to boost the number of fast-charging stations in the U.S. and Canada to make cross-country travel by electric car possible in the next year. The company said it will triple the number of charging stations it runs from the current eight, and the number will go to around 100 in the coming year, putting stations within reach of almost the entire populations of both countries.
ArcelorMittal Sells Stake In Canada Unit For $1.1B
May 31, 2013 1:43 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsArcelorMittal, the world's largest steelmaker, said Thursday that it has completed the sale of a 15 percent stake in one of its Canadian iron ore operations to an Asian-led consortium for $1.1 billion in cash. A group led by South Korean steelmaker POSCO and China Steel Corp. had entered into a joint venture that owns ArcelorMittal iron ore mining and infrastructure assets in Quebec. The deal was originally announced in January.
Estonia Eager To Teach World About Oil Shale
May 31, 2013 1:43 pm | by Gary Peach, Associated Press | CommentsHome to the creators of Skype and the first country to use online voting, Estonia relishes its image as a technological pioneer. But the tiny East European country's most far-reaching economic achievement could come from how it has learned to squeeze oil from a rock.
GM To Show Off Reworked Chevy Malibu
May 31, 2013 1:43 pm | by Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writer | CommentsThe Chevrolet Malibu, an also-ran in the popular midsize car segment, shows off a quick makeover Friday that is expected to address criticism of its bland styling and so-so performance. General Motors will unveil the updates at a press event in Detroit. Experts are expecting to see a more modern-looking car, with some additional legroom in the back seat.
Eurozone Unemployment Heading For 20M
May 31, 2013 1:43 pm | by Pan Pylas, Associated Press | CommentsUnemployment across the 17 EU countries that use the euro hit another record high in April — and appears to be on course to hit 20 million this year in what would be another gloomy landmark for the currency bloc. Eurostat, the European Union's statistics office, said Friday that the unemployment rate rose to 12.2 percent in April from the previous record of 12.1 percent the month before.
Painting Robots Speed Boeing 777 Production
May 30, 2013 2:23 pm | by Dominic Gates, The Seattle Times | CommentsInside a sealed building in Boeing's Everett widebody-jet assembly plant, two robotic machines glide along tracks on either side of a 106-foot 777 wing laid flat, their heads reaching out like animatronic dinosaurs nibbling at the giant wing.
Motorola: 1st U.S.-Assembled Smartphones Coming
May 30, 2013 2:21 pm | by Will Weissert, Associated Press | CommentsCellphone pioneer Motorola says it's opening a manufacturing facility that will produce the first smartphone ever assembled in the U.S. — its new flagship device, Moto X. The Texas site was once used by fellow phone manufacturer Nokia, meaning it was designed to produce mobile devices, said Will Moss, a spokesman for Motorola Mobility, which is owned by Google.
Shelby Developing WA Supercar Factory
May 30, 2013 2:17 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsTri-City native Jerod Shelby is building a factory in West Richland for his SSC North America company that makes cars that can speed hundreds of miles per hour and sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Shelby broke ground Tuesday on the $5 million project, which will include a research and development section and museum, The Tri-City Herald reported. It could employ more than 50 people.
SD Lawmakers Seek Info On Labor Recruiting Plan
May 30, 2013 2:12 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsDemocratic state lawmakers have asked Republican Gov. Dennis Daugaard for information on the state's $5 million contract with a national recruiting firm that was hired to find new workers for hard-to-fill jobs in the state. The Democrats want information about the program's expense, the contract with ManpowerGroup, the number and type of jobs filled, and the wages paid for those jobs.
Cheap Leases Offered To Spur Electric Car Sales
May 30, 2013 2:11 pm | by Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writer | CommentsAuto companies are hoping lower lease prices can put a charge into sluggish sales of electric cars. Honda announced Thursday that it's slashing the monthly lease cost of its tiny Fit EV by one third, following similar moves by other automakers. Honda also is throwing in other goodies, such as a free home charging station and unlimited mileage.
Kohler's Expansion Plan Includes 300 Jobs
May 30, 2013 2:09 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsThe Kohler Co. expects to begin construction later this summer to expand its generator manufacturing plant in eastern Wisconsin. Increased demand for standby power generators from residential and industrial customers in North America is driving the 80,000-square-foot expansion at its plant in the Town of Mosel, Kohler officials said. The cost of the expansion was not disclosed.
Brooks Expands Global Reach With New Middle East Sales Office
May 30, 2013 11:26 am | by Brooks Instrument | CommentsBrooks Instrument, a world-leading provider of advanced flow, pressure, vacuum, level and vapor delivery solutions, has opened a new sales office in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia, to support its expanding customer base in the Middle East. The new facility, which officially opened March 9, offers the full line of Brooks products with a focus on thermal mass flow and variable area flow instrumentation.
OECD: Europe Remains Threat To World Economy
May 29, 2013 2:18 pm | by Greg Keller, Associated Press | CommentsThe recession in Europe risks hurting the world's economic recovery, a leading international body warned Wednesday. In its half-yearly update, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said that protracted economic weakness in Europe "could evolve into stagnation with negative implications for the global economy."
Amway Building $81M Facility In Michigan
May 29, 2013 2:17 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsAmway Corp. is building an $81 million manufacturing and warehouse facility near the company's headquarters in West Michigan. The direct-sales giant on Wednesday announced the official start of construction of the 317,000-square-foot facility near its headquarters in Kent County's Ada Township.
Unemployment Rates Fall In Nearly All U.S. Cities
May 29, 2013 2:16 pm | by Christopher S. Rugaber, AP Economics Writer | CommentsUnemployment rates fell in almost all large U.S. cities in April, helped by stronger hiring. The gains show the job market is improving throughout the country. The Labor Department said Wednesday that unemployment rates declined in 344 of the 372 largest metro areas. Rates rose in just 17 cities and were unchanged in 11.
