The Leading Source for Manufacturing News & Insight
Fukushima Plant Steps Closer To Fuel-Rod Removal
June 12, 2013 7:54 am | by Malcolm Foster, Associated Press | News | CommentsPlant chief Takeshi Takahashi told journalists given a tour of the plant Wednesday that workers have cleaned up much of the debris in their work areas, but that the priorities are keeping the plant stable and working toward shutting it down — a process that operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. estimates will take 40 years.
CAT Workers OK 6-Year Deal At Wis. Plant
June 12, 2013 7:49 am | News | CommentsUnion members have ratified a six-year labor contract at Caterpillar Inc.'s plant in South Milwaukee. The new contract freezes wages and pensions but includes a $4,000 signing bonus and shortens temporary layoffs. Caterpillar says the Peoria, Ill.-based company is pleased to have reached what it believes is "a fair, reasonable and comprehensive agreement."
EEOC Sues Over Criminal Background Checks
June 12, 2013 7:45 am | by Sam Hananel, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed lawsuits Tuesday against discount retailer Dollar General Corp. and a BMW manufacturing plant in South Carolina over their use of criminal background checks to screen out job applicants or fire employees.
Rambus To Get $240M In Settlement With Hynix
June 12, 2013 7:43 am | News | CommentsMemory chip designer Rambus Inc. said Tuesday it resolved a decade-old patent dispute with South Korean chipmaker Hynix, and said Hynix will pay it $240 million over the next five years.Rambus said SK Hynix is licensing memory-related patents and the right to certain dynamic random access memory products.
Glaxo Fires Worker Over Misrepresented Study Data
June 12, 2013 7:41 am | News | CommentsBritish drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline PLC says it dismissed one employee and a second has resigned in the wake of a scandal over misrepresented data in a research paper published in 2010. The company says its investigation of recent allegations of questionable data has established that some information in the paper had been misrepresented.
U.S.-China Climate Deal Was Long In The Works
June 12, 2013 7:38 am | by Josh Lederman, Associated Press | News | CommentsAlthough it took most proponents by surprise, the deal was in the bag before President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived at the California desert retreat where they announced it over the weekend. And for China, it came only after a change in financial incentives made it more lucrative to get on board.
4 Ways Manufacturers Can Cope With Rising Energy Prices
June 11, 2013 5:30 pm | by Michael Lewis | Articles | CommentsNo segment of American industry has more to gain from energy efficiency than the manufacturing sector, using almost 40 percent of the energy consumed in the United States. Replacing inefficient machinery, employing "smart" environmental controls and upgrading lighting, heating and air-conditioning systems can drop utility bills by 20 percent to 30 percent.
Q&A: Light On Packaging, Long On Shelf Life
June 11, 2013 2:22 pm | by Lindsey Jahn, Associate Editor, Food Manufacturing | Articles | CommentsFood manufacturers seeking sustainable packaging options often face a tough challenge: finding an eco-friendly solution that does not negatively impact shelf life. Ron Puvak of Plastic Technologies, Inc. (PTI) spoke with Food Manufacturing about how manufacturers can find sustainable packaging solutions, without compromising shelf life.
Hepatitis A Linked To Frozen Berries Sickens 87
June 11, 2013 2:15 pm | by Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press | News | CommentsTownsend Farms of Fairview, Ore., last week recalled its frozen Organic Antioxidant Blend, packaged under the Townsend Farms label at Costco and under the Harris Teeter brand at those stores. So far the illnesses have only been linked to the berries sold at Costco.
More Americans Quit Jobs, A Sign Of Confidence
June 11, 2013 1:51 pm | by Christopher S. Rugaber, AP Economics Writer | News | CommentsMore Americans are quitting their jobs, suggesting many are growing more confident in the job market. The Labor Department said Tuesday that the number of people who quit their jobs in April jumped 7.2 percent to 2.25 million. That's just below February's level, which was the highest in 4 ½ years.
HELUKABEL Opens $50 Million German Expansion
June 11, 2013 12:45 pm | by Joel Hans, Managing Editor, Manufacturing.net | News | CommentsThe Eglin, Ill.-based HELUKABEL USA has announced that is German parent company has brought its expanded global logistics center, a $50 million project, online for the first time. The facility in Hemmingen will double the company’s warehousing capacity and better enable it to provide rapid order delivery to customers worldwide.
New Insulation Testers Safety Rated To CAT IV 600 V
June 11, 2013 11:07 am | Product Releases | CommentsMegger is now offering a new series of insulation and continuity testers that conform to IEC1010-1 standards and are rated to CAT IV 600 V, which provides greater user safety when testing in higher voltage environments.
Parker Releases Next-Gen Factory Display
June 11, 2013 10:54 am | Product Releases | CommentsThe Electromechanical Automation Division of Parker Hannifin Corporation has announced the next generation of its Parker Factory Display (PFD) visualization system. The PFD comes with a new controller-only option, factory display options up to 55” for primary and secondary units and version 3.0 of the PFD software.
Boeing Gets $4B Helicopter Pact From Army
June 11, 2013 10:24 am | News | CommentsBoeing has received a $4 billion, multi-year contract from the Army for 177 CH-47F Chinook helicopters. The Army has options to buy up to an additional 38 helicopters. Deliveries are expected to start in 2015. The order will bring the Army's CH-47F inventory close to its goal of 464 aircraft, including 24 for replacements.
Dole CEO Makes Buyout Bid
June 11, 2013 10:22 am | News | CommentsDole Food's Chairman and CEO David Murdock and his family are offering to buy the business with a bid that values the entire company at approximately $1.07 billion. Shares of the fresh fruit and vegetable company jumped in premarket trading on Tuesday.
U.S. Wholesale Stockpiles Rise In April
June 11, 2013 10:20 am | by Martin Crutsinger, AP Economics Writer | News | CommentsU.S. wholesalers increased their stockpiles in April and their sales rebounded from a big decline in March, positive signs for economic growth. The Commerce Department says stockpiles at the wholesale level rose 0.2 percent in April. That followed a 0.3 percent gain in March.
Marlboro Maker Jumping Into E-Cigarettes
June 11, 2013 10:15 am | by Michael Felberbaum, AP Tobacco Writer | News | CommentsIt's the last of the nation's major tobacco companies to market an electronic cigarette in an industrywide push to diversify beyond the traditional cigarette business, which has become tougher in the face of tax hikes, smoking bans, health concerns and social stigma.
Sony Takes Aim At Microsoft With PlayStation 4
June 11, 2013 8:16 am | by Lou Kesten, Associated Press | News | CommentsSony broke out the heavy ammunition Monday against Microsoft, announcing its forthcoming PlayStation 4 will cost $399 — $100 less than the competing Xbox One. "The gaming landscape is changing with new business models and new ways to play," said Andrew House, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment.
Brazil Gov't To Perform Crash Tests After AP Report
June 11, 2013 8:12 am | by Bradley Brooks, Associated Press | News | CommentsAfter a decade of spiking fatalities from passenger car wrecks, the Brazilian government said Monday it plans to build its first auto crash test facility in an effort to improve the poor safety record of vehicles built and sold in the world's fourth-largest automobile market.
SF, NY Officials Wait To Judge Apple 'Kill Switch'
June 11, 2013 8:09 am | by Terry Collins, Associated Press | News | CommentsSan Francisco District Attorney George Gascon and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman have been asking the leading wireless device makers to create a "kill switch" that would render stolen phones useless. The prosecutors said they aren't judging Apple's new activation lock feature until they can fully determine its effectiveness.
