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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
GM Continues Work With German Government Over Opel Bids
August 3, 2009 8:45 am | Articles | CommentsBERLIN (AP) — The German government said Monday that it sees "encouraging" signs of progress in negotiations on the future of auto maker Opel as it prepares for more talks with parent General Motors Co. and the two bidders. The Economy Ministry said it expected another round of talks in Berlin on Tuesday between German federal and state officials, GM and the bidders: a consortium of Canadian car parts maker Magna International Inc.
GM Buyout Offers Falls Short Of Goal, Layoffs Loom
August 3, 2009 8:39 am | by Tom Krishner, AP Auto Writer | Articles | CommentsDETROIT (AP) — About 6,000 General Motors Co. blue-collar workers have taken the latest round of early retirement and buyout offers, but it fell short of the company's goal, meaning more layoffs are likely. GM has about 54,000 factory workers and wants to end the year with 40,500, a cut of about 13,500.
BMW Offers Buyout Packages To SC Workers
July 30, 2009 6:49 am | Articles | CommentsGREER, S.C. (AP) — BMW has offered voluntary separation packages to workers at its facility in Greer even as plans for a $750 million expansion remain on track. The Greenville News reported Thursday that the offers are part of the automaker's plan to cut its work force by about 8,000 worldwide.
One Dead, Several Hurt In NE Miss. Explosion
July 30, 2009 4:53 am | Articles | CommentsFULTON, Miss. (AP) — One person was killed and others injured in an explosion Wednesday at a copper tubing plant in northeast Mississippi, emergency officials said. Itawamba County Coroner Steven McNeece says Phillip Cason Hosch, 29, of Sulligent, Ala., died in the blast that happened about 4 p.
Congress Pushing To Restore Hydrogen Funding
July 30, 2009 4:28 am | by Ken Thomas, Associated Press Writer | Articles | CommentsThe U.S. Congress is moving to restore funding for hydrogen research prized by the auto industry despite questions from the Obama administration over the time it will take to build a fleet of vehicles and a network of fueling stations. The Senate was poised to provide $190 million to fund hydrogen research programs as part of a budget plan under consideration Wednesday, more than double the amount sought by the Obama administration.
Ohio Aluminum-Maker Will Eliminate Up To 982 Jobs
July 29, 2009 11:13 am | Articles | CommentsAn aluminum-maker has notified workers that it intends to eliminate up to 982 jobs at its southeast Ohio plant this fall. Ormet Corp. sent a notification late Monday to union workers, the Monroe County commissioners and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
Police Car Maker Picks Ind. City For Factory
July 29, 2009 11:09 am | Articles | CommentsCONNERSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — A startup company that plans to build high-tech police cars has picked a vacant auto-parts plant in eastern Indiana for its first factory. The announcement Wednesday by the chairman of Atlanta-based Carbon Motors Corp. drew cheers from the large crowd gathered inside the former Visteon plant in Connersville.
Meltdown 101: What Companies Do To Cut Costs
July 29, 2009 11:06 am | by Stephen Manning, AP Business Writer | Articles | CommentsFor anyone looking for signs that the recession may finally be giving up its firm grip on the economy, the steady stream of quarterly earnings reports coming out of the nation's companies could offer some signs of hope. To be sure, big companies like General Electric, Caterpillar, Coca-Cola, Yahoo and drug maker Merck are showing the pain, with sales and profits dropping as the recession eats away at demand for their goods.
See The (LED) Light
July 29, 2009 7:39 am | Articles | CommentsMac Tools (Westerville, OH) introduces its new TLL4000 rechargeable LED shop light, for use in a variety of applications — any time additional, focused lighting is required. The TLL4000 model is improved from previous versions, including a molded handle grip, lens edge guard, and polycarbonate hook.
Spray Painting Made Easy
July 29, 2009 7:29 am | Articles | CommentsHyde Tools (Southbridge, MA) has developed its Rapid Valve Transfer spray painting system, useful for getting at hard-to-reach spots. With Hyde’s new product, the spray valve is separated from the gun, allowing for easy pivoting of the head to any angle.
Monitor Without Skipping A Beat
July 29, 2009 7:23 am | Articles | CommentsParsec Automation Corp. (Brea, CA) releases a new generation of its LEANTrak line, a mobile productivity solution that can be easily moved from machine to machine, or line to line, in order to monitor and examine critical operations. The new LEANTrak utilizes Parsec’s Real-time Performance Management software, which is easy to use, even for nonprogrammers, requiring no wiring, programming, or disruption in productivity.
Go Nano
July 29, 2009 7:09 am | Articles | CommentsMaster Bond Inc. (Hackensack, NJ) debuts its UV22 epoxy system, which is nanosilica reinforced and UV curable, for industrial applications. According to the company, the nano-sized filled (<50 nm) gives the system a high abrasion resistance, optical clarity, little shrinkage, and strength while maintaining a low viscosity of 4,000 cps.
GM: Opel Bids Still Not Finalized
July 29, 2009 5:20 am | by Matt Moore and Tom Krishner, AP Business Writers | Articles | CommentsJuly 29, 2009 BERLIN (AP) — The chief negotiator for General Motors Co. said that there is not yet a preferred bidder for Germany's Opel, though the negotiations are "coming to a point of decision." In a post on the company's blog, John Smith, GM's group vice president and chief negotiator on Opel, wrote that "despite media reports to the contrary, GM has NOT specified its preference for a bidder.
Durable Goods Drop 2.5 Percent In June
July 29, 2009 5:09 am | Articles | CommentsJuly 29, 2009 WASHINGTON (AP) — Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket durable goods plunged in June by the largest amount in five months, reflecting the continuing troubles in the auto industry and a steep drop in demand for commercial aircraft. The Commerce Department said Wednesday that orders for durable goods fell 2.
Several Injured In Blast At Ohio Explosives Plant
July 29, 2009 4:53 am | Articles | CommentsAt least eight workers were injured Tuesday in a blast at an explosives manufacturing plant in southeast Ohio. The explosion occurred about 10:30 a.m. at Austin Powder Co.'s Red Diamond plant near McArthur. It happened in a building where workers make detonating cord used in commercial blasting, said Mike Gleason, executive vice president.
Ohio Plant Explosion Injures 4
July 28, 2009 10:23 am | Articles | CommentsAn explosion at a southeast Ohio explosives manufacturing plant has injured four workers. Austin Powder Co. Executive Vice President Mike Gleason says the blast about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at the plant near McArthur was in a building where workers make detonating cord used in commercial blasting.
Hybrid Startup Still Planning To Build Miss. Plant
July 28, 2009 5:23 am | Articles | CommentsA startup car company says it's moving forward with plans to build a multibillion dollar plant in Mississippi that could produce a million fuel efficient vehicles a year. Discussions about the proposed plant were first revealed in June when a federal judge unsealed a lawsuit involving two Chinese businessmen and their companies that were fighting for control of Hybrid Automotive Corporation.
Raided Slaughterhouse Unlikely To Pay Fines
July 28, 2009 5:07 am | Articles | CommentsThe lawyer for a bankruptcy trustee of an embattled kosher slaughterhouse says the company is unlikely to pay fines to Iowa's labor agency. Iowa Workforce Development last week agreed to slash proposed fines by $9 million against Agriprocessors, Inc.
Virgin Spaceship Firm Gets Boost From Mideast
July 28, 2009 5:01 am | Articles | CommentsThe Mideast investment fund that recently bet big on Mercedes-Benz said Tuesday it will pay about $280 million to buy nearly a third of commercial space travel startup Virgin Galactic. Aabar Investments' buy-in gives British billionaire Sir Richard Branson's space tourism venture a big financial kickstart at a time when many funding sources have dried up because of the global recession.
Noren Introduces New, Updated Website
July 24, 2009 10:51 am | Articles | CommentsMenlo Park, CA — Noren Products Inc. has launched a new website . Customers visiting the website can find new pages and updated product images. Also added to the website is a contact page with Noren’s sales team. Noren Products provides customers with thermal solutions in a number of industries.
igus Releases Fully Searchable Catalogs On CD-Rom
July 23, 2009 9:29 am | Articles | CommentsThe 2009 catalogs for igus Inc. are now available on CD-Rom. The updated and searchable CD features full versions of igus’ print catalogs, in addition to videos, application examples, links to CAD files, and other online tools.
Hartzell Fan Launches New E-Commerce Site
July 23, 2009 9:27 am | Articles | CommentsPiqua, OH — Hartzell Fan, a manufacturer of industrial air moving equipment, has launched an e-commerce website featuring general ventilation fans from their HRS stock program. The FansInStock website allows customers to receive customized quotes and the ability to purchase products easily and quickly.
30-3 To Ease Cleaning And Disinfecting
July 23, 2009 9:18 am | Articles | CommentsPerfex Corp. (Poland, NY) releases its #30-3 Deluxe Disinfection System, designed for cleaning and disinfecting small areas. The 36 liter bucket comes with casters, waste containment bucket, and stainless steel hardware. The #30-3 can be used with the sieve alone, or with a sieve for the waste containment bucket for a bucket-in-bucket system.
Dipped Gloves For Any Situation
July 23, 2009 9:17 am | Articles | CommentsWest Chester Holdings (Monroe, OH) expands their PosiGrip® line with dipped gloves for industrial applications such as bottling and canning, recycling, and handing of small oily parts. The gloves can be produced in nitrile, polyurethane, latex, and bi-polymer (nitrile and polyurethane blend) to handle both wet and dry applications.
Shockingly Flexible
July 23, 2009 8:37 am | Articles | CommentsAutomationDirect (Cumming, GA) adds to its line of electrical wire with flexible service cord, available in sizes ranging from 18 to 10 gauge, for use in industrial applications. The new wire comes in two-, three-, or four-conductor configurations.
