News
The Lead
Building Materials Blamed In Bangladesh Disaster
May 23, 2013 | by Farid Hossain, Associated Press | Comments
The defects and errors that led to the world's deadliest garment-industry accident extend from the swampy ground the doomed Rana Plaza was built on, to "extremely poor quality" construction materials, to the massive, vibrating equipment operating when the eight-story building collapsed.
GM Recalling Cadillac SUVs To Tighten Wheels
May 23, 2013 8:02 am | Comments
General Motors Co. is recalling more than 27,000 Cadillac SUVs worldwide because the wheels can...
Solar Plane Completes 2nd Leg Of Trip In Texas
May 23, 2013 8:25 am | Comments
A solar-powered plane has landed in Texas, completing the second leg of a trip across the United...
3 Former Execs Sue Carbon Motors Over Pay
May 23, 2013 8:12 am | Comments
Three former executive vice presidents of a company that planned to build high-tech police cars...
Durable Goods Orders Rise 3.3 Percent
May 24, 2013 8:45 am | by Martin Crutsinger, AP Economics Writer | CommentsU.S. orders for long-lasting manufactured goods rebounded in April, buoyed by more demand for military and civilian aircraft and an increase in business investment. The Commerce Department says durable goods orders rose 3.3 percent last month after a 5.9 decline in March.
Stricken Japan Nuke Plant Struggles To Keep Staff
May 24, 2013 8:28 am | by Yuri Kageyama, AP Business Writer | CommentsKeeping the meltdown-stricken Fukushima nuclear plant in northeastern Japan in stable condition requires a cast of thousands. Increasingly the plant's operator is struggling to find enough workers, a trend that many expect to worsen and hamper progress in the decades-long effort to safely decommission it.
Health Canada: Voluntary Recall Of Children's Medicine
May 24, 2013 8:03 am | CommentsSome child fever medicine has been recalled because of concerns with the quality of one of the ingredients produced in China. Health Canada says Prestige Brands is voluntarily recalling their products that include acetaminophen. The agency says it was made aware of concerns about quality involving a Chinese manufacturer that produces the ingredient for the medicines.
Canada Disapproves Of New Meat Labeling Rules
May 24, 2013 7:51 am | CommentsAgriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and Trade Minister Ed Fast said in a joint statement that rule means additional costs for producers on both sides of the border and increased damage to the industry. "Canada will consider all options at its disposal, including, if necessary, the use of retaliatory measures," the statement said.
Tempur-Pedic Changes Name On Sealy Deal
May 24, 2013 7:48 am | CommentsTempur-Pedic International Inc. said Thursday that shareholders have approved changing the company's name to Tempur Sealy International Inc. The decision, made at the company's annual meeting, reflects its recent acquisition of fellow mattress maker Sealy Corp. Tempur-Pedic completed the $228.6 million acquisition of Sealy on March 18.
New Rules For Labeling Meat Go Into Effect In U.S.
May 24, 2013 7:45 am | by M.L. Johnson, Associated Press | CommentsShoppers in the U.S. will soon have more information about where their meat comes from after new federal labeling rules went into effect Thursday. The rules require labels on steaks, ribs and other cuts of meat to say where the animal was born, raised and slaughtered.
GM Aims New Chevy Cruze Diesel At Volkswagen Jetta
May 24, 2013 7:42 am | by Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writer | CommentsDiesel cars attract buyers with high gas mileage, quick acceleration at any speed, and a long range between fill-ups. Last year, about 70 percent of the diesel cars sold nationwide were Volkswagens. VW sold 90,295 diesel cars in the U.S., and nearly 50,000 of those were Jettas.
Fisher-Price Moving, Eliminating About 100 NY Jobs
May 23, 2013 9:09 pm | CommentsThe majority of jobs will be reassigned to Mattel's El Segundo, Calif., headquarters, and workers have been offered relocation packages, but an unspecified number of employees received layoff notices, said Fisher-Price, the maker of Little People and Power Wheels.
MAPI: 1Q U.S. Trade In Manufactures Stays Flat
May 23, 2013 9:01 pm | CommentsFor calendar year 2013, Chinese manufactured exports are on track to nearly double U.S. exports, with a surplus of more than $900 billion, compared with a U.S. deficit of $500 billion, as the trade gap between these global powers continues to expand, according to a report from the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI).
Campbell Buying Plum Organics Baby Food Maker
May 23, 2013 8:52 pm | by Candice Choi, AP Food Industry Writer | CommentsThe company, which also makes Prego pasta sauces and Pepperidge Farm cookies, had been struggling to grow sales of its canned soups in recent years as people increasingly look for foods with a fresher feel. To diversity its stable of products, Campbell also recently purchased Bolthouse Farms.
Study: No Higher Cancer Rate At Conn. Pratt Plant
May 23, 2013 8:49 pm | by Stephen Singer, AP Business Writer | CommentsThe researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Illinois at Chicago said they identified 723 workers diagnosed with tumors between 1976 and 2004 at the United Technologies Corp. subsidiary. The tumors were malignant, benign or unspecified and included 277 cases of brain cancer.
Is It Possible to Bring Manufacturing Back To The U.S.?
May 23, 2013 3:55 pm | by David Mantey, Executive Editor, PD&D | CommentsSeveral factors come into play when manufacturers make the decision to move or reshore. The wage gap is never the only reason, but in all cases, the move makes business sense — it’s not simply a feel good story. While reshoring has found its way into a lot of headlines, Young says that it is primarily a U.S. phenomenon.
Shuttered NM Plant Resumes Making Peanut Butter
May 23, 2013 3:20 pm | by Jeri Clausing, Associated Press | CommentsThe eastern New Mexico peanut butter plant shuttered eight months ago after a salmonella outbreak is back in production, and company officials say their coveted natural and organic butters could be back on store shelves within a month.
Fire Marshal's Office: Panel Had Blast Site Access
May 23, 2013 1:53 pm | CommentsHowever, in a statement issued Wednesday, the state agency said the CSB was given access to the scene, worked with other agencies during excavations and neighborhood surveys, and collected its own chemical samples with ATF assistance. The statement says no evidence was destroyed or compromised.
J&J Forecasts 10 New Drug Applications By 2017
May 23, 2013 1:51 pm | CommentsThe New Brunswick, N.J., company says its pipeline of drugs in late-stage clinical development include a potential hepatitis C treatment being reviewed by regulars, a version of the anti-psychotic Invega designed to last three months and new vaccines for flu, rabies and polio.
Between Economy And Trouble, Obama Approval Steady
May 23, 2013 1:36 pm | by Jim Kuhnhenn, Associated Press | CommentsThe data suggests the economy could be insulating Obama from the immediate troubles confronting his administration. But it also indicates that while a growing number of those surveyed are more optimistic about the economy, they are evenly split on whether they approve or disapprove of his handling of it.
New Rules To Keep Mercury From Calif. Landfills
May 23, 2013 11:30 am | CommentsNew California rules will require the makers of new thermostats to do a better job of keeping old ones containing the neurotoxin mercury out of landfills. Since 2006 it has been against state law to sell mercury thermostats in California, but millions of old ones are still in use. Tens of thousands of them are replaced every year.
Tesla Repays DOE Loan Nine Years Early
May 23, 2013 11:15 am | by Joel Hans, Managing Editor, Manufacturing.net | CommentsTesla Motors, the California-based electric vehicle manufacturer, has announced that it has paid off its 2010 loan from the Department of Energy (DOE) in full as of today. The payment of $451.8 million repays the full loan with interest. The company claims it is the only American automaker to have fully repaid the government of its loans.
Nissan To Recall 840,000 Vehicles
May 23, 2013 10:21 am | CommentsNissan Motor Co. said Thursday it will recall around 840,000 March and Cube compact cars, including 263,942 units in Japan, produced between February 2002 and August 2004, due to faulty steering wheels. The bolts connecting the steering wheels and steering columns in the two models may not have been screwed on properly and could lead to a loss of control.
Dutch Arrest Meat Works Owner In Horse Meat Probe
May 23, 2013 10:15 am | by Mike Corder, Associated Press | CommentsInvestigators from the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority arrested the man on suspicion of fraud and detained him for further questioning. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of six year's imprisonment, according to prosecutors.
