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Manufacturing.net Rewind: The UAW Loses; Military Experiments With Pizza

Check out some of this week's top headlines from across Manufacturing.net, from a military pizza prototype that can last for up to three years to the Republican's fighting unionization at a Volkswagen plant in Tennessee. Also, Obama wants new fuel standards for trucks and Apple may have its eye on Tesla.

Check out some of this week's top headlines from across Manufacturing.net, from a military pizza prototype that can last for up to three years to the Republican's fighting unionization at a Volkswagen plant in Tennessee.

 

After UAW Defeat, Can GOP Fulfill Promise Of Jobs?

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee (AP) -- Republicans fighting a unionization effort at the Volkswagen plant in Tennessee painted a grim picture before last week's vote. They said if Chattanooga employees joined the United Auto Workers, jobs would go elsewhere and incentives for the company would disappear.

Now that workers have rejected the UAW in a close vote, Republicans are feeling pressure to fulfill its promises that keeping the union out means more jobs will come rolling in. Continue reading...

 


 

Military Nears Holy Grail: Pizza That Lasts Years

NATICK, Mass. (AP) -- They call it the holy grail of ready-to-eat meals for soldiers: a pizza that can stay on the shelf for up to three years and still remain good to eat.

Soldiers have been asking for pizza since lightweight individual field rations — known as meals ready to eat, or MREs — replaced canned food in 1981 for soldiers in combat zones or areas where field kitchens cannot be set up.

Researchers at a U.S. military lab in Massachusetts are closing in on a recipe that doesn't require any refrigeration or freezing. Continue reading...

 


 

Report: Engines Failed On Helicopter That Hit Pub

LONDON (AP) -- A police helicopter that crashed onto a pub in Glasgow, killing 10 people, suffered double engine failure for reasons that remain unclear, investigators said Friday.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch said in an interim report that the right engine on the Eurocopter EC135 Type 2 helicopter "flamed out and shortly after the left engine flamed out" as it flew over the Scottish city on Nov. 29. Continue reading...

 


 

Obama Orders New Fuel Standards For Trucks

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (AP) -- President Barack Obama is ordering a new round of fuel efficiency standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles by March of 2016. He is highlighting improvements already undertaken by companies such as Safeway to cut back on gasoline costs for their fleet of trucks.

Obama also said companies that want to join an existing public-private partnership focused on energy-efficient vehicles will get specialized resources and the technical expertise from the Department of Energy. Continue reading...

 


 

U.S. Navy Ready To Deploy Laser For 1st Time

BATH, Maine (AP) -- Some of the Navy's futuristic weapons sound like something out of "Star Wars," with lasers designed to shoot down aerial drones and electric guns that fire projectiles at hypersonic speeds.

That future is now.

The Navy plans to deploy its first laser on a ship later this year, and it intends to test an electromagnetic rail gun prototype aboard a vessel within two years. Continue reading...

 


 

What Would The iCar Look Like? It's Fun To Dream

NEW YORK (AP) -- Rumors have been swirling since news broke this week of a possible meeting between Apple's top executive for acquisitions and the CEO of electric car maker Tesla.

Citing a person familiar with the matter, The San Francisco Chronicle reported Sunday that the get-together between Adrian Perica and Elon Musk took place last spring. The companies haven't commented on the report.

With $158.8 billion in cash on its balance sheet, Apple certainly has the money to buy Tesla, which has a market cap of about $24 billion. Continue reading...

 

Every Friday, we will be rounding up the most popular news items of the week based on site traffic. Feel free to share your thoughts, questions or concerns by sending an email to [email protected].

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