Facilities and Operations
DMV Denies Tesla's Dealership Request
April 24, 2013 8:02 am | News | CommentsVirginia officials have rejected a request from electric car maker Tesla Motors to operate its own dealership at a Tysons Corner mall. State law requires manufacturers to sell cars through a dealer, unless the manufacturer can show that no dealer is available.
HELUKABEL Launches High-Flex Cleanroom Cables
April 23, 2013 4:33 pm | Products | CommentsHELUKABEL has expanded its cleanroom-approved power and daa cable product portfolio with the launch of it CLEANFLEX series, which are UL/CS-approved. According to the company, they come in both shielded and unshielded power and data cables, and are suitable for continuously-flexing, cable track machinery in cleanroom applications.
Monsanto Plans $400M Expansion
April 23, 2013 2:10 pm | News | CommentsA $400 million expansion planned for the Monsanto Co.'s research center in suburban St. Louis could bring 675 new jobs to the region during the next three years, the company said Tuesday.The agricultural products company said it will add 36 new greenhouses, offices, laboratory space and "plant growth chambers."
DOE Seizes $21M From Electric Car Maker
April 23, 2013 7:25 am | by Matthew Daly, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Obama administration has seized $21 million from troubled automaker Fisker Automotive Inc. just weeks after the company laid off three-fourths of its workers amid continuing financial and production problems. Fisker had received $192 million in federal loans before a series of problems led U.S. officials to freeze the loan in 2011.
ABB Plans Power-One Acquisition For About $1B
April 22, 2013 8:25 am | News | CommentsThe Swiss power technology company ABB Ltd. is buying solar equipment maker Power-One Inc. for about $1 billion. The acquisition would ramp up ABB's capability to supply a key component used in solar systems. ABB will become an even larger supplier of solar inverters, which change the variable direct current output from solar panels into an alternating current.
Safety Rules Limited For Small Fertilizer Plants
April 22, 2013 8:05 am | by Jack Gillum and Ramit Plushnick-Masti, Associated Press | News | CommentsSmall fertilizer plants nationwide fall under the purview of several government agencies, each with a specific concern and none required to coordinate with others on what they have found. The small distributors — there are as many of 1,150 in Texas alone — are part of a regulatory system that focuses on large installations and industries.
Taking Manufacturing To School
April 21, 2013 8:36 pm | by Lindsey Jahn, Associated Editor, Food Manufacturing | Blogs | CommentsAn AMP Steering Committee was appointed, and in July 2012, the Committee issued a report with 16 recommendations to help AMP attain its mission. The report included five “workstreams,” or focus areas, each of which the Committee assessed and then made recommendations for improvement.
Statement From Adair Grain Inc. Regarding West Fertilizer Co. Fire and Explosion
April 19, 2013 5:23 pm | News | CommentsDonald Adair, lifelong resident of the community of West, Texas and owner of Adair Grain Inc., today issued the following statement: "This has been a terrible week for everyone in West, Texas and I want to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt sympathy for those affected and my appreciation for those who responded."
Boeing Slows 747 Production On Weak Demand
April 19, 2013 10:28 am | News | CommentsBoeing says it will slow down production of its superjumbo 747-8 because of weak demand. Boeing builds two of the planes every month. It's slowing that rate to one and three-quarters per month. Boeing had warned that a slowdown was possible if demand didn't improve.
Toyota To Build Lexus In Kentucky, Add 750 Jobs
April 19, 2013 10:25 am | News | CommentsToyota will start building the Lexus ES 350 at its Georgetown, Ky. plant in 2015, producing the luxury brand for the first time in the United States. The Japanese car company said Friday that the Georgetown plant will build about 50,000 of the vehicles each year, creating 750 new jobs.
Grand Design RV Plans 500 Jobs In Indiana
April 19, 2013 8:01 am | News | CommentsA new recreational vehicle manufacturer announced plans Thursday to create 500 jobs in Elkhart County by 2016 in the second major jobs announcement for the industry in northern Indiana in nine days.Gov. Mike Pence joined executives of Grand Design RV as the company announced plans to locate its headquarters and manufacturing operations in Middlebury.
Texas Requires Sprinklers, Feds Told None In Plant
April 19, 2013 7:54 am | by Ramit Plushnick-Masti, Associated Press | News | CommentsTexas Commission on Environmental Quality air permit chief Mike Wilson says the agency required sprinklers and safety barriers for the fertilizer storage and blending facility in West. The measures are required because the plant handles anhydrous ammonia, a flammable substance that can be used as a fertilizer.
VW Dropping Third Shift At Chattanooga Plant
April 18, 2013 1:45 pm | News | CommentsThe company said the plant opened by creating a new product with new suppliers and a new workforce and extra workers were brought on through a staffing supplier temporarily. Volkswagen said increased efficiency is allowing the plant to return to two daily shifts in what the company calls a workforce adjustment.
Toyota Hopes To Produce New Vehicle Model In Ky.
April 18, 2013 9:06 am | by Roger Alford, Associated Press | News | CommentsToyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky is in the running to produce an unspecified new vehicle model and add 570 permanent full-time workers at its Georgetown plant, according to details the carmaker provided to state officials to qualify for tax incentives.
Texas Plant Explosion Kills As Many As 15
April 18, 2013 8:51 am | by John L. Mone and Michael Brick, Associated Press | News | CommentsRescue workers searched rubble early Thursday for survivors of a fertilizer plant explosion in a small Texas town that killed as many as 15 people and injured more than 160 others. The blast left the factory a smoldering ruin and leveled homes and businesses for blocks in every direction.
Opel: German Plant To End Production By End 2014
April 17, 2013 12:11 pm | News | CommentsGeneral Motors' loss-making Opel division has confirmed it plans to end production at a plant in Germany by the end of 2014. Adam Opel AG said Wednesday in a statement that the Bochum plant would wind down production as part of its plan to reduce costs and turn the division around. The plant's 3,200 workers make the Zafira compact.
410 Pigs, 122 Dogs Found Dead In China
April 17, 2013 8:40 am | News | CommentsLocal authorities say chemical factories in the area have been ordered to suspend production. The chief of Yanshi city's propaganda office says the deaths are suspected to be related to the factories. Authorities say the deaths have nothing to do with the bird flu virus that recently spread to humans.
Lawmakers: FDA Fell Short In Policing Pharmacy
April 17, 2013 8:16 am | by Matthew Perrone, AP Health Writer | News | CommentsRepublicans and Democrats took turns chastising the FDA for not being aggressive enough in going after compounding pharmacies like the New England Compounding Center, the specialty pharmacy which produced tainted pain injections that have sickened more than 700 people and killed 53 others.
Arkansas Legislature Approves Steel Mill Funding
April 16, 2013 9:30 pm | by Michael Stratford, Associated Press | News | CommentsArkansas is set to provide a new steel company with $125 million in financing and a package of tax breaks to build a mill in the northeast part of the state after the Legislature gave final approval to the plan on Tuesday. By an 81-9 vote, House lawmakers passed a Senate-approved budget bill to fund Gov. Mike Beebe's proposal.
Q&A: Safety On Ice
April 16, 2013 9:22 pm | by Lindsey Jahn, Associated Editor, Food Manufacturing | Articles | CommentsAmmonia refrigeration leaks pose both safety and economic risks to food companies, but many are unaware of these hazards. Attorney J. Tom Boer spoke with Food Manufacturing about ammonia refrigeration regulations and how manufacturers can ensure their system’s safety.
BP Faces $1B Lawsuit For Texas Refinery Gas Leak
April 16, 2013 1:21 pm | News | CommentsMore than 470 people are suing BP for $1 billion, saying they became sick due to a 15-day gas leak at its refinery in Texas City.The Galveston County Daily News reports that BP says mercaptan leaked from a storage tank in November 2011.
Cars, Utilities Lift U.S. Industrial Output
April 16, 2013 11:08 am | by Paul Wiseman, AP Economics Writer | News | CommentsU.S. industrial output rose in March as cold weather kept utilities busy generating heat and a surge in auto production helped offset broader weakness in manufacturing. Production at the nation's factories, mines and utilities rose 0.4 percent in March from February, the Federal Reserve said.
IAEA Reviewing Cleanup At Damaged Japan Nuke Plant
April 15, 2013 7:09 pm | by Mari Yamaguchi, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency Monday began reviewing the decommissioning process at Japan's crippled nuclear plant, where new problems are triggering growing safety concerns about a cleanup expected to take decades. The experts will assess and analyze melted reactors, radiation levels and waste management at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant to make its decommissioning process safer and more stable.
CAT Shifts Ordering, Delivery Operations
April 15, 2013 5:09 pm | News | CommentsManufacturer Caterpillar Inc. said Monday it is reorganizing its operations so many orders will be handled by one division from the time they are placed to the time they are delivered. The new division will combine existing operations from areas including global purchasing, manufacturing logistics and transportation, and Caterpillar production system.
Yokogawa Announces ‘Wireless Anywhere’ Concept
April 15, 2013 2:47 pm | Products | CommentsYokogawa Electric Corporation has announced its “Wireless Anywhere” business concept based around the plant-wide us of ISA100.11a*1 compliant wireless communication technologies. The company says the ISA100.11a standard ensures high reliability, application flexibility and network expandability, and more.
