Plant Operations
FREE Email Newsletter
Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Silicon Valley Has Nothing On Manufacturing
April 22, 2013 8:05 am | by David Mantey, Executive Editor, Product Design & Development | Blogs | CommentsManufacturing floors don’t have Lego stations and pool tables – and yes, OSHA may take issue with throwing empty cans from the mini bar into the same bin as the scrap metal from the lathe, but that doesn’t mean that the industry has any fewer engineers flocking to it.
Toyota To Build Lexus ES 350 At KY Plant
April 19, 2013 10:19 am | by Toyota | News | CommentsFor the first time, a Lexus vehicle will be produced in the United States. The Lexus ES 350 will be assembled at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky in 2015, Toyota announced today. The move will generate 750 new jobs. To support the new dedicated assembly line, Toyota will invest $360 million in the Georgetown plant.
Taking Manufacturing To School
April 19, 2013 8:05 am | by Lindsey Jahn, Associate Editor, Food Manufacturing | Blogs | CommentsAs manufacturing processes become more automated, it is essential for companies to invest in partnerships with local technical schools to maintain a qualified, knowledgeable workforce. In June 2011, President Obama launched a national effort to revitalize American manufacturing.
New Businesses Bring Jobs To Appomattox
April 18, 2013 2:18 pm | by ABC13 | Videos | CommentsThings are looking up for business in Appomattox: Tractor Supply is almost ready to open their doors and the locally owned TriTech Solutions just recently popped up. Three local entrepreneurs started the most recent TriTech Solutions. Members of the town say this business has the potential, and the precision, to go a long way.
Rescuers Search Ruins Of Texas Fertilizer Plant
April 18, 2013 2:14 pm | by John L. Mone, Michael Brick, Associated Press | News | CommentsRescue workers searched the smoldering ruins of a fertilizer plant Thursday for survivors of a monstrous explosion that leveled homes and businesses in every direction across the Texas prairie. As many as 15 people were feared dead and more than 160 others injured.
VW Dropping Third Shift At Chattanooga Plant
April 18, 2013 2:07 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsVolkswagen is dropping the third assembly shift at its Chattanooga plant. As first reported by WRCB-TV, the move will eliminate 500 temporary jobs. Volkswagen spokesman Guenther Scherelis said strong domestic demand for the Passat drove adding the third shift.
SC House Approves $120M For Boeing Expansion
April 18, 2013 2:05 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsLegislation giving the Boeing Co. $120 million in incentives for their expansion plans in South Carolina is one vote away from reaching the governor's desk. The House voted 115-2 Wednesday to approve the bill. Another vote would send it to Gov. Nikki Haley, who is sure to sign it. The Senate approved the measure last week.
How A U.S. Shoemaker Stays Competitive
April 17, 2013 4:45 pm | by CNN Money | Videos | CommentsOkabashi Brands was founded in the 1980s when U.S. manufacturing was shrinking. Staying competitive compared to imports is a challenge, says Bahman Irvani, CEO. But thanks to automation, a U.S. workforce, and recycling methods, Okabashi is a success story.
Purell's Long Path To Success
April 17, 2013 4:42 pm | by CBS News | Videos | CommentsNow the top pick among careful parents and germaphobes alike, Purell's market success wasn't always so obvious. After a decade of rising sales and steady marketing, the anti-bacterial hand sanitizer has become wildly successful, surpassing analyst predictions on its way to the top.
Opel: German Plant To End Production
April 17, 2013 2:07 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsGeneral Motors' loss-making Opel division has confirmed it plans to end production at a plant in Germany by the end of 2014. Adam Opel AG said Wednesday in a statement that the Bochum plant would wind down production as part of its plan to reduce costs and turn the division around. The plant's 3,200 workers make the Zafira compact.
CAGI Data Sheets: An Apples To Apples Performance Comparison
April 17, 2013 8:00 am | by Werner Rauer, Compressors Product Manager, Kaeser Compressors, Inc. | Articles | CommentsComparing compressor performances across different manufacturers has long been a difficult task. For a many years, it was all too easy to present data that, although accurate, was potentially misleading. Manufacturers were selective about what information they published as well as what conditions they chose to specify performance. The result was a numbers game that the buyer frequently lost.
Honda To Open Energy-Efficient Plant In Japan
April 16, 2013 2:14 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsHonda Motor Co. opened to the press on Tuesday an environmentally friendly auto production plant in Saitama Prefecture near Tokyo scheduled to start operations in July. Green technologies include an advanced energy management system and solar power generation equipment introduced at the new plant
Bridgestone To Set Up First Russia Tire Plant
April 16, 2013 10:12 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsBridgestone Corp. has said it plans to establish a car tire plant in Ulyanovsk in western Russia -- its first tire production base in the country -- by the end of June, aiming to build production capacity for around 12,000 tires per day in 2018.
How to Choose A Manufacturing System
April 16, 2013 8:05 am | by Jean Huy, senior director of product marketing for ERP, Sage North America | Articles | CommentsOur experience has taught us that people need more than just product information; they also need other kinds of input to make sound decisions about their accounting and manufacturing software. Use these questions to determine just how ready your company is to adopt a new manufacturing system.
Secrets From The Potato Chip Factory
April 12, 2013 3:31 pm | by NPR | Videos | CommentsNPR has recently released this video from the plant floor of Herr's, which makes potato chips on a massive scale today. The plant, based in Nottingham, Pa., used to process just a few potatoes per hour, and most of the labor was manual. Today, they churn through a few tons of spuds an hour.
ME Gun Manufacturer To Lay Off 110
April 12, 2013 10:05 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsDefense contractor General Dynamics Corp. is laying off more than 100 workers at its gun manufacturing plant in Saco. Spokesman Karl Johnson says 110 workers representing nearly a third of the plant's work force have been notified that they'll be let go between June 14 and July 1.
Bristol-Myers Plans Major MA Expansion
April 12, 2013 9:59 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsDrug maker Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. has announced a $250 million expansion of its central Massachusetts manufacturing complex that will eventually employ an additional 350 workers. The expansion announced Thursday will add space for developing biotechnology drugs, called biologics, and for manufacturing those products for clinical trials.
How To Benefit From Mobile, From The Floor To The Field
April 9, 2013 4:30 pm | Articles | CommentsYes, there’s a place for mobile in manufacturing. Seven, actually. Today’s mobile solutions can help your business run more profitably and predictably, by putting the right tools and information right where they’re needed. Load tablets with videos, manuals and instructions to deliver the training and education employees need, where they need it most — on the floor.
Boeing Planning $1B Expansion In SC
April 9, 2013 2:15 pm | by Bruce Smith, Associated Press | News | CommentsBoeing Co. is expanding in South Carolina and will invest another $1 billion, creating 2,000 new jobs during the next eight years, the aerospace giant announced Tuesday. Company spokeswoman Candy Eslinger said the company that operates a 787 assembly plant in North Charleston will expand its operations. The first of the new 787s made in South Carolina rolled off the assembly line about a year ago.
Factories That Ran On Korean Cooperation Go Silent
April 9, 2013 10:16 am | by Kim Yong-Ho, Youkyung Lee, Associated Press | News | CommentsA few hundred South Korean managers, some wandering among quiet assembly lines, were all that remained Tuesday at the massive industrial park run by the rival Koreas after North Korea pulled its more than 50,000 workers from the complex. Others stuffed their cars full of goods before heading south across the Demilitarized Zone that divides the nations.
Vestas' CO Factories Benefit From Canada Order
April 9, 2013 10:09 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsVestas' Colorado factories will produce wind turbines for a wind farm that will be built in Canada. The Danish company announced Monday that it has received an order to make 166 wind generators for the Blackspring Ridge Wind Project near Alberta.
Airbus Breaks Ground On AL Plant
April 8, 2013 2:21 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsAirbus broke ground on its first U.S. airplane assembly plant Monday with a ceremony marking the start of a project that could help transform Alabama's coast into an aerospace center. Top company executives and state leaders were in the port city for the event, held at the Airbus site at Brookley Aeroplex. A jetliner parked behind the stage provided a backdrop for the occasion.
AR House Approves Steel Mill Funding
April 8, 2013 2:13 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA proposal to provide a company with $125 million in state financing to build a new steel mill in northeastern Arkansas has won approval in the state House. By a 78-17 vote, lawmakers on Monday passed legislation authorizing Arkansas to issue bonds to provide a loan and pay some construction costs of a $1.1 billion steel facility in Osceola.
North Korea Recalls Workers From Jointly Run Factory
April 8, 2013 10:09 am | by Hyung-Jin Kim, Associated Press | News | CommentsNorth Korea said Monday it will suspend operations at a factory complex it has jointly run with South Korea, pulling out more than 53,000 North Korean workers and moving closer to severing its last economic link with its rival as tensions escalate.
American Built, Building America
April 8, 2013 8:00 am | by Michelle Avila | Articles | CommentsMore than a quarter century after hitting its peak, U.S. manufacturing appears to be back. More and more companies from Apple to General Electric, Ford and Caterpillar, are deciding to make their products here. But what is behind this manufacturing renaissance? Why are companies bringing back jobs and what makes those companies think they can succeed?
