Manufacturing.net News

China, Switzerland To Seal Free Trade Deal

alawrence — Fri, 24 May 2013 14:48:46 +0000

GENEVA (AP) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is in Switzerland to sign a free trade pact with the Alpine nation — the first comprehensive agreement the country has reached with a major western economy.

Li met with Swiss officials Friday in Bern, where he is due to ink the deal after three years of talks.

In an op-ed published by Swiss newspaper Neue Zuercher Zeitung Thursday, Li said the agreement showed China is committed to free trade.

The two nations' trade volume last year topped $26 billion.

Wheelchair Lift Out Of Wis. Promises More Access

alawrence — Fri, 24 May 2013 14:44:49 +0000

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- An elementary school has inspired the University of Wisconsin-Madison to create a new wheelchair lift that could help make more places wheelchair accessible nationwide.

The invention process started about three years ago when the principal at Emerson Elementary School in Madison, Karen Kepler, told a school donor on a tour that her biggest wish was to have her building accessible to everyone. All four entrances to the 93-year-old building had stairs.

It's something Kepler's thought about a lot since a family event her first year there.

Some Unions Now Angry About Health Care Overhaul

alawrence — Fri, 24 May 2013 13:38:35 +0000

WASHINGTON (AP) -- When President Barack Obama pushed his health care overhaul plan through Congress, he counted labor unions among his strongest supporters.

France Won't Force Companies To Cap Executive Pay

alawrence — Fri, 24 May 2013 13:34:52 +0000

PARIS (AP) -- The French government is trying to woo executives and entrepreneurs, amid concerns that it has antagonized the businesses needed to reinvigorate the economy.

Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici announced Friday that the government no longer plans to push for a law to cap executive salaries in the private sector. Instead, Moscovici told reporters that he was in discussions with business leaders and he hoped companies would agree to institute their own limits. He did not give details.

Durable Goods Orders Rise 3.3 Percent

alawrence — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:45:19 +0000

WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.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.

And a measure of business investment plans increased 1.2 percent after a revised 0.9 percent gain in March. Business ordered more machinery, computers and electronics last month.

Stricken Japan Nuke Plant Struggles To Keep Staff

alawrence — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:28:32 +0000

TOKYO (AP) -- Keeping 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

alawrence — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:03:45 +0000

OTTAWA (CP) -- Some 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.

Health Canada says the move is being done as a precaution only.

Canada Disapproves Of New Meat Labeling Rules

alawrence — Fri, 24 May 2013 11:51:14 +0000

TORONTO (AP) -- Canada said Thursday that it is considering retaliatory measures against the United States in a dispute over meat-labeling rules that Ottawa and the World Trade Organization consider discriminatory.

The Canadian government said that new U.S. country of origin labeling regulations announced Thursday that require tracking beef, chicken and hogs from livestock through the meat processing and distribution systems are unduly burdensome.

Tempur-Pedic Changes Name On Sealy Deal

alawrence — Fri, 24 May 2013 11:48:08 +0000

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -- Tempur-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.

The company's global corporate headquarters will be in Lexington, Ky., and its subsidiaries will continue with their existing names. The company will continue to trade on the NYSE under the symbol "TPX".

New Rules For Labeling Meat Go Into Effect In U.S.

alawrence — Fri, 24 May 2013 11:45:33 +0000

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Shoppers 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. Earlier U.S. Department of Agriculture rules only required that countries of origin to be noted, so a package might say "Produce of U.S. and Canada." Now, the label will specify "Born in Canada, raised and slaughtered in the United States."