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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Couple Convicted Of Stealing GM Trade Secrets
December 3, 2012 10:15 am | by Ed White, Associated Press | News | CommentsA former General Motors engineer with access to the automaker's hybrid technology was convicted Friday along with her husband of stealing trade secrets for possible use in China. Shanshan Du won a transfer within GM in 2003 to be closer to the technology and then copied documents until she accepted a severance offer and left the company in 2005, prosecutors said.
DOJ Asserts Federal Interests In A123 Bankruptcy
November 29, 2012 2:01 pm | by Randall Chase, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsGovernment attorneys say failed battery maker A123 Systems Inc. needs the government's consent in order to sell its assets. The Justice Department told a Delaware bankruptcy judge Tuesday that any sale of A123's assets must protect the government's interests. The Department of Energy gave the Waltham, Mass., company a $249 million grant three years ago.
BP Suspended From New U.S. Gov't Contracts
November 28, 2012 2:08 pm | by Josh Lederman, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Obama administration put a temporary stop to new federal contracts with British oil company BP on Wednesday, citing the company's "lack of business integrity" and criminal proceedings stemming from the Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010.
Nokia Sues RIM For Breach Of Contract
November 28, 2012 2:06 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsNokia Corp. said Wednesday that it is suing Research In Motion, the maker of the BlackBerry, for breach of contract in Britain, the United States and Canada over cellular patents the two companies agreed on nine years ago. The struggling Finnish cellphone maker agreed with RIM in 2003 on a license that covers patents on "standards-essential" technologies for mobile devices.
U.S. Declines To Label China A Currency Manipulator
November 28, 2012 10:05 am | by Martin Crutsinger, AP Economics Writer | News | CommentsThe Obama administration declined Tuesday to label China a currency manipulator, noting that it has let the yuan rise nearly 10 percent in value against the dollar since June 2010. Despite its decision, the administration said the yuan remains "significantly undervalued," and it urged China to make further progress.
GA Chemical Company Cited For Safety Violations
November 27, 2012 10:20 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe U.S. Department of Labor cited a chemical manufacturing company in northwest Georgia for 20 safety violations, and proposes the company pay a $77,000 fine. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced Monday that MFG Chemical Inc. exposed workers to fire and explosion hazards, among other safety infractions.
Ericsson Sues Samsung For Patent Infringement
November 27, 2012 10:15 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsSwedish wireless equipment maker LM Ericsson has filed a lawsuit in the United States against Samsung Electronics Co. for infringing its patents, saying two years of negotiations to strike a deal with the South Korean company have been unsuccessful. Ericsson says the lawsuit concerns technology it has developed that is "essential to several telecommunications and networking standards" in Samsung's products.
Judge Approves RG Steel Retention Plan
November 21, 2012 10:06 am | by Randall Chase, Associated Press | News | CommentsA Delaware bankruptcy judge on Tuesday approved a request by failed steelmaker RG Steel to pay $767,000 under a retention program to keep about 20 key employees on the job through the end of the year as the company finishes liquidating its assets.
BP Settles With U.S. For $4.5B In Gulf Spill
November 15, 2012 2:51 pm | by Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe largest environmental disaster in U.S. history came to reckoning Thursday, as British oil giant BP announced it was paying $4.5 billion in a settlement with the federal government over the 2010 Gulf oil spill disaster and two employees were charged with manslaughter over the 11 workers killed. The settlement was the "largest total criminal resolution in the history of the United States," Attorney General Eric Holder said.
Toyota Agrees To Settle Lawsuit Over Massive Recall
November 15, 2012 2:18 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsToyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it has agreed to settle a lawsuit with U.S. investors over massive recalls of its vehicles from late 2009 to 2010 due to acceleration problems, which caused its shares to plummet. The automaker will pay $25.5 million (about 2 billion yen) to settle the class action lawsuit, according to U.S. media reports.
CA Group Sues To Invalidate Cap-And-Trade
November 14, 2012 10:25 am | by Jason Dearen, Associated Press | News | CommentsCalifornia's largest business group filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging the validity of the state's cap-and-trade program on the eve of the first pollution permit auction. The California Chamber of Commerce's lawsuit filed in Sacramento Superior Court was not expected to stop Wednesday's planned cap-and-trade auction. The group was not seeking an injunction to halt the program immediately, said Denise Davis, a chamber spokeswoman.
Judge Urged To Approve Chinese Drywall Settlements
November 14, 2012 10:22 am | by Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press | News | CommentsAttorneys for thousands of Gulf Coast property owners urged a federal judge Tuesday to give his final approval to a proposed class-action settlement that calls for a Chinese drywall manufacturer to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to repair homes damaged by its product.
Olympus Investors Seek $240M Compensation
November 13, 2012 10:27 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsOlympus Corp. says nearly 50 shareholders have filed a suit seeking 19.1 billion yen ($240 million) in compensation for their investment losses stemming from a massive accounting scandal. The Japanese camera and medical equipment maker said Tuesday that 48 mostly foreign institutional investors and pension funds filed the suit in Tokyo District Court in June.
Trina Solar Lowers 3Q Guidance
November 12, 2012 2:01 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsTrina Solar Ltd. lowered its third-quarter guidance on Monday, citing industry-wide oversupply and lower prices. The Chinese solar panel maker estimates shipments in the third quarter between 375 and 385 megawatts, down from previous guidance of 450 to 480 megawatts. The company said margins were squeezed by anti-dumping duties in the U.S. and an inventory write-down.
China Seeks To Stem Environmental Protests
November 12, 2012 10:09 am | by Gillian Wong, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Chinese government will require that future industrial projects include assessments of their risk to social stability, following several large protests around the country over pollution, a top official said Monday. The government will also increase transparency and public involvement in decisions regarding large projects with potential environmental impact, Minister for Environmental Protection Zhou Shengxian said.
Judge Approves Bid Procedures In A123 Bankruptcy
November 9, 2012 2:15 pm | by Randall Chase, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsA judge ruled that bankruptcy proceedings for A123 Systems can move forward after the advanced battery maker reduced the fee that would have to be paid to the lead bidder for its assets should the deal fall apart. Creditors had been concerned that other bidders were being frozen out because of bid protections that could be claimed by Milwaukee-based auto-parts maker Johnson Controls, the lead bidder.
Evolving Robot Safety Standards
November 8, 2012 4:18 pm | by Eric Esson, National Sales & Marketing Manager, Frommelt Safety Products | Articles | CommentsSeveral aspects of industrial safety standards are changing and require constant monitoring and a bit of common sense to keep current. Technological advances and alternative guarding methods are being devised every day, and companies should be doing everything within their power to eliminate the opportunity. A great place to start is by conducting thorough Risk Assessments and referencing current standards and regulations.
EU Probes Chinese Subsidies Of Solar Panels, Parts
November 8, 2012 1:21 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe European Union is considering imposing tariffs on Chinese-made solar panels and parts after a complaint from European manufacturers alleged that Beijing is subsidizing the industry. EU's executive arm is already looking into a complaint that Chinese manufacturers are "dumping" solar panels on Europe — selling them at below-market rates.
Panel: Chinese Imports Hurt U.S. Solar Industry
November 7, 2012 2:17 pm | by Josh Lederman, Associated Press | News | CommentsA federal trade panel found China responsible Wednesday for harming the U.S. solar panel industry, clearing the final hurdle for U.S. attempts to impose steep tariffs on Chinese solar companies. The U.S. International Trade Commission voted unanimously that Chinese companies have materially injured U.S. manufacturers.
EPA Penalizes NE's Behlen Manufacturing
November 6, 2012 10:27 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsBehlen Manufacturing has agreed to pay a penalty of nearly $60,000 for several EPA violations at its plant in Columbus, Neb. The Environmental Protection Agency says Behlen also agreed to spend a minimum of nearly $75,600 to install anti-pollution equipment.
China Launches WTO Case Against EU Solar Subsidies
November 5, 2012 10:17 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsChina has filed a World Trade Organization case challenging subsidies provided by some European Union members to help promote the solar panel industry, adding to a flurry of trade disputes that Beijing is locked in with Europe and the United States.
EPA: Hyundai, Kia Overstated Gas Mileage
November 2, 2012 10:17 am | by Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writer | News | CommentsHyundai and Kia overstated the gas mileage on most of their models from the past three years in an embarrassing blunder that could bring sanctions from the U.S. government and millions of dollars in payments to car owners. Because of the inflated mileage, discovered during an audit by the Environmental Protection Agency, the automakers must retrofit the window stickers on the cars, the agency said.
Maine Firm Sues Microsoft Over Windows 8 Elements
November 2, 2012 10:07 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe lawsuit claims Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft Corp. is using elements known as live tiles, rectangular icons linked to websites, apps and other items. SurfCast says it developed the tiles, referred to on its website as "dynamically updating icons" containing refreshed real-time content, in the 1990s.
Aircraft Repair Company Exec Pleads Guilty
October 31, 2012 2:06 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsAn executive at a California airplane repair company has pleaded guilty to endangering aircraft by cutting corners with replacement parts not certified by regulators. The U.S. attorney in Sacramento said Tuesday that Jerry Edward Kuwata, of Granite Bay, admitted to using uncertified parts and falsely certifying that the Federal Aviation Administration approved their use in aircraft repair.
Japanese Auto Supplier Pleads Guilty To Price Fix
October 31, 2012 2:01 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsJapanese auto supplier Tokai Rika Co. Ltd. has agreed to plead guilty and pay a $17.7 million fine for price-fixing, the U.S. Department of Justice said Tuesday. The Nagoya, Japan-based company fixed the prices of heater control units that were sold to Toyota Motor Corp. in the U.S. between 2003 and 2010, the government said.
