Plant Operations/Management
FREE Email Newsletter
Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
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.
Auto Products Maker KSM To Locate In NC
February 4, 2013 10:00 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsKSM Castings NC Inc., a German-based maker of light metal casting products for the automotive industry, is establishing its first U.S. plant in North Carolina, creating 189 jobs and investing more than $45 million. Gov. Pat McCrory and state Commerce Secretary Sharon Decker announced Friday that KSM plans to create the jobs by the end of 2018.
How Has Manufacturing Fared In The Second Half?
February 1, 2013 8:00 am | by Rachel Leisemann Immel, Associate Editor, IMPO | Blogs | CommentsAnyone who watched the Super Bowl last year likely caught a glimpse of Clint Eastwood proclaiming that it was “halftime in America.” The country had been knocked down: The housing bubble had burst and top U.S. automakers – employing thousands of American workers – had sought a government bailout.
A New Industrial Revolution
January 31, 2013 3:08 pm | by Rachel Leisemann Immel, Associate Editor, IMPO | Articles | CommentsPennsylvania is a growing energy leader in the United States, becoming a net exporter of natural gas in 2011. They have seized opportunities the Marcellus Shale boom has provided, and expanded into global leaders in natural gas—and are making the region known for its industrial innovation and talent, truly fueling a new industrial revolution.
Bankruptcy Judge To Grant Beechcraft Plan
January 31, 2013 2:06 pm | by Tom Hays, Associated Press | News | CommentsA bankruptcy judge signaled Thursday that he's close to signing off on a reorganization plan for Kansas aircraft-maker Hawker Beechcraft. "Assuming I don't have a problem with it, I'll approve it," Judge Stuart Bernstein said as he reviewed a draft plan with lawyers at a federal bankruptcy court in Manhattan.
Nippon Steel Eyes ThyssenKrupp's U.S. Plant
January 30, 2013 1:37 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsNippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp. and ArcelorMittal S.A. of Luxembourg are considering jointly acquiring a U.S. plant of Germany's ThyssenKrupp AG that has been supplying steel sheets to automakers operating in North America, sources familiar with the matter said Wednesday.
Union Backers: Nissan Threatens Plant Closure
January 30, 2013 10:23 am | by Jeff Amy, Associated Press | News | CommentsPro-union workers said Tuesday that Nissan Motor Co. has threatened to close its Canton assembly plant if workers vote for the United Auto Workers to represent them, though the company denies such threats. Such threats would violate federal law, which bars managers from telling employees they'll close a plant in retaliation for a pro-union vote.
Industrial Real Estate Continues To Strengthen Despite Slow Economic Growth
January 30, 2013 8:05 am | by Jim Morris, Industrial Services Lead, Americas, Cushman & Wakefield, Inc. | Blogs | CommentsDespite a struggling general economy, national industrial real estate fundamentals continued to strengthen, posting declining vacancies and modest rent growth in most markets. Of the 74 industrial markets tracked by Cushman & Wakefield and its Alliance Partners, just 10 recorded year-over-year vacancy increases at the end of the third quarter.
AR Gov. Announces $1.1B Steel Mill Plan
January 29, 2013 2:02 pm | by Michael Stratford, Associated Press | News | CommentsGov. Mike Beebe on Tuesday unveiled Arkansas' largest ever economic development project, saying investors were poised to build a $1.1 billion steel mill along the Mississippi River if legislators approve startup funding. Big River Steel LLC, to be located near Osceola, would employ 525 people with an average salary of $75,000 — twice the state average.
GM Plans $600M Kansas City Plant Upgrade
January 28, 2013 2:02 pm | by Maria Sudekum, Associated Press | News | CommentsGeneral Motors announced plans to pour $600 million into a new paint shop and other upgrades at its assembly plant in Kansas City, an investment that likely ensures the facility's long-term viability. Construction on the 450,000-square-foot paint shop, a new stamping press and efficiency enhancements at the Fairfax Assembly Plant will begin this year, the automaker said.
Hawker Beechcraft Closer To Exiting Bankruptcy
January 28, 2013 10:12 am | by Roxana Hegeman, Associated Press | News | CommentsKansas plane maker Hawker Beechcraft said Friday that its key creditors overwhelmingly backed a proposed reorganization plan in a vote that moves the company closer to emerging from bankruptcy protection as early as next month. The Wichita-based company said that it will seek court approval to exit bankruptcy at a hearing Thursday.
Mitsubishi Heavy Plans New Aircraft Plant
January 25, 2013 12:16 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsMitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. plans to build a new plant for its subsidiary Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp.'s production of a new small jet now under development, company sources said Thursday. The company intends to secure a 7.8-hectare site neighboring an airport in Toyoyama, Aichi Prefecture, for the plant, which is expected to contribute to invigorating the regional economy through additional employment.
