News
FREE Email Newsletter
Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Next Step: Signatures For AR Steel Plant
May 13, 2013 10:04 am | by Chuck Bartels, AP Business Writer | CommentsArkansas' chief economic development official expects construction on the proposed $1.1 billion Big River Steel plant near Osceola to begin by the fall — though a portion of its financing and final permissions from state regulators are still pending.
Bangladesh To Raise Pay For Garment Workers
May 13, 2013 10:03 am | by Farid Hossain, Associated Press | CommentsBangladesh's government plans to raise the minimum wage for garment workers after the deaths of more than 1,100 people in the collapse of a factory building focused attention on the textile industry's dismal pay and hazardous working conditions.
Government Sells 58.4M Shares Of GM Stock
May 13, 2013 10:01 am | by Martin Crutsinger, AP Economics Writer | CommentsThe government has sold another piece of its stake in General Motors Co. The Treasury Department said Friday in its April report to Congress that so far this year it has sold 58.4 million shares of GM stock and earned net proceeds of $1.6 billion.
Foreign Automakers Join Tokyo Motor Show
May 13, 2013 10:00 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsA total of 18 foreign automakers will participate in the Tokyo Motor Show starting in November, but the "Big Three" U.S. automakers will skip the event, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association said. While General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Group LLC will be absent from the 43rd annual event for the third consecutive year, 17 European automakers, such as Volkswagen AG and BMW AG of Germany, will participate in the event.
Texas Launches Criminal Probe Into Plant Explosion
May 10, 2013 2:04 pm | by Angela K. Brown, Ramit Plushnick-Masti, Associated Press | CommentsTexas law enforcement officials on Friday launched a criminal investigation into the massive fertilizer plant explosion that killed 14 people last month, after weeks of largely treating the blast as an industrial accident. The announcement came the same day a paramedic who helped to evacuate residents the night of the explosion was arrested on a charge of possessing a destructive device.
All Nippon Airways To Add Boeing 787 Routes
May 10, 2013 2:01 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsAll Nippon Airways Co. is planning to start flying the Boeing 787 to Taipei and Shanghai in addition to three other cities abroad previously served by the U.S. manufacturer's advanced aircraft, after it resolves the battery issue and resumes services on June 1.
Williams Delays Gas Plant Addition
May 10, 2013 2:00 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsPlans for a new addition to a gas processing plant in western Colorado are being pushed back, but officials say it has nothing to do with a leak of hydrocarbons recently discovered coming from a pipeline near the facility. A Williams spokesman told the Grand Junction Sentinel the expansion is being delayed until 2016 because of the decline in local drilling levels.
Homebuilders Can't Find Enough Qualified Workers
May 10, 2013 1:59 pm | by Alex Veiga, AP Real Estate Writer | CommentsU.S. builders and the subcontractors they depend on are struggling to hire fast enough to meet rising demand for new homes. Builders would be starting work on more homes — and contributing more to the economy — if they could fill more job openings. In the meantime, workers in the right locations with the right skills are commanding higher pay.
Deal: Dubai Company Plans To Build GA Plant
May 10, 2013 1:57 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsGov. Nathan Deal says a company based in Dubai plans to build a manufacturing plant in Murray County with the goal of creating 200 jobs over the next three years. Deal said Wednesday the expansion planned by Mattex "speaks to the continued revitalization of the floor covering industry in northwest Georgia."
Nissan Profit Up 46 Percent On Strong Sales
May 10, 2013 1:55 pm | by Yuri Kageyama, AP Business Writer | CommentsNissan's fiscal fourth quarter profit jumped 46 percent on stronger sales and a favorable exchange rate that offset declines in China over a bitter territorial dispute. Nissan Motor Co. reported Friday a January-March profit of 110 billion yen ($1.1 billion), up from 75.3 billion yen the same period the previous year. Quarterly sales gained 6 percent to 2.87 trillion yen ($28.7 billion).
U.S. Officials Probe Corvette Headlamp Problem
May 10, 2013 10:26 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsU.S. auto safety regulators are investigating complaints that the low-beam headlights can go dark without warning on some Chevrolet Corvettes. The probe by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration covers more than 103,000 Corvettes from the 2005 through 2007 model years.
North Dakota Tops Nation In Rate Of Worker Deaths
May 10, 2013 10:25 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsNorth Dakota has the highest rate of worker deaths in the nation, due in large part to the oil boom in the western part of the state in recent years, according to a new report from the AFL-CIO. There were 44 worker deaths in North Dakota in 2011, for a rate of 12.4 deaths per 100,000 workers.
Wearable Robots Getting Lighter, More Portable
May 10, 2013 10:23 am | by Carla K. Johnson, AP Medical Writer | CommentsThe technology has many nicknames. Besides "wearable robot," the inventions also are called "electronic legs" or "powered exoskeletons." This version, called Indego, is among several competing products being used and tested in U.S. rehab hospitals that hold promise for people recovering from strokes or afflicted with multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy.
Ford Shareholders Reject Stock Proposal
May 10, 2013 10:21 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsFord Motor Co. shareholders are again rejecting a proposal to dilute the Ford family's control over the company. At its annual meeting in Wilmington Thursday, Ford said 67 percent of shareholders voted against the proposal to make each Ford share worth one vote.
ArcelorMittal Affirms 2013 Targets Despite Q1 Loss
May 10, 2013 10:20 am | by Toby Sterling, Associated Press | CommentsArcelorMittal SA, the world's largest steelmaker, slumped to a first-quarter loss, even as the company's chief executive said restructuring efforts are starting to pay off and the steel market is stabilizing after a big reverse in the middle of last year.
