Plant Operations
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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
A Behind The Scenes Look At Manufacturing A Viper
February 14, 2013 9:14 am | by The New York Times | Videos | CommentsInside a newly reopened Chrysler plant in Detroit, a car revs to life. Despite its status as the Motor City, Detroit has only two automobile plants entirely within the city limits. One is Chrysler’s Conner Avenue Assembly Plant, which reopened in December after being closed for more than two years during the automaker’s bankruptcy.
Alpla Chooses KY For Manufacturing Operations
February 13, 2013 9:59 am | by Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce | News | CommentsThe Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce announced today that Alpla, Inc., an Austrian-based plastic packaging company, plans to establish manufacturing operations in Bowling Green, Kentucky, creating 72 new, full-time jobs and investing more than $22.4 million in the Commonwealth.
Bombardier Shifts Some Production To Morocco
February 8, 2013 10:00 am | by Ross Marowits, The Canadian Press | News | CommentsBombardier Aerospace is making room for production of the CSeries airliner by beginning to transfer component work on its regional jets to a temporary plant in Morocco. The Montreal-based based division of transportation giant Bombardier said that 18 aircraft assemblers in Morocco who graduated from the local aerospace institute started this week to make simple structures for its CRJ regional jets.
Appeals Court Upholds Ruling Against AVX
February 8, 2013 9:55 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA federal appeals court has agreed with a lower court that electronics manufacturer AVX Corp. is responsible for pollution at its old plant in Myrtle Beach. The Sun News of Myrtle Beach reported a panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., upheld the decision by U.S. District Judge Terry Wooten in 2011.
Honda To Build New Assembly Plant In Thailand
February 6, 2013 10:19 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsHonda Motor Co. will build a new assembly plant in Thailand and expand the current plant to deal with high demand, the president of Asian Honda Co. said Wednesday. Hiroshi Kobayashi said Honda will invest 17.15 billion Baht ($570 million) to build its second assembly plant in Prachin Buri Province in eastern Thailand to meet higher demand in both domestic and international markets, particularly for smaller cars.
Flint Plant Making GM Instrument Units Closing
February 6, 2013 10:16 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsDelphi Automotive says a plant in Flint with about 327 employees that makes instrument systems for General Motors Co. trucks and vans will close. The United Auto Workers union says production is moving to Mexico. Delphi Vice President Lindsey Williams says the plant formerly known as the Delphi Flint East will cease operations in November.
Beer To Help Power Alaska Brewery
February 4, 2013 1:43 pm | by Joshua Berlinger, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Alaskan Brewing Co. is going green, but instead of looking to solar and wind energy, it has turned to a very familiar source: beer. The Juneau-based beer maker has installed a unique boiler system in order to cut its fuel costs. It purchased a $1.8 million furnace that burns the company's spent grain — the waste accumulated from the brewing process — into steam which powers the majority of the brewery's operations.
Daimler Trucks Plants May Lose 1,300 Jobs
February 1, 2013 10:24 am | by Emery P. Dalesio, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsDaimler Trucks North America warned Thursday that about 1,300 factory jobs could be lost in North Carolina and Oregon, reversing course a year after announcing a rebound in U.S. and overseas commerce was boosting demand for freight-hauling equipment.
Check Out How Super Bowl Footballs Are Made
January 30, 2013 2:37 pm | by CNN Money | Videos | CommentsTake a look inside a Wilson Football factory in Ada, Ohio where the official Super Bowl game balls are made. This Wilson Sporting Goods factory produces over 700,000 game footballs a year and has been making footballs at this location since 1955.
Mazda To Build Thailand Transmission Plant
January 30, 2013 1:34 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsMazda Motor Corp. said Wednesday it will build a plant to manufacture automatic transmissions in the Thai province of Chonburi, with production starting in the first half of fiscal 2015. The plant, to be built with 26 billion yen in investment, will turn out 400,000 transmissions a year for the automaker's vehicles employing its fuel-efficient technology dubbed Skyactiv, Mazda said.
January/February 2013 - A NEW Industrial Revolution
January 28, 2013 12:24 pm | Digital Editions | CommentsIn this issue, Pennsylvania manufacturers highlight a "new industrial revolution," machine tags and contamination control eliminate errors and improve industrial lubricant performance, experts discuss proper loading dock design and the safety and energy efficiency concerns that have long dogged facility dock areas, and more.
Scuffles Outside PM's Office After Steel Layoffs
January 25, 2013 10:06 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsSome 250 steel workers from Liege's ArcelorMittal plant have scuffled with police outside the prime minister's office, a day after the leading steel and mining company announced it would close seven facilities in eastern Belgium. The workers pitched stones at police, who retaliated by using the water cannon in freezing temperatures.
Keep Track Of Your Assets
January 25, 2013 8:00 am | by Adebayo Onigbanjo, Product Marketing Manager – Location Solutions (LS), Zebra Technologies | Articles | CommentsGlobal manufacturers are constantly looking for ways to make their operations more agile, efficient and profitable. A smart way to reach those goals is to realize the most value from every asset in its supply chain. Barcoding, passive and active RFID, and Real-Time Locating System (RTLS) solutions can be used to make smart business decisions that will help improve operational performance.
Is Technology A Job Killer?
January 23, 2013 2:17 pm | by Bernard Condon, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsTo workers being pushed out of jobs by today's technology, history has a message: You're not the first. From textile machines to the horseless carriage to email, technology has upended industries and wiped out jobs for centuries. It also has created millions of jobs, though usually not for the people who lost them.
Opel May Move Up End Of German Plant Production
January 22, 2013 2:07 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsGeneral Motors Co. is pressing employees in Germany to agree on a turnaround plan for its struggling European unit, warning if there is no deal it would end car production at one of its German plants two years earlier than planned. Opel announced last month it plans to stop producing cars at the plant in Bochum at the end of 2016 when it stops making its current Zafira model.
Is Labor Productivity The No. 1 Factor For Global Competiveness?
January 22, 2013 8:00 am | by Simon Macpherson, Senior Director Operations, Kronos EMEA | Blogs | CommentsIt’s been my long-held belief that no matter what we automate in manufacturing, or how flexible and effective a supply chain we develop, it’s how we manage the people in the business that will make the difference between good and world class. When it comes to managing the workforce, very few industries are under more pressure than manufacturing.
GM Canada: Too Early To Know Camaro Impact
January 16, 2013 2:13 pm | by Craig Wong, The Canadian Press | News | CommentsIt is too soon to say how many, if any, jobs will be lost due to a shift in production of the new Camaro in 2015 from Oshawa, Ont., to a factory in Michigan, General Motors Canada president Kevin Williams said Tuesday. Williams, speaking in an interview from the floor of the Detroit Auto Show, suggested, for example, that an increase in sales of other cars being assembled in Oshawa could take up some the slack.
ADM Restarts IL Plant After Explosion
January 14, 2013 10:17 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsArcher Daniels Midland has restarted operations at a corn processing plant in Illinois two days after an explosion forced the facility's closure. ADM spokeswoman Jackie Anderson said Friday that the company plans to be back at full production in Peoria by Saturday.
2013 Nissan Leaf Now Being Built In TN
January 11, 2013 2:09 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe 2013 Nissan Leaf is now being produced in Tennessee. Nissan announced in a news release Wednesday that production of the all-electric car had begun in Smyrna. The car is being built next door to the Nissan plant that produces the Leaf's lithium-ion battery.
Former Bowling Equipment Plant To Be Demolished
January 11, 2013 10:13 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA former manufacturing plant in West Michigan that produced bowling equipment for a century is scheduled to be demolished by this summer. The Muskegon Chronicle reports Brunswick Bowling Products has contractors working to bring down buildings at the Muskegon site. By summer, they plan to wrap up demolition. The land will be green space available for future development.
Bumble Bee Safety Rail
January 10, 2013 3:22 pm | by Hollaender Manufacturing | Product Releases | CommentsThe Bumble Bee safety rail system is a highly visible, high performance structural fitting based railing system designed to meet the needs of the most demanding safety rail requirements, says the company.
Explosion Forces Shut Down Of ADM Plant In Illinois
January 9, 2013 2:05 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsArcher Daniels Midland has temporarily shut down operations at its corn processing plant in central Illinois after an early morning explosion damaged the facility. ADM spokeswoman Jackie Anderson says a fire broke out after the explosion in the maintenance area of the Peoria plant at about 3 a.m. Wednesday. Nobody was hurt but fire officials say one person was taken to the hospital as a precaution.
Ford Sells 239 Acres At Wixom Assembly Plant
January 7, 2013 10:16 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsMore than 200 acres at Ford Motor Co.'s former Wixom Assembly Plant have been sold. The Dearborn-based automaker says Friday that Trident Barrow Management has bought 239 acres of the property northwest of Detroit. The company is a unit of Barrow Development. Demolition is slated to start by the end of March.
Startup Vehicle Company Moving Into Old GM Plant
January 4, 2013 2:00 pm | by Melinda Deslatte, Associated Press | News | CommentsA startup company called Elio Motors is moving into the former General Motors plant in northwest Louisiana, where it plans to build three-wheeled vehicles with high fuel efficiency and a cheap price tag. The deal was announced Thursday for Elio to take over part of the plant to assemble its unusual-looking, two-seat vehicle.
Japan's Top 3 Automakers See Double-Digit Output Fall
December 21, 2012 9:55 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsJapan's top three automakers saw double-digit falls in their auto production in China on the year in November, hit by flagging sales there amid strained relations between the two countries, their data showed Friday. Toyota Motor Corp.'s production in the country dropped 38.7 percent from a year earlier to 50,528 units, but the decline narrowed compared with last month's 61.1 percent fall.
