Industry Headlines

Cat to Hire 500 NEWBERRY, SC—Caterpillar plans to more than triple employment at its four-year-old diesel generator plant here. Within four years, the company expects to add up to 500 workers to the 190 already employed at the plant. MORE

Metal Formers Expect Growth CLEVELAND—In a sign that economic activity is increasing, almost half of North American metalforming companies expect their orders to rise during the next three months, according to the latest report from the Precision Metalforming Association. MORE

Alcoa, DOE to Test Solar Technology PITTSBURGH—Alcoa is jointly testing an advanced solar technology with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Lab. The goal of the project is to make concentrating solar power technology competitive in the United States by lowering its cost to generate energy. MORE

Assemblers at Electric Vehicle Plant May Earn Less DETROIT—GM wants to pay factory workers making advanced technology items for electric cars less than $14 per hour—lower than a controversial second-tier wage reached in the 2007 national contract. MORE

ServiceMaster Paves Its Own Way to Energy Efficiency ST. LOUIS—ServiceMaster has developed its own hybrid gas-electric system to power its fleet of lawn care vehicles. MORE

Chinese Manufacturers Face Worker Shortage GUANGZHOU, China—Many factory bosses in southern China’s Pearl River Delta—the nation’s biggest manufacturing base—are complaining about a severe shortage of workers. MORE

Michigan Approves Tax Breaks for Battery Plants LANSING, MI—The Michigan Economic Growth Authority unanimously approved critical tax breaks for Fortu PowerCell’s battery manufacturing plant in Muskegon and for Toda America battery plant in Battle Creek.

Canadian Factory Sales Rise Dramatically OTTAWA, ON—Canadian factory sales rose four times as much as expected in January to the highest level since November 2008. Helped by rebounding demand from the United States., exports will add 1.9 percentage points to Canadian growth this year and 2.1 points next year. MORE

Kentuckiana Curb Manufacturing Plant Adding 50 New Jobs LOUISVILLE, KY—Kentuckiana Curb announced this week that it is investing $2.5 million to expand its plant here and will add 50 full-time manufacturing jobs. More

Honda Engineers Design, Build Automation LINCOLN, AL—At Honda’s assembly plant here, workers don’t just build cars. They also build the equipment that helps build those cars. The Japanese automaker last year opened an on-site high-tech engineering facility, where specialized production tools are designed, developed and manufactured. MORE

Engineering Degrees Pay More Than Other Majors BETHLEHEM, PA—Eight of the top 10 best-paid college majors are in engineering, according to a new report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers. MORE

Manufacturing Grows in New York NEW YORK—Manufacturing in the New York region expanded in March for an eighth straight month, indicating factories are sustaining production and lifting the U.S. economy. MORE

Assembler to Invest $6.5M in Carolina Plant HICKORY, NC—Turbotec Products Inc., a manufacturer of heat exchangers and heat-transfer products, will move the bulk of its operations from Connecticut to Hickory, NC, adding 73 jobs and investing $6.5 million in the next three years. MORE

Harris to Build New Assembly Plant ROCHESTER, NY—Harris Corp. plans to build a new state-of-the-art manufacturing and logistics facility here for assembling tactical and public safety radio systems. MORE

In Indiana, Government Jobs Outpace Factory Jobs

INDIANAPOLIS—For the first time since before the Civil War and perhaps ever, more people in Indiana work in government than in all the factories in the state. Rocked by layoffs, imports and automation, workers in Indiana plants numbered 430,800 in January, while government at all levels, including schools and publicly owned hospitals, employed 442,800 workers. MORE

Company to Invest $303M in Michigan Battery Plant

HOLLAND, MI—LG Chem will build a $303 million lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility here that could create more than 400 jobs by 2013. Initially, the plant will make cells for the all-electric Chevrolet Volt. LG Chem estimates that over 50 people will be hired and trained in advance of the plant being operational, and more than 400 jobs could be created by 2013. MORE

Modine to Expand Tennessee Assembly Plant LAWRENCEBURG, TN—Modine Manufacturing Co. plans to relocate equipment to a facility near its existing manufacturing plant in Lawrenceburg. MORE

Siemens to Invest $135M in Carolina Plant RALEIGH, NC—Siemens plans to add hundreds of jobs as it expands a North Carolina unit into a global production hub for a type of gas-powered turbine for electric utility plants. The company plans to invest $135 million and create 825 engineering and manufacturing jobs in five years. MORE

Turbine Plant Coming to Vegas LAS VEGAS—A consortium of companies plans to develop a plant in the Las Vegas area that would employ about 1,000 people for manufacturing wind turbines. MORE

Cat Considers New U.S. Plant PEORIA, IL—Caterpillar Inc. is considering building a new factory in the U.S. to produce hydraulic excavators. The plant would produce several models currently made at Cat’s factory in Japan. MORE

Workers at ’Bama Benz Plant Sue for Pay TUSCALOOSA, AL—Fourteen maintenance workers at the Mercedes-Benz assembly plant in Vance, AL, have sued the automaker, claiming they were forced to work during lunch breaks without pay. MORE

Innovation Expert to Speak at Assembly Summit

CLEARWATER BEACH, FL—Robert Brands, a nationally known expert on the product development process, will discuss how to bring innovative products to market at the second annual Assembly Summit in October. The author of the new book Robert’s Rules of Innovation, Brands will show you how to keep a steady stream of new products in the pipeline. For more information, visit www.assemblysummit.com.

Manufacturer of Tanks, Cylinders to Construct New Plant CHARLOTTE, NC—Anco-Eaglin Inc., a manufacturer of tanks, cylinders and other equipment used by food processing companies, has begun construction of a new 67,000-square-foot, $3.8 million factory near Interstate 85 and U.S. 311. MORE

Aerospace Supplier Opens Michigan Subsidiary CHESTERFIELD TOWNSHIP, MI—Advanced Integration Technology, a provider of industrial automation and tooling for the aerospace industry, has opened a new subsidiary here. The facility deliver custom equipment, machines and tooling to manufacture and assemble commercial, business and military aircraft. MORE

How Can You Lower Your Assembly Plant Energy Costs? Find Out at Assembly Summit

CLEARWATER, FL— What are some easy things you can do immediately to lower your assembly plant’s energy bills? Find out at the Assembly Summit this October in Clearwater Beach, FL. Marty Sorrentino, senior engineer for Progress Energy, FL, will help you find the most common energy-wasters in your factories—whether individual assembly machines or entire assembly lines—and make them more efficient. For more information, visit www.assemblysummit.com.

Chinese Carmaker Ponders U.S. Assembly Plant SAN FRANCISCO—Chinesecar maker BYD Co. may build an assembly plant and open its North American headquarters in Los Angeles County. The plant could top 1 million square feet in size and create hundreds of jobs. MORE

Northrop Ends Bid for Tanker LOS ANGELES—Northrop Grumman Corp. dropped out of bidding for the U.S. Air Force tanker contract, giving rival Boeing Co. a lock on one of the biggest defense deals in U.S. history and dealing a bitter conclusion to Alabama’s five-year pursuit of the project. MORE

Freezer Manufacturer Marks One Year Without Worker Injury PLYMOUTH, MN—Freezer manufacturer CrownTonka is celebrating 365 consecutive days without an accident-related injury on the assembly line. MORE

BMW Facilities Earn LEED Certification WOODCLIFF LAKE, NJ—Two of BMW’s U.S. regional distribution centers have received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council. MORE

What’s Your Carbon Footprint? Find Out at Assembly Summit

CLEARWATER, FL—If “cap & trade” legislation passes, every manufacturer will have to measure its carbon footprint. Do you know your facility’s footprint? Do you even know what a “carbon footprint” is? Find out at the Assembly Summit this October in Clearwater Beach, FL. Heike Lueger, Ph.D., chief environmental scientist of Carbon Solutions America, is one of 14 nationally known experts who will discuss the most pressing issues affecting manufacturers today. For more information, visit www.assemblysummit.com.

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