Plant Operations
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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Carbon Motors Pulls Equipment From IN Plant
April 1, 2013 9:51 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA company that had hoped to open a high-tech police car plant employing as many as 1,500 workers in eastern Indiana has cleared out its plant amid the resignation of a key official. Mayor Leonard Urban told the Connersville News-Examiner that crews removed equipment from the Carbon Motors plant in early March.
Redundancy In Manufacturing Control Systems
April 1, 2013 8:05 am | by Greg Lynch | Articles | CommentsReliability in process control systems has a different meaning in each industry. Depending on the type of interruption and the severity of the consequences, some manufacturing systems require PLC redundancy to keep people and equipment safe.
Mitsubishi Reports Lithium-Ion Battery Problems
March 27, 2013 1:59 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsMitsubishi Motors says a battery in a plug-in hybrid Outlander vehicle heated up and melted. No one was injured. Separately, the Japanese automaker said Wednesday a battery for i-MiEV electric cars caught fire at an auto-assembly plant, but that no one was injured.
Honda To Start Kenya Motorcycle Production
March 27, 2013 1:52 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsHonda Motor Co. said Wednesday it will start producing motorcycles at a new plant in Kenya later this year amid expectations of growth in local demand. Honda has set up Honda Motorcycle Kenya Ltd. for sales and production of motorcycles in Nairobi, becoming the company's third local subsidiary in Africa following one each in South Africa and Nigeria.
Slovakia Signs Deal With U.S. Steel To Stay
March 26, 2013 9:41 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Slovak government has signed a deal with U.S. Steel that will ensure the American ownership of a steel mill that employs thousands in Slovakia for at least five more years. Prime Minister Robert Fico says that in the agreement signed Tuesday, "we created conditions to motivate U.S. Steel to stay in Slovakia and continue to produce steel."
Goodyear To Build A New Blimp Fleet
March 25, 2013 2:05 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsGoodyear is building the first of a new generation of its iconic blimps. The tire maker said Friday that the blimp built in Germany by ZLT Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik will be assembled at Goodyear's Wingfoot Lake Hangar near the company's headquarters in Akron, Ohio.
Ruhrpumpen Argentina Opens New Manufacturing Plant
March 25, 2013 10:51 am | News | CommentsLocated in Pablo Nogués, Buenos Aires, the 7,500 m2 (80,730 SF) facility features a testing laboratory with a capacity of 11,000 m3/hr (49,000 gpm) and has 50 and 60 hertz testing capabilities. Ruhrpumpen's newest property includes 3,000 m2 (32,290 SF) of office space and a well-equipped service center capable of repairing all types of pumps.
Opel Employees Reject Redevelopment Plan
March 22, 2013 10:09 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsEmployees at General Motor Co.'s Opel troubled German plant in Bochum have rejected a redevelopment plan, which means production there could end by late 2014. German news agency dpa said Thursday that a majority of the Bochum plant's workers rejected a redevelopment plan that would have left only 1,200 jobs there after the year 2016.
Manufacturer Vows To Leave CO Over Gun Laws
March 21, 2013 1:50 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA Colorado company vowed to begin making ammunition magazines outside the state within the next month following the passage of sweeping gun control laws. Magpul Industries said Wednesday it will make good on its previous threat to move to another state, the Denver Post reported.
Nearly 250 Laid Off At WA Hanford Nuclear Site
March 20, 2013 1:52 pm | by Shannon Dininny, Associated Press | News | CommentsState and federal officials are still analyzing the impact of layoffs and furloughs at south-central Washington's Hanford Nuclear Reservation, but outsiders say they are sure to slow cleanup at the nation's most contaminated nuclear site.
WY Coal-To-Gasoline Plant Seeks Delay
March 20, 2013 1:49 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsPlans to construct a $1 billion plant in Carbon County to turn coal into gasoline may be delayed. The Texas developer behind the coal-to-gas conversion plant has asked state officials for more time to submit a final construction schedule. DKRW Advanced Fuels says it's not clear when its Chinese construction contractor would be able to start work.
BMW Manufacturing Expands Hydrogen Fuel Cell Fleet
March 19, 2013 1:36 pm | Videos | CommentsBMW Manufacturing has announced the successful expansion of the company's hydrogen fuel-cell material handling equipment across its 4.0 million square foot production facility. In 2010, BMW completed the installation of a hydrogen storage and distribution area near the plant's Energy Center to power about 100 pieces of fuel cell material handling equipment.
Indispensible Leak Detection
March 13, 2013 4:31 pm | by Rachel Leisemann Immel, Associate Editor, IMPO | Articles | CommentsA technician holds a wand to the major piping connections of the air conditioner and waits for a device to alarm if a leak is detected. The technician is not looking for the level of refrigerant along the automotive assembly line, he is looking for whether the refrigerant is leaking from any fitting at a rate greater than preset tolerable limits and trying to locate where the leak is.
GM Breaks Ground On Additions To KCK Plant
March 13, 2013 10:21 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsGeneral Motors has begun building a new paint shop at its Fairfax assembly plant in Kansas City, Kan. The automaker says in a release that construction began Tuesday on the 450,000-square-foot paint shop, which is part of a $600 million investment in the plant.
100 Percent Lean Beans
March 12, 2013 4:09 pm | by Anna Wells, Executive Editor, IMPO | Articles | CommentsThe Starbucks Carson Valley Roasting Plant & Distribution Center crew will tell you everything you need to know about how roasting and brewing methods affect the flavor of coffee in so many ways. And just as the smallest of modifications can dramatically affect the flavor of the cup, Starbucks Carson Valley has learned that – likewise – small steps towards continuous improvement can yield returns.
Suntech Power To Close Arizona Factory
March 12, 2013 1:58 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsChinese solar panel maker Suntech Power Holdings Co. is closing its factory in Goodyear, Ariz., in part because of higher production costs. The broader solar industry has struggled in recent years due to a steep price drop for solar panels. Global demand for panels has languished in Europe and elsewhere, even as manufacturing capacity soared.
Sumitomo Metal To Build New Rare Earth Plant
March 12, 2013 10:22 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsSumitomo Metal Mining Co. said Monday it plans to build a pilot plant in the Philippines to extract scandium, a rare earth element used to enhance aluminum strength and in components for fuel cells and batteries. The plant will be set up later this year at Coral Bay Nickel Corp., a subsidiary on Palawan Island that produces nickel-cobalt mixed sulfide from minerals, which also contain a trace amount of scandium.
Small Businesses Feel Sequester Pinch
March 8, 2013 1:45 pm | by CBS News | Videos | CommentsThe automatic sequester budget cuts are expected to slash $43 billion in defense spending over the next seven months - 8 percent of the Pentagon's budget. And, as CBS News' Ben Tracy reports, that will impact thousands of small businesses that work in the defense industry.
At least 2 Critically Hurt In IL Steel Plant Blast
March 8, 2013 10:18 am | by Jim Salter, Jim Suhr, Associated Press | News | CommentsAt least 10 people were injured, including two critically, in an explosion Thursday at a steel castings plant in southwestern Illinois, officials said. The blast happened shortly after 8 a.m. in the cleaning-and-finishing department at the American Steel Foundries plant in Granite City, just northeast of St. Louis.
Integrating LEAN Process Improvement
March 8, 2013 9:29 am | by Stephen J. Benefield, enVista | Articles | CommentsStrong executive commitment is of upmost importance when implementing any continuous improvement process such as LEAN or Six Sigma. It is important to ensure executive commitment by aligning and reporting results using current corporate measures and strategic initiatives.
787 Delays Force Thomson Airways To Change Plans
March 5, 2013 9:29 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThomson Airways passengers expecting to fly the Boeing 787 Dreamliner on holiday trips in May and June will be put on other aircraft because of ongoing problems with the plane. The company said Tuesday it has not been able to get a delivery schedule from Boeing for planes it had been expecting to put in operation in May.
Renault CEO: Carmakers Must Push Outside Europe
March 5, 2013 9:10 am | by Sarah DiLorenzo, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsThe European car market is going to be tough for five more years, Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn predicted Tuesday, and the only way for struggling carmakers to survive is to push into other markets. Hit by fleeing customers, struggling economies and idle production lines, Europe's carmakers are finding it harder to recover from the collapse of the car market in 2008 than some of its rivals in the U.S. and Asia.
Tyson To Close Springdale Plant, Move Workers
March 4, 2013 10:16 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsTyson Foods has announced plans to close its small processing plant in Springdale. The company announced this week that "changing demand for certain specialty products" led to the decision to shut down the plant. The company says the plant's about 60 hourly workers will be offered jobs at other company locations in Springdale and northwest Arkansas.
U.S. Factories See Best Growth Since June 2011
March 1, 2013 4:42 pm | by Christopher S. Rugaber, AP Economics Writer | News | CommentsU.S. manufacturing expanded in February at the fastest pace since June 2011, buoyed by increases in new orders and production. The third straight month of growth suggests factories may help the economy this year after slumping through most of 2012.
Brazil's Booming Biz Building Private Jets
March 1, 2013 4:40 pm | by CNN Money | Videos | CommentsEmbraer, Brazil's number one exporter of manufactured goods, is now building private jets for the rich around the world. Chances are if you've flown on a commuter carrier in North America or Europe, you've the plane came from this factory in Brazil.
