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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
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.
Some Unions Now Angry About Health Care Overhaul
May 24, 2013 2:14 pm | by Sam Hananel, Associated Press | News | CommentsWhen President Barack Obama pushed his health care overhaul plan through Congress, he counted labor unions among his strongest supporters. But some union leaders have grown frustrated and angry about what they say are unexpected consequences of the new law — problems that they say could jeopardize the health benefits offered to millions of their members.
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.
Italy Seizes 1.2B Euros From Steel Family
May 22, 2013 2:13 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsMilan prosecutors have ordered the seizure of 1.2 billion euros ($1.5 billion) in assets belonging to the family that runs a troubled steel plant in southern Italy. Prosecutors allege in the order Wednesday that the real estate, stocks and other financial assets belonging to the Riva family were obtained through the misuse of funds belonging to the Ilva steel plant.
Indian Guest Workers Sue Company In MS, TX
May 22, 2013 2:05 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsDozens of Indian guest workers are suing an Alabama-based marine and fabrication company, claiming it financially exploited them and forced them to live in squalid conditions after bringing them to work at Gulf Coast shipyards after Hurricane Katrina.
Fiat Industrial Considers Making Tax Home In U.K.
May 22, 2013 10:24 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsFiat Industrial is considering moving its tax home to Britain after it completes the merger with its U.S.-based subsidiary CNH. The possible move by the maker of heavy trucks, farm and construction vehicles would be a blow to the new Italian government of Enrico Letta, which is struggling to put public finances in order.
Ex-Ford Execs Charged In Argentine Torture Cases
May 22, 2013 10:21 am | by Michael Warren, Associated Press | News | CommentsThree former Ford Motor Co. executives were charged Tuesday with crimes against humanity for allegedly targeting Argentine union workers for kidnapping and torture after the country's 1976 military coup. All three were ordered to remain under house arrest on bail of about $142,000 each. Galarraga and Sibilla are Argentines and Muller is described in the indictment as a Czech national.
Kohler Ordered To Pay $9.6M In Patent Suit
May 21, 2013 2:20 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Kohler Co. has been ordered in federal court to pay $9.6 million to a Massachusetts manufacturer for infringing on two of its patents for components that reduce exhaust emissions in marine generators. Jurors in U.S. District Court in Boston last week found Kohler willfully infringed on the patents issued in 2008 and 2010.
Apple's Cook To Face Senate Questions On Taxes
May 21, 2013 10:12 am | by Marcy Gordon, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsA Senate panel says Apple Inc. is avoiding paying billions of dollars in U.S. taxes, but the world's most valuable company says it is complying with the laws and pays "an extraordinary amount" in taxes to the U.S. government. Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook is scheduled to testify Tuesday on Capitol Hill to explain the company's tax strategy.
MO Judge Orders Monitoring For Ex-Mamtek CEO
May 21, 2013 10:07 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA Missouri judge on Monday ordered the former head of a failed artificial sweetener plant in Moberly to wear a GPS electronic monitoring device while he awaits trial on felony fraud and forgery charges. St. Charles County Circuit Judge Daniel Pelikan ordered ex-Mamtek CEO Bruce Cole to wear the device while he is at home, the Columbia Daily Tribune reported.
Ex-Saab Execs Arrested On Accounting Charges
May 20, 2013 2:36 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA Swedish prosecutor says three former executives of automaker Saab Automobile AB have been arrested on accounting fraud charges. Prosecutor Olof Sahlgren says the three are "suspected of aggravated attempts to avoid tax controls" by allegedly falsifying parts of Saab's accounts between 2010 and 2011 — a crime that carries a sentence of up to four years in prison.
Problems Surface Over AZ's 2007 Immigration Law
May 17, 2013 12:41 pm | by Jacques Billeaud, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe immigration debate in Arizona reached a boiling point in 2007 when the state passed a groundbreaking law targeting those often blamed with fueling the nation's border woes: Employers who hire immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.
Small SUVs Struggle In Crash Test
May 17, 2013 12:30 pm | by CNN Money | Videos | CommentsFive SUVs including the Hyundai Tuscon, Ford Escape, Kia Sportage, Buick Encore and Jeep Patriot earned poor ratings in a tough new crash test. Only two of 13 small SUVs performed well in front-end crash tests done by an insurance industry group, with several popular models faring poorly in the evaluations.
Prosecutors Want Closer Monitoring Of Ex-Mamtek CEO
May 17, 2013 11:19 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsMissouri prosecutors want a judge to let them keep closer tabs on the former head of a failed artificial sweetener plant in Moberly. Attorney General Chris Koster's office said Thursday it has filed a motion in St. Charles County Circuit Court seeking to monitor ex-Mamtek CEO Bruce Cole with a wearable GPS device.
Labor Group: Apple Making Progress At Foxconn
May 17, 2013 11:18 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA labor group Apple Inc. joined to assess working conditions at three manufacturing plants in China, where its products are made, says conditions are improving. But employees are still working more hours than the country's legal limit. The Fair Labor Association said Thursday that Apple's largest supplier, Foxconn, has made all recommended improvements to working conditions that were due by the end of December.
Ford Owners Sue: EcoBoost Engine Defective
May 15, 2013 10:16 am | by Dee-Ann Durbin, AP Auto Writer | News | CommentsThree Ohio drivers are suing Ford Motor Co., claiming the company's six-cylinder EcoBoost engine is defective. The lawsuit says the 3.5-liter V6 EcoBoost engine can shudder, shake and then rapidly lose power while drivers are accelerating.
Judge Slashes $240M EEOC Verdict To $1.6M
May 15, 2013 10:08 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA judge has slashed a landmark $240 million verdict to $1.6 million for 32 mentally disabled workers who suffered years of abuse by their caretakers. U.S. Senior Judge Charles Wolle entered judgment Tuesday against Henry's Turkey Service of Goldthwaite, Texas. Wolle says he must limit the judgment to $50,000 per employee, the cap included in the Americans with Disabilities Act for businesses with fewer than 101 workers.
Bill Squeezing Out Tesla Passes NC Senate
May 14, 2013 2:24 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA bill backed by auto dealers that effectively blocks California's Tesla Motors Inc. from selling in North Carolina has passed the state Senate. The electric car manufacturer says the bill that passed the Senate unanimously Monday effectively bars it from selling to state residents through its Internet-based model.
Drug Manufacturer Agrees To $500M Penalty
May 13, 2013 2:23 pm | by Eric Tucker, Associated Press | News | CommentsA subsidiary of an Indian pharmaceutical company has agreed to pay $500 million in ines and civil penalties for selling adulterated drugs and lying about tests to federal regulators, the Justice Department said Monday. The guilty plea by Ranbaxy USA Inc. represents the largest financial penalty by a generic drug company for violations of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, which prohibits the sale of impure drugs, prosecutors said.
Jury Finds 3 Guilty Of Weapons Plant Break-In
May 9, 2013 2:16 pm | by Erik Schelzig, Associated Press | News | CommentsAn 83-year-old nun and two fellow protesters were convicted Wednesday of interfering with national security when they broke into a nuclear weapons facility in Tennessee and defaced a uranium processing plant. It took a jury about 2 ½ hours to find the three protesters guilty of a charge of sabotaging the plant and second charge of damaging federal property in July the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge in July.
Appeals Court Strikes Down Union Poster Rule
May 8, 2013 10:11 am | by Sam Hananel, Associated Press | News | CommentsIn another blow to the nation's dwindling labor unions, an appeals court struck down a federal rule that would have required millions of businesses to put up posters informing workers of their right to form a union. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said the NLRB violated employers' free speech rights in in trying to force them to display the posters or face charges of committing an unfair labor practice.
Lawsuit: Intel Worker Subjected To 'Kick Me' Prank
May 7, 2013 2:31 pm | by Russell Contreras, Associated Press | News | CommentsIntel workers secretly taped a "Kick Me" sign to the back of a co-worker as a prank, then kicked the confused man a number of times as employees at the Rio Rancho Intel plant laughed hysterically at the episode, according to a federal lawsuit.
Ethiopian Air Wants Compensation For 787 Grounding
May 7, 2013 10:04 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe chief executive of Ethiopian Airlines says his company will seek compensation from Boeing for the grounding of its 787 Dreamliner planes. Tewolde Gebremariam told The Associated Press on Tuesday his company will soon start discussions with Boeing over compensation.
FAA Safety Oversight Of Aircraft Repairs Faulted
May 6, 2013 2:21 pm | by Joan Lowy, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe government's oversight of hundreds of domestic and overseas repair stations that service U.S. airliners is ineffective and doesn't target the factors most likely to present safety risks, the Department of Transportation's inspector general said Monday.
Pressure On Bangladesh, Retailers To Fix Factories
May 6, 2013 2:14 pm | by Farid Hossain, Stephen Wright, Associated Press | News | CommentsIn the aftermath of a building collapse that killed more than 530 people, Bangladesh's garment manufacturers may face a choice of reform or perish. The shoddily constructed building's collapse has put a focus on the high human price paid when Bangladeshi government ineptitude, Western consumer apathy and global retailing's drive for the lowest cost of production intersect.
