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Industry Headlines
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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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