Plant Operations/Management
FREE Email Newsletter
Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
OR Regulators Sign Off On Bullet Plant Cleanup
February 25, 2013 1:56 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsOregon environmental regulators have approved the cleanup done by a bullet and ammunition manufacturer whose factory was damaged in a 2010 explosion. The blast at the Nosler Inc. plant in Bend caused the sprinkler system to run for 90 minutes, contaminating the water, the Bulletin newspaper reported.
Legislative Consultant To Take Crack At Big River
February 25, 2013 10:17 am | by Chuck Bartels, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsThe clock is running as legislators seek information about a $1.1 billion steel plant proposed for Osceola. As of Monday, the House and the Senate have 18 working days to look into whether it would be right for the state to $125 million to help finance the project.
Honda To Move North American Leadership To Ohio
February 25, 2013 10:15 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsHonda is moving its North American leadership from California to a major factory campus in Ohio. The Japanese automaker said Friday that about 50 leadership and support jobs will move to Marysville, Ohio, near Columbus. But the company says its American headquarters and about 2,500 workers will remain in Torrance, Calif., near Los Angeles.
CAT Considers Closing Central PA Plant
February 22, 2013 2:14 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsHeavy machinery manufacturer Caterpillar Inc. is considering closing its distribution facility in central Pennsylvania. The York Distribution Center in Springettsbury Township employs 250 people. Caterpillar spokesman Jim Dugan says the workers were notified in September about the possibility the facility could move elsewhere in the eastern U.S.
Yamaha To Build Motorcycle Plant In Pakistan
February 22, 2013 9:58 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsYamaha Motor Co. will build a motorcycle plant in Pakistan with the aim of starting production in 2015, in an attempt to expand its business in an untapped emerging market, company President Hiroyuki Yanagi said Friday in an interview with Kyodo News.
Toyoda Gosei To Establish New Brazil Plant
February 22, 2013 9:56 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsToyoda Gosei Co. said Friday it will build a new plant in Brazil to produce auto components starting in November 2014. Toyota Gosei, an affiliate of Toyota Motor Corp., said it will invest 90 million real (about 4 billion yen) on the plant to produce rubber and plastic automotive components as vehicle production in South America is expected to grow.
Judge: U.S. Steel Can Test New Employees For Booze
February 21, 2013 4:24 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA federal judge in Pittsburgh says United States Steel Corp. can randomly test new employees for drugs and alcohol, rejecting a challenge by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission which sued claiming a worker was fired when she falsely tested positive for drinking because she was diabetic.
Anger After U.S. Boss Insults France's Workers
February 21, 2013 4:23 pm | by Reuters | Videos | CommentsFrench workers have hit back at scathing comments made about them by an American tycoon. Maurice Taylor, the CEO of U.S. tire company Titan International told France's industry minister in a letter published by French media that he didn't want to take over a struggling tire plant as the workforce ''works only three hours.''
Artifacts Found On Site For IA Fertilizer Plant
February 20, 2013 1:37 pm | by Ryan J. Foley, Associated Press | News | CommentsAn Egyptian company planning to invest $1.4 billion to build a fertilizer plant in southeastern Iowa may have to pay for archaeological digging at the site because Native American artifacts were found there, the state archaeologist said Wednesday.
Food Manufacturer To Open Plant In Clinton
February 20, 2013 1:36 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA food processor and manufacturer says it will open a $4.7 million production facility in Clinton, creating more than 200 jobs. Global Food Group says it will renovate an existing facility and create 224 jobs. The plant will produce sandwiches, quesadillas, tortillas and burritos for retail sales.
AEDC Preparing To Submit Steel Plant Package
February 20, 2013 10:09 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Arkansas Economic Development Department says it is finishing a package of information on the proposed $1.1 billion Big River Steel LLC mill that legislators will be able to use in deciding whether to help fund the project. AEDC spokesman Joe Holmes said staff members are putting the final touches on the package.
Beechcraft Emerges From Bankruptcy Protection
February 19, 2013 1:53 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsU.S. plane maker Beechcraft Corp., formerly Hawker Beechcraft, has emerged from bankruptcy protection as a slimmed-down company. The renamed company's formal announcement Tuesday comes just two weeks after its reorganization plan was approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of New York. The plan became effective Friday.
Illinois Tool Works May Sell Packaging Unit
February 19, 2013 1:49 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsIndustrial equipment maker Illinois Tool Works Inc. said Tuesday that it may sell or spin off its industrial packaging segment. The division, with 2012 revenue of about $2.4 billion, designs and makes steel, plastic, and paper products used for bundling, shipping, and protecting transported goods. Its brands include Signode, Strapex, Angleboard and Mima.
Wheeling-Nisshin Expansion To Be Finished By 2014
February 19, 2013 10:18 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsWheeling-Nisshin expects to begin production of a new product at its plant in Brooke County by the end of the year. The company is spending $28 million to add a new corrosion-resistant, hot dip coated steel sheet line at its Follansbee plant.
GAO: SC Fuel Fabrication Plant Will Cost $2B More
February 15, 2013 12:55 pm | by Meg Kinnard, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe price tag for a South Carolina project intended to turn weapons-grade plutonium into fuel for nuclear reactors has gone up by $2B, according to a report. The assertion by the General Accountability Office means that the overall cost for the National Nuclear Security Administration project is now estimated at just under $7B, with still several more years to go before the facility is expected to open.
Heinz Brand, Family Ties Ubiquitous In Pittsburgh
February 15, 2013 11:52 am | by Joe Mandak, Associated Press | News | CommentsA company with its roots in a teenager selling bottles of horseradish is now as much a symbol of Pittsburgh as steel. That's part of the reason why the $28 billion sale of the ketchup-making food giant H.J. Heinz Co. resonates so profoundly with Pittsburghers.
Billionaire Buffett Buys Heinz For $23B
February 15, 2013 10:10 am | by Candice Choi, Josh Funk, AP Business Writers | News | CommentsBillionaire Warren Buffett, the most closely watched investor in America, is putting his money in ketchup, agreeing Thursday to buy H.J. Heinz Co. for $23.3 billion in the richest deal ever in the food industry. For his money, the Oracle of Omaha gets one of the nation's oldest and most familiar brands, one that's in refrigerators and kitchen cupboards all over the U.S.
Energy Report Blasts West Michigan Battery Maker
February 14, 2013 2:03 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA U.S. Energy report accuses a Michigan-based battery maker of wasting federal funds and failing to move production to the state from South Korea. The report released by the Energy Department says Holland-based LG Chem Michigan spent $142M in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds but hasn't "yet achieved the objectives outlined" in its plan for producing lithium-ion polymer batteries.
Norton Packaging To Open GA Plant
February 13, 2013 12:44 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsState officials say a new manufacturing facility in Jasper County is expected to create 90 new jobs. The Rockdale Citizen reports that Norton Packaging Inc. broke ground Tuesday for the new facility in Monticello. Norton Packaging specializes in containers. It will manufacture plastic injection molded rigid shipping containers at the 76,000-square-foot Monticello plant.
Ball To End Production At Elgin, IL Plant
February 13, 2013 10:09 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsBall Corp. says it plans to end production at its food and aerosol packaging manufacturing plant in Elgin, Ill., in December. The move affects 245 employees, who can apply for open positions within the company. The Elgin plant makes aerosol cans, specialty steel cans, and flat steel sheet used by other Ball plants.
Reward Potential Big For AR Mill, But Has Risks
February 11, 2013 2:28 pm | by Chuck Bartels, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsThe planned $1.1 billion steel mill in Osceola carries the promise of a long-term economic boost for northeast Arkansas, but investors — including the state — face a number of risks. Legislators must decide whether it's worth borrowing $125 million, then giving $75 million of it in grants to Big River Steel LLC.
Shareholder Suit Challenges Dell Buyout Plan
February 8, 2013 9:58 am | by Randall Chase, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsA lawsuit challenging plans to take troubled personal computer maker Dell Inc. private is being filed in Delaware. The lawsuit filed Wednesday claims that company founder Michael Dell and a group led by investment firm Silver Lake are trying to buy the Round Rock, Texas-based computer maker on the cheap for $24.4 billion, or $13.65 per share.
AR Senators Mull Role In Osceola Steel Mill
February 5, 2013 10:14 am | by Chuck Bartels, Associated Press | News | CommentsGov. Mike Beebe and state economic officials told Arkansas senators Monday that the state borrowing $125 million to help fund a planned $1 billion steel mill in Osceola is a good investment. Arkansas Teacher Retirement System trustees endorsed the project by agreeing to invest $60 million. Beebe said the prospect of a long-term economic boost in northeast Arkansas is worth the risk of the state investment in Big River Steel LLC.
Judge OKs Hawker Beechcraft Reorganization Plan
February 4, 2013 10:08 am | by Roxana Hegeman, Associated Press | News | CommentsA federal judge gave the final nod Friday to Hawker Beechcraft's reorganization plan, clearing the way for the plane-maker to exit bankruptcy later this month. Bankruptcy Judge Stuart Bernstein ruled Friday that the reorganization plan complied with the requirements of the bankruptcy code, finding the company proposed the plan in good faith to maximize the value of the estate and carry out the reorganization.
American Axle To Invest $100M In Plant
February 4, 2013 10:02 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsAmerican Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. said Friday that it will spend more than $100 million on a Michigan manufacturing plant to add new production lines, increase shipping capacity and other items. The investment is expected to create 500 jobs and help the company expand its product lineup and customer base in North America.
