The Leading Source for Manufacturing News & Insight
Networks Of Responsibility: The Philadelphia Building Collapse
June 13, 2013 8:28 am | by Karl Stephan, Consulting Engineer, Texas State University, San Marcos | Articles | CommentsWhile properly built brick buildings can reach heights of fifty feet or more and last for thousands of years, any substantial sideways force on the structure cracks the mortared joints between the bricks and turns the thing into a big pile of loose bricks, which do unpredictable things.
GM's Opel Unit To Start Building Cars In Belarus
June 13, 2013 8:20 am | News | CommentsGeneral Motors Co.'s European Opel unit says it will start assembling cars for Russia and other eastern markets in Belarus next year. Germany-based Opel said GM signed an agreement Thursday to start building its Corsa model at facilities owned by partner Unison in Belarus.
Pfizer Settles Protonix Patent Case For $2.15B
June 13, 2013 8:06 am | News | CommentsTeva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., one of the world's largest generic drugmakers, will pay $1.6 billion, while India's Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. will pay $550 million for selling their versions of Protonix before the patent protecting the drug expired.
U.S. Budget Deficit Widens In May
June 13, 2013 8:04 am | by Martin Crutsinger, AP Economics Writer | News | CommentsThe government says the U.S. budget deficit widened in May by $139 billion, but the annual deficit stayed on track to finish below $1 trillion for the first time since 2008. With the May increase, the deficit through the first eight months of this budget year totaled $626 billion.
Wisconsin Assembly Approves Lemon Law Changes
June 13, 2013 7:53 am | News | CommentsWisconsin's Assembly has passed a bill making changes to the state's lemon law which covers when consumers can sue auto manufacturers. The bill passed 88-8 on Wednesday. Most Democrats removed their opposition after bill sponsor Rep. Bill Kramer worked with them and trial attorneys on a compromise.
Fiat: Supplier Delays Will Force Shutdowns
June 13, 2013 7:46 am | News | CommentsItalian carmaker Fiat says it will temporarily stop production at some European car plants in the coming days due to insufficient deliveries of plastic parts. Fiat said in a statement Wednesday that more than 5,500 vehicles can't be completed due to missing components from the Italian supplier Selmat, creating an "unmanageable" backlog.
Once-Promising Car Venture Ends In Bankruptcy
June 13, 2013 7:43 am | News | CommentsA company that had planned to build high-tech police cars in a vacant plant that once housed a rust belt city's largest employer has filed for bankruptcy, dashing the hopes of a community desperate for economic rejuvenation. Carbon Motors Corp. filed for Chapter 7 liquidation in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Indianapolis.
'Pink Slime' Lawsuit Heads Back To State Court
June 13, 2013 7:38 am | by Dirk Lammers, Associated Press | News | CommentsA federal judge on Wednesday moved a South Dakota beef processing company's defamation lawsuit against ABC News back to state court. Beef Products Inc. sued American Broadcasting Companies Inc. and ABC News Inc. for defamation in September.
Chrysler Recalls Heavy-Duty Trucks
June 13, 2013 7:34 am | News | CommentsChrysler Group is recalling 6,900 heavy-duty Ram pickup trucks from the 2012 model year because part of the front axle could fracture and cause them to lose power. The automaker said Wednesday that the front prop shaft, which connects the engine to the axle, can bind or fracture.
China's Shenzhou 10 Ship Docks With Space Lab
June 13, 2013 4:47 am | News | CommentsChina's latest manned space capsule docked with an orbiting space station Thursday, and the three astronauts climbed aboard what will be their home for the next week, state media reported. Automated controls guided the Shenzhou-10's docking with the space lab, the Xinhua News Agency said.
AP: Bangladesh Factory Flaws Highlighted
June 13, 2013 4:39 am | by Ravi Nessman, Associated Press | News | CommentsBangladeshi garment factories are routinely built without consulting engineers. Many are located in commercial or residential buildings not designed to withstand the stress of heavy manufacturing. Some add illegal extra floors atop support columns too weak to hold them, according to a survey.
GlaxoSmithKline: No China Bribery Found
June 13, 2013 2:39 am | News | CommentsDrug manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline said Thursday it has investigated an accusation that its salespeople in China bribed doctors and found no evidence of wrongdoing. The company said it conducted a four-month investigation after receiving complaints from an anonymous source. It said it found "no evidence of corruption or bribery in our China business."
Why Own Expensive Equipment When You Can Lease It?
June 12, 2013 2:14 pm | by Chris Fox, Associate Editor, PD&D | Blogs | CommentsA new buzzword was recently thrown my way at the annual PTC Live conference in Anaheim. I’ve never been a big fan of buzzwords nor the concepts that they represent, as they are often watered-down or tainted versions of truly original ideas that have been bastardized by Corporate America. But, I digress.
CEOs More Optimistic About Hiring
June 12, 2013 2:03 pm | by Christopher S. Rugaber, AP Economics Writer | News | CommentsThe Business Roundtable said Wednesday that its April-June quarterly survey found 32 percent of its members expect to expand payrolls in the next six months. That's up from 29 percent in the January-March survey. And 78 percent expect their sales to increase. That's up from 72 percent from the previous survey.
Czechs Present Bicycle That Can Fly
June 12, 2013 2:02 pm | News | CommentsIs it a bike? Is it a plane? Three Czech companies have teamed up to make a prototype of an electric bicycle that successfully took off Wednesday inside an exhibition hall in Prague and landed safely after a remote-controlled, five-minute flight.
P&G Exec Says Work To Do In China, Russia
June 12, 2013 1:56 pm | by Mae Anderson, Associated Press | News | CommentsProcter & Gamble must do more to improve overall sales in Russia and China, according to the company's chief financial officer, and it has a "disproportionate" amount of work to do in developed markets to revive beauty product sales, once one of its most profitable ventures.
Cooper CEO: Buyer Committed To U.S. Operations
June 12, 2013 1:55 pm | by John Seewer, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe head of Ohio's Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. says a $2.2 billion deal that puts the company under new ownership won't result in the closings of its three U.S. manufacturing plants. Cooper chief executive Roy Armes says India's Apollo Tyres Ltd. also plans to retain Cooper's management operation in Ohio.
Voice-Operated Dashboard Technology Still Risky
June 12, 2013 1:53 pm | by Joan Lowy, Associated Press | News | CommentsSpeech-to-text systems that enable drivers to send, scroll through, or delete email and text messages required greater concentration by drivers than other potentially distracting activities examined in the study like talking on the phone, talking to a passenger, listening to a book on tape or listening to the radio.
Cheaper Solar Panels Fuel Rise In Renewable Energy
June 12, 2013 1:45 pm | News | CommentsGlobal energy-generating capacity from renewable sources rose by 115 gigawatts in 2012, compared with 105 gigawatts the previous year, the report by the Paris-based think tank REN21 showed. Installed renewable energy capacity rose to over 1,470 gigawatts, equivalent to about 1,500 nuclear reactors.
AP: FEMA Denies Aid To Texas For Blast
June 12, 2013 1:41 pm | by Ramit Plushnick-Masti, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe blast killed 10 first responders and brought national attention to the agricultural community. President Barack Obama traveled to the area to attend a memorial service for the first responders and others who died trying to help. The FEMA funds would have helped pay for public repairs such as roads, sewer lines, pipes and a school that were destroyed.
