Plant Operations/Management
FREE Email Newsletter
Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Environmental Impact
July 12, 2012 3:35 pm | by Joel Hans, Managing Editor, Manufacturing.net | Articles | CommentsWausau, WI-based Linetec is an architectural finishing company that takes seriously its delicate relationship with its state’s natural beauty.
How Cheap Is This Breakfast?
July 12, 2012 3:21 pm | by Anna Wells, Editor, IMPO | Blogs | CommentsEven when pointing to the characteristics (or price) of your product, never assume that these “benefits” are a no brainer.
Opel CEO Stracke Resigns In Middle Of Turnaround
July 12, 2012 2:21 pm | by David McHugh, Tom Krisher, AP Business Writers | News | CommentsThe CEO of General Motors' loss-making European business abruptly stepped down on Thursday, a sign that the automaker's top management wants to speed up what has been a slow-moving restructuring plan.
Gregoire Holds Talks With Boeing Rival Airbus
July 12, 2012 2:12 pm | by Mike Baker, Associated Press | News | CommentsWashington Gov. Chris Gregoire has been building a close relationship with Boeing's chief rival, Airbus, and said Wednesday that she was previously ready to recruit the company to build a new manufacturing site in the state.
Valence Technology Files For Bankruptcy Protection
July 12, 2012 2:11 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsBattery maker Valence Technology Inc. said Thursday that it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, in hopes of boosting its liquidity and refocusing itself on its core lithium phosphate markets.
Analysts Skeptical Over Hawker Beechcraft Deal
July 11, 2012 10:15 am | by Roxana Hegeman, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe $1.79B offer is "a lot of money" for a struggling company with old product lines that has spent little on research and development, several analysts said.
AT&T Drops Lawsuit Against MA Manufacturer
July 11, 2012 10:09 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsSmith says someone hacked into Todd Tool & Abrasive Systems's phone system in 2009 and made nearly $900,000 in calls to Somalia.
Mitsubishi Motors To Sell Dutch Plant To VDL
July 11, 2012 10:05 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsMitsubishi Motors Corp. said Wednesday it has decided to sell its vehicle plant in the Netherlands for 1 euro to Dutch bus and industrial machine maker VDL Groep BV on the condition that it will maintain some 1,500 jobs there.
Addressing Power Challenges In High-Altitude Applications
July 11, 2012 8:42 am | by David Rakovsky, COO, GlobTek | Articles | CommentsAs electronic systems migrate deeper into systems that may present changing situations during the operating lifecycle, the designer must remember to address every facet or risk compromising product performance in certain situations.
Boeing Lands Further Airshow Deals
July 10, 2012 1:57 pm | by Pan Pylas, Associated Press | News | CommentsBoeing and archrival Airbus were caught in a fierce dogfight for orders at the Farnborough Airshow Tuesday, with both aircraft manufacturers unveiling multi-billion deals.
PepsiCo Opens New Plant In China
July 10, 2012 1:54 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsPepsiCo Inc. has opened its sixth food manufacturing plant in China to strengthen its position in the growing market.
GE To Spend $70M In Battery Factory Expansion
July 10, 2012 10:14 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsGeneral Electric Co. said Tuesday it will spend $70 million to expand a battery factory in Schenectady, N.Y.
Honda's Joint Venture Starts Production
July 10, 2012 10:12 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA joint venture between Japan's Honda Motor Co. and China's Dongfeng Motor Corp. held a ceremony Tuesday to mark the start of production at its second plant in Wuhan, Hubei Province.
When Reliability Is Considered A Maintenance Activity
July 10, 2012 8:08 am | by Mark Latino, President of Operations, Reliability Center Inc. | Blogs | CommentsProduction in general doesn’t know the value of using reliability tools, such as root cause analysis, as a business tool to gain consistent high productivity.
No New Parts, Support For C-130 Wildfire System
July 9, 2012 2:12 pm | by Mead Gruver, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe demise of the only company that manufactured a device specially designed to spray fire retardant from the back of U.S. military C-130 cargo planes has some experts worried about the future viability of a program that has helped fight wildfires for 40 years.
Central Indiana Factory Back On Market Again
July 9, 2012 10:20 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsOfficials in a central Indiana county are hoping the third time is the charm for a sprawling factory that's already seen two planned tenants file for bankruptcy.
Making The Best Of Breakdown In Manufacturing
July 9, 2012 8:16 am | by Tom McNamara and Sarah Hudson, ESC Rennes School of Business, Rennes, France; Sabry Shaaban ESC La Rochelle, La Rochelle, France | Articles | CommentsMore and more production and fabrication work looks like it is coming back to developed economies, so how can countries take advantage using unpaced production lines?
A123 Systems Hopes To Raise $9M In Share Offering
July 6, 2012 1:58 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA123 Systems Inc., a maker of batteries for electric vehicles which is struggling to stay in business, said Friday that it plans to sell stock and warrants to raise about $9M in proceeds after expenses.
Ramtron Rejects Cypress Takeover Offer
July 6, 2012 1:52 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsRamtron International Corp. said Thursday that a bid by rival chip maker Cypress Semiconductor Corp. to buy the company for about $91.4 million is "inadequate" and not in the best interest of Ramtron or its shareholders.
Controlling Birds During The Summer Months
July 6, 2012 8:39 am | by Patricia Hottel, Technical Director, McCloud Services | Articles | CommentsThe time to initiate a bird management plan is not when the house sparrow flies through the door, as it will be too late.
Congress, White House Fight Over Funding For Tanks
July 5, 2012 1:59 pm | by John Seewer, Associated Press | News | CommentsCaught in the middle are hundreds of workers at the northern Ohio tank plant who are worried about losing high-paying manufacturing jobs at a time when those positions are scarce.
GE Postpones Nation's Largest Solar Panel Plant
July 5, 2012 1:58 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Denver Post reports Wednesday that GE has told state and local officials that it plans to postpone construction of its PrimeStar solar panel plant by 14 to 18 months.
Hawker Beechcraft In Talks With Potential Buyers
July 3, 2012 1:56 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsAircraft maker Hawker Beechcraft is narrowing down a list of potential buyers as part of its plan to emerge from bankruptcy reorganization.
Protests Force Chinese City To Scrap Copper Plant
July 3, 2012 1:51 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsShifang city announced Tuesday it has scrapped plans for a copper plant after thousands of people protested the project's possible public health risks.
MD Volvo Workers Improve Biz
July 3, 2012 10:18 am | by Arnold S. Platou, The Herald-Mail of Hagerstown | News | CommentsIt's often said that if you really want to find ways to improve your business, ask an employee. At its Hagerstown plant, Volvo did ask — and the result is "significant savings," according to company representatives.
