The Leading Source for Manufacturing News & Insight
Nuclear Weapons Plant To Improve Fire Safety
June 17, 2013 1:52 pm | News | CommentsThe new construction comes after the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board raised safety concerns earlier this year about more than a decade of delays in completing improvements to an aging fire protection system at the West Texas facility, the Amarillo Globe-News reported Sunday.
Hundreds Sickened In Bangladesh Garment Factory
June 17, 2013 1:50 pm | News | CommentsSeveral hundred garment workers were sickened at their factory outside Bangladesh's capital on Sunday, apparently after drinking water there. Police official Mohammad Jahid said many of the workers were treated at various hospitals after the incident at East West Factory in Gazipur district.
MAPI: Rebound In Production, Modest To Moderate Growth
June 17, 2013 12:19 pm | News | CommentsStrong industrial activity in early 2013 softened somewhat recently but the sector should have enough momentum to continue growth, according to the quarterly Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation U.S. Industrial Outlook (EO-124), a report that analyzes 27 major industries.
Company Recalls Weight Loss Supplements
June 17, 2013 12:12 pm | News | CommentsFlorida Dolphin Intertrade Corp. announced Friday that these products have been found to contain undeclared Sibutramine, which was a previously approved controlled substance for the treatment of obesity. It was removed from the U.S. market in October 2010 for safety reasons.
Court: Pay To Delay' Generic Drugs Can Be Illegal
June 17, 2013 11:38 am | by Jesse J. Holland, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Supreme Court ruled Monday that deals between pharmaceutical corporations and their generic drug competitors, which government officials say keep cheaper forms of medicine off the market, can be sometimes be illegal and therefore challenged by federal officials in court.
Dorner’s DTools Conveyor Configuratior Now Tablet-Optimized
June 17, 2013 11:07 am | Product Releases | CommentsDorner Tools has optimized its DTools online conveyor productivity applications for use with tablet computers. The company says that with the most recent upgrade, users will better be able to configure their own conveyor system on the go, with all the design tools needed to fully configure a new belt conveyor.
Retaining Your Number One Asset: Employees
June 17, 2013 10:19 am | by Maria Ferrante, Vice President, Education & Workforce Development, PMMI | Articles | CommentsThere is one absolute that applies to every company, independent of industry: You cannot expect to operate efficiently without dedicated and skilled employees. When looking at the manufacturing industry specifically, finding a highly skilled workforce has proven to be one of the greatest challenges. With such a limited amount of talent in the applicant pool, companies are left to compete for the best employees.
Chinese Supercomputer Named World's Fastest
June 17, 2013 9:58 am | News | CommentsThe semiannual TOP500 official listing of the world's fastest supercomputers released Monday says the Tianhe-2 developed by the National University of Defense Technology in central China's Changsha city is capable of sustained computing of 33.86 petaflops per second. That's the equivalent of 33,860 trillion calculations per second.
GE Aviation Plans To Open New Plant In NC
June 17, 2013 9:47 am | News | CommentsA company that specializes in jet engines and aircraft system production plans to break ground this year on a parts factory near Asheville. GE Aviation's new facility is being built next to an existing GE machining plant. The company says the new plant will produce engine components made of advanced ceramic matrix composite materials.
Why Big Data Is Meaningless
June 17, 2013 9:40 am | by Michael Rothschild, Founder and CEO, Profit Velocity Solutions | Articles | CommentsVendors, managers and bloggers often cite the benefits of “big data,” though most miss the mark in understanding exactly what it is used for, and how it is analyzed. By itself, big data is just raw material, and without a focus on bottom-line results, it is not only meaningless — it can actually be harmful, diverting resources away from a company's core mission.
ABB Names Ulrich Spiesshofer As Next CEO
June 17, 2013 9:05 am | by ABB | News | CommentsThe Board of ABB has unanimously appointed Ulrich Spiesshofer, the head of its Discrete Automation and Motion (DM) division, as Chief Executive Officer. He will succeed Joe Hogan in this role in an orderly transition on September 15, 2013. He has led a doubling of the division’s revenues by organic and inorganic means, and the integration of Baldor – ABB’s largest ever acquisition.
Google Begins Launching Internet-Beaming Balloons
June 17, 2013 8:39 am | by Martha Mendoza and Nick Perry, Associated Press | News | CommentsEighteen months in the works, the top-secret project was announced Saturday in New Zealand, where up to 50 volunteer households are already beginning to receive the Internet briefly on their home computers via translucent helium balloons that sail by on the wind 12 miles above Earth.
Chrysler Freezes Some Pension Plans
June 17, 2013 8:36 am | by Sarah Skidmore, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsU.S. companies in general have moved away from traditional, or "defined benefit," pensions due to the cost. General Motors made a similar move last year when it froze traditional pension benefits for 19,000 salaried workers hired before 2001. Such pensions guarantee a specific payment to retirees.
Police: 1 Dead, 7 Hurt In 2nd La. Plant Blast
June 17, 2013 8:22 am | News | CommentsState Police Trooper Jared Sandifer said Saturday officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration were coming to the CF Industries facility as soon as the site was safe. Sandifer said the state police's hazardous materials unit was at the plant overnight.
Elan Shareholders Vote Down 3 Deals
June 17, 2013 8:16 am | News | CommentsShareholders of Irish drugmaker Elan Corp. PLC have potentially ended a takeover bid from Royalty Pharma by voting in favor of an Elan share buyback plan. The Dublin-based company's shareholders also rejected at a Monday meeting three separate deals that the Elan board has pushed instead of the Royalty takeover bid.
Pa. Company Recalls 165,000 Baby Recliners
June 17, 2013 8:15 am | News | CommentsBaby Matters LLC of Berwyn, Pa., announced the recall of its Nap Nanny and Nap Nanny Chill infant recliners as part of a settlement with the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Since 2009, the commission said it received at least 92 incident reports involving the products.
To Ease Shortage Of Organs, Grow Them In A Lab?
June 17, 2013 8:13 am | by Malcolm Ritter, AP Science Writer | News | CommentsGrowing lungs and other organs for transplant is still in the future, but scientists are working toward that goal. In North Carolina, a 3-D printer builds prototype kidneys. In several labs, scientists study how to build on the internal scaffolding of hearts, lungs, livers and kidneys of people and pigs to make custom-made implants.
Starboard: Smithfield Sale Undervalues Company
June 17, 2013 8:03 am | News | CommentsOne of Smithfield Foods' largest shareholders says a $4.72 billion takeover bid from China's largest meat producer falls short of what the company would be worth if sold off piece by piece. New York-based investment firm Starboard Value LP estimated the pork producer's value at $9 billion to $10.8 billion.
Long-Haul Jets Get Boost At Paris Air Show
June 17, 2013 8:00 am | by Lori Hinnant, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe global aviation event at Le Bourget airfield north of Paris is once again showcasing the rivalry between U.S.-based Boeing and French-based Airbus. After several years of success for their smaller models, the world's leading plane makers are hoping this year generates orders for the bigger, more expensive long-haul jets.
China Announces New Measures To Curb Air Pollution
June 17, 2013 7:54 am | by Louise Watt, Associated Press | News | CommentsChina's growing middle class has become increasingly fed up with air, water and soil pollution that has resulted from development-at-all costs policies. Members of the public have virtually no say on industrial projects, and often protest against factories or petrochemical plants they fear could affect their health.
