Plant Operations/Management
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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
British Firms Face Ethical Dilemmas In Bangladesh
May 24, 2013 2:14 pm | by NBC News | Videos | CommentsFor the first time, Tesco, one of the largest retailers in the world, opened the doors to its factory in Bangladesh. ITV News visited a production center said to be ethically run. It manufactures many of the 40 million garments made in Bangladesh every year for the supermarket giant Tesco.
ND Body Gives Tax Break To Manufacturing Plant
May 24, 2013 2:14 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Burleigh County Commission has agreed to give Midwest Manufacturing a 50 percent property tax break for three years on a $7.5 million manufacturing plant it plans to build in McKenzie Township. Midwest Manufacturing is a subsidiary of Menards. The Bismarck Tribune reports that the company plans to build the wood products and distribution facility along state Highway 10.
VW Plant Reaches Production Milestone
May 24, 2013 2:12 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsVolkswagen has reached another production milestone at its assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tenn. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that the 250,000th Passat midsize sedan has rolled off the assembly line. The milestone announced Thursday comes barely more than two years since production began at the Tennessee plant.
Ford To End Auto Production In Australia In 2016
May 23, 2013 12:14 pm | by Kristen Gelineau, Associated Press | News | CommentsFord Motor Co. said Thursday it will close its two Australian auto plants, ending production in the country in 2016, amid soaring manufacturing costs and plummeting sales. The closure of the U.S. automaker's plants in the state of Victoria will mean the loss of 1,200 jobs and will transform the company into an import-only brand in Australia.
Fire Marshal's Office: Panel Had Blast Site Access
May 23, 2013 12:08 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe State Fire Marshal's Office says a federal safety panel's investigators had access to the site of a Texas fertilizer plant blast that killed 15 people and injured about 200 others. The chairman of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board had asked for congressional help in obtaining evidence under the control of the state agency and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
German Co., Pepsi Open NY Yogurt Plant
May 22, 2013 2:08 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA second yogurt plant is about to open in a Genesee County business park. Sen. Charles Schumer says the Muller Quaker Dairy plant will have a grand opening on June 3. The $206 million dollar plant is a joint venture of PepsiCo and Germany's Theo Muller company.
Safety Board: ATF Blocking Plant Blast Probe
May 22, 2013 10:27 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsFederal agents and the state fire marshal have effectively barred a federal safety panel from the site of a Texas fertilizer plant blast that killed 15 people and injured about 200 others, hampering its investigation, the panel's chairman said.
GM To Invest $44.5M In MI Cadillac Factory
May 21, 2013 2:22 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsGeneral Motors says it will invest $44.5 million at a Lansing, Mich., factory, creating 200 new jobs. The automaker says it will build a 400,000-square-foot building next to the Lansing Grand River plant to assemble parts and put them in the right order for manufacturing.
Walmart Pushing For More U.S. Product Makers
May 21, 2013 10:16 am | by Chuck Bartels, Associated Press | News | CommentsWith labor and energy costs on the rise in Asia, Walmart highlighted an effort to promote domestic goods on Monday, including products made by more than 40 Arkansas suppliers. Bentonville-based Walmart is encouraging customers to buy items made in the United States. In the company's home state, the effort includes a red, white and black placard bearing the slogan "Arkansas' Own."
Nebraska Company Reopens Iowa Manufacturer
May 21, 2013 10:09 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA week after a northwest Iowa manufacturer shut down its factory, the laid-off workers were back on the job Monday thanks to a Nebraska company that stepped in and bought the business. Thurston Manufacturing Co. of Thurston, Neb., moved swiftly to complete its purchase of Simonsen Iron Works of Spencer, Iowa, so it could rehire workers and keep the plant operating, Thurston co-owner Nick Jenson said.
Judge Gives Final Approval To A123 Bankruptcy Plan
May 20, 2013 2:31 pm | by Randall Chase, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsA Delaware bankruptcy judge has given final approval to the reorganization plan of failed battery maker A123 Systems Inc., which was the recipient of a $249 million Department of Energy grant. Monday's court hearing resolved minor outstanding issues following the sale of most of the company's assets to the U.S. arm of Chinese auto parts conglomerate Wanxiang Group Corp. for nearly $257 million.
Go Inside A Bangladeshi Garment Factory
May 20, 2013 11:59 am | by CNN Money | Videos | CommentsGarment factory owners struggle to shake off the stigma of poor working conditions after the tragic collapse of a rented facility that was not equipped for factory use. Garment workers now question how safe they are at their own factory jobs.
Silicon Valley-Area Hub Becomes Factory Town
May 20, 2013 10:01 am | by Martha Mendoza, AP National Writer | News | CommentsIn a busy factory, machinists move sheets of aluminum roll in the back door to be molded, stamped, twisted and notched into high-tech electric cars that sell for more than $60,000 each. Down the road in another plant, crews slice solar cells, place them under glass sheets and create panels that ship by the boxful to Europe.
IN Withdraws Support For Fertilizer Plant
May 20, 2013 9:57 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsIndiana officials withdrew state backing Friday for a fertilizer plant over concerns about whether its Pakistan-based owners are doing enough at its overseas operations to keep the potentially explosive material from being used against U.S. troops.
FL Gov. Signs Manufacturing Tax Break Into Law
May 17, 2013 12:46 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsFlorida Gov. Rick Scott on Friday signed a bill that creates a tax break for the state's manufacturers. The governor made it official during a stop at a Tampa manufacturing firm. The measure (HB 7007) exempts manufacturers from having to pay sales taxes on equipment purchases for three years.
Alcoa To Cut 500 Canadian Jobs
May 17, 2013 11:19 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsAluminum smelter and parts-maker Alcoa said on Thursday that it will close down two production lines at a plant in Canada and cut about 500 jobs there because of lower aluminum prices. A major portion of a planned upgrade for the facility in Quebec is being pushed back by three years, to 2019, the company said.
Authorities: Crime Not Ruled Out In TX Blast
May 17, 2013 11:18 am | by Nomaan Merchant, Associated Press | News | CommentsInvestigators working in the remnants of an exploded Texas fertilizer plant sifted by hand through untold kernels of corn, moved tons of debris and conducted more than 400 interviews, while searching for the missing piece to solve what many officials compared to an extraordinary puzzle. One month after a fire triggered a massive blast killing 15 people, officials on Thursday had to declare the cause of the blaze as "undetermined."
Cambodian Shoe Factory Collapses, Kills 2
May 16, 2013 2:26 pm | by Sopheng Cheang, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe ceiling of a Cambodian factory that makes Asics sneakers collapsed on workers early Thursday, killing two people and injuring seven, in the latest accident spotlighting the often lethal safety conditions faced by those toiling in the global garment industry.
Boeing Resumes 787 Deliveries After 4-Month Halt
May 15, 2013 2:05 pm | by Joshua Freed, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsBoeing restarted deliveries of 787s on Tuesday after a four-month halt while it dealt with the smoldering batteries that had kept the planes grounded. Boeing handed the plane over to Japan's All Nippon Airways at its factory in Everett, Wash.
Foes Of IN Fertilizer Plant Cite TX Blast
May 15, 2013 2:03 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsOpponents of a proposed southern Indiana fertilizer plant are arguing that state officials should block the project because of dangers highlighted by last month's deadly explosion at a Texas fertilizer manufacturer. An Illinois businessman is seeking permission to build a fertilizer plant projected to cost $950 million near the Ohio River city of Rockport.
U.S. Factory Output Falls In April
May 15, 2013 10:18 am | by Martin Crutsinger, AP Economics Writer | News | CommentsU.S. factories cut back sharply on production in April, as auto companies cranked out fewer cars and most other industries reduced output. The Federal Reserve said Wednesday that manufacturing output dropped 0.4 percent in April from March. It was the third decline in four months and the biggest since October.
General Motors To Sell Van Made By Nissan
May 14, 2013 2:28 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsNissan Motor Co. and General Motors Co. have signed a deal for Nissan to build small commercial vans that GM will sell in the U.S. and Canada, the companies said Tuesday. The vans will be based on the Nissan NV200 and will be sold at Chevrolet dealers starting in the fall of 2014.
Automotive Supplier Breaks Ground In AL
May 14, 2013 10:15 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsAn automotive company is investing $12 million in an expansion that will lead to about 100 new jobs in southeast Alabama. Gov. Robert Bentley and other officials were on hand Monday as HS Automotive Alabama Inc. broke ground for a new facility in Enterprise.
Bobcat Breaks Ground On $20M ND Facility
May 13, 2013 2:27 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsBobcat Co. is investing $35 million in an expansion and renovations in Bismarck, about 3 ½ years after closing its manufacturing plant and laying off nearly 500 workers. The compact construction equipment maker broke ground Monday on a $20 million research-and-development facility at its existing site at the Northern Plains Commerce Centre.
Next Step: Signatures For AR Steel Plant
May 13, 2013 10:04 am | by Chuck Bartels, AP Business Writer | News | 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.
