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Unemployment Rate Continues To Fall

February 3, 2012 | by Christopher S. Rugaber, AP Economics Writer | News | Comments

Employers went on a hiring spree in January and drove down the unemployment rate for a fifth straight month to 8.3 percent, its lowest point in nearly three years.

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Ala. Senators Push Bills To Ban Synthetic Pot

February 3, 2012 2:06 pm | by Andy Brownfield, Associated Press | News | Comments

Products with names like "Spice" and "K2" were marketed as incense or potpourri, but when smoked or ingested they yielded a high similar to marijuana.

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Officials: Fire At Candy Factory Wasn't Severe

February 3, 2012 1:44 pm | News | Comments

The landmark candy factory caught fire in a second-floor packaging area, where firefighters had to wade through melted chocolate.

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Caterpillar Shuts Locked Out Plant In Canada

February 3, 2012 12:23 pm | by Rob Gillies, Associated Press | News | Comments

Electro-Motive had demanded pay cuts of up to 50 percent when it locked out 450 employees, saying the plant was not sustainable.

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Purchasing Managers Index Makes Post-Holiday Rebound

February 3, 2012 10:27 am | Articles | Comments

The index, which measures production, new orders, inventories, and employment activity in Michigan, rose to 65.9 in January after falling below 50 in December.

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The Ultra-Rich Sound Off On The Middle Class

February 3, 2012 9:59 am | by Joel Hans, Managing Editor, Manufacturing.net | Videos | Comments

John Chambers, the CEO of Cisco, says that big business should be embarrassed by how badly the middle class has been hit by the recession.

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Lawsuit Seeks Info, Damages In 7-Year Oil Spill

February 3, 2012 9:37 am | by Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press | News | Comments

Waterkeeper Alliance claims hundreds of gallons of oil have been leaking every day for more than seven years with few details about what's being done to stop it.

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Drugmakers Singing Same Song: 2012 Will Be Tough

February 3, 2012 9:34 am | by Linda A. Johnson, AP Business Writer | News | Comments

Buzzwords such as "blockbuster" and "cash cow" have all but disappeared, and have been replaced "headwinds," ''austerity" and "efficiency."

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Inspectors Focus On 'Unusual' Wear At CA Nuke Plant

February 3, 2012 9:32 am | by Michael R. Blood, Associated Press | News | Comments

The integrity of some equipment at Southern California's San Onofre Unit 2 nuclear plant is drawing concern after unusual wear was found on tubes that carry radioactive water.

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Skimming The Surface Of Axiomatic Design

February 3, 2012 9:28 am | by Alan Nicol, Executive Member, AlanNicolSolutions | Articles | Comments

It is based on such a fundamental design philosophy that it works for any design discipline and easily with other product development methodologies.

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Japanese Entrepreneurs Aim For Silicon Valley

February 3, 2012 9:26 am | by Tomoko A. Hosaka, Associated Press | News | Comments

Naoki Shibata had an executive-level position in Japan but left, saying, "If you want to reach a global market, then you have to start from Silicon Valley."

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Samsung Gets Boost In Longstanding Apple Battle

February 3, 2012 9:19 am | News | Comments

Samsung is vowing to keep fighting Apple over IP as a court in Germany rejected Apple's request to ban sales of certain tablets and smartphones.

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FDA Finds Fungicide In Orange Juice

February 3, 2012 9:18 am | by Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press | News | Comments

Food and Drug Administration says it has confirmed low levels of an illegal fungicide in orange juice samples taken from Florida manufacturers.

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Michael Foods Widens Egg Recall

February 3, 2012 9:10 am | News | Comments

Minnesota food company is widening its recall of hard-cooked eggs because of a potential for listeria contamination.

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MTI Systems Celebrates 30 Years Of Cost Estimating For Manufacturing

February 2, 2012 2:20 pm | News | Comments

MTI Systems Inc. has seen its flagship product, Costimator, implemented by over 1,400 companies in 22 countries since 1982.

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23 Fall Ill After Drinking Pa. Farm's Raw Milk

February 2, 2012 2:14 pm | News | Comments

Maryland health officials also said laboratory tests have confirmed the presence of the bacteria Campylobacter jejuni in Family Cow's milk.

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Live Drum Spiral Conveyor Reaches New Heights

February 2, 2012 2:05 pm | Products | Comments

Nercon has manufactured one of its tallest Live Drum Spirals, now with 17 tiers with cases that travel and 150 feet per minute.

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Plex Systems Announces Enhanced For Plex Online

February 2, 2012 1:57 pm | Products | Comments

Plex Systems Inc., provider of Plex Online, Cloud ERP for manufacturers, announced additional functionality to support complex assembly processes at manufacturing facilities.

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Union Fight Brews With Right-To-Work Push In Minn.

February 2, 2012 1:52 pm | by Brian Bakst, Associated Press | News | Comments

GOP senators introduced a plan to bar compelled membership, but stressed the measure doesn't change the ability to collectively bargain in places where unions exist.

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Your Sales Team: Does It Fit Your Company?

February 2, 2012 1:24 pm | by Ty Swain, CEO, Growth Dynamics | Articles | Comments

A recent survey showed 42.5 percent of companies struggle to hire sales professionals that succeed at selling their product offerings. What can done differently?

American Crystal Union To Fight US Sugar Program

February 2, 2012 12:47 pm | News | Comments

The local union leader said his group cannot stand with the company, and with farmers, because of American Crystal's lockout of 1,300 workers.

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