Manufacturing Business

Safety issue briefly clears part of West Point Kia facility.
About 200 workers at the new Kia manufacturing facility in West Point, Ga., were moved out of the assembly plant Tuesday afternoon after a fire safety issue was discovered during a building inspection of the energy center.

‘We had a group going through a punch list and any time we find a safety issue we react,’ said Randy Jackson, director of Human Resources and Administration for Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia.

West Point Mayor Drew Ferguson V said it was part of a routine inspection of the facility, which is still under construction though parts of it are occupied.

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Monsanto closing corn seed manufacturing facility in Chatham.
The Chatham seed manufacturing facility currently employees 13 full-time and approximately 12 temporary workers. Monsanto has been conditioning, treating, packaging and shipping corn seed to retailers across Ontario and Quebec out of the local site since the 1970s.

‘The Chatham seed manufacturing plant, and in particular the Chatham employees, have served Monsanto and its farmer customers very well and the plant has a long-standing history of high performance and focus on quality,’ said Kent Martin, vice-president of supply management with Monsanto Company, in a written release

‘But over the last 30-plus years, the plant has aged, the town has grown around the plant and we now face capacity limitations and cost restrictions in terms of rebuilding,’ he added.

The closure is also being done to minimize duplication, the company said, noting much of the Canadian seed supply provided to Monsanto”s Canadian corn customers is already being provided by U.S.-based facilities.more

Making wine cellars in West Michigan.
Revel has partnered with Benchmark Wood Studios in Holland to manufacture the unique cellars.

‘We”ve got a great base of cabinet makers, there”s a lot of skilled labor here in the furniture area in Holland and Grand Rapids,’ said Jeff Swieringa, Benchmark Design Team Manager.

Swieringa says that while bigger companies have moved things to china, it”s refreshing to keep things local.

‘I think it”s a great thing for the city, also this region being able to create jobs, can”t go wrong there,’ said Swieringa.

The inventor of the Revel Cellar and founder of the company is Jim Cash, from Lansing.

The cellars are all of custom design, and since their launch in June, the company already has six distributors across the country.more

Senior Manufacturing Engineer.
A vacancy exists for a Senior Manufacturing Engineer to be part of a multi-disciplined team involved in the design, manufacture and surveillance of a number of warhead programmes. The successful applicant will be responsible for all aspects of manufacture including supply of hardware, assembly methods, explosive filling and system integration. He/she will be the first point of contact for manufacturing queries. Specific duties will include the identification and implementation of suitable safe systems of work, the creation of manufacturing instructions, involvement in supplier selection, undertaking process qualification and the compilation of procurement specifications. A working knowledge of statistical techniques for monitoring process control would be an advantage, including an understanding of six sigma and the ability to develop, establish and maintain an efficient production process.more

Manufacturing Rebound, A Contrarian Play, Rare Earths and More!.
Leading this feeble cause is the latest ISM manufacturing index, probably the most powerful argument for recovery we”ve seen yet:

This morning,the ISM said its gauge of manufacturing activity had risen to 52.9 in August – out of contraction for the first time since the recession began and the highest score since June 2007. Of course, things are a bit different now, but over the last 60 years, when the manufacturing sector returns to growth, the recession has already ended. That prospect is enhanced by thecapacity utilization data we mentioned earlier this month — another recession-ending indicator now glowing green. What”s more,pending home sales rose 3.2% in July, the National Association of Realtors also reported. With an index score of 97.6, that”s a 12% rise from this time last year, the highest level in two years and the sixth straight month of improving pending sales conditions.more

Coming Week”s Currency Calendar.
4:30 a.m. EDT: U.K. Manufacturing PMI Expected to increase to 51.5 from 50.8. This gauge of manufacturing activity is likely to increase, something that is at odds with the Bank of England”s message. Reuters subscribers get this report a few minutes ahead of time. Anything higher than 51.5 will empower the pound. 10:00 a.m. EDT: U.S. ISM Manufacturing Index Expected to increase to 50.2 from 48.9 This private survey of U.S. manufacturing is widely respected, and the analysts normally nail this number. A reading above 50 denotes expansion in the manufacturing sector. 10:00 a.m. EDT: Pending Home Sales Expected to decrease to 1.7% from 3.6% This is a strange forecast from the analysts, because some regional housing reports recently have shown slack coming out of the market. Likely to be overshadowed by the ISM release.more

Research and Markets: New Report: Communication and Energy Wire.
The Communication and Energy Wire and Cable Manufacturing Industry report is the most comprehensive market research report available on this industry. With complete 2008 data and sophisticated forecasts for 2009, the report provides the most updated data and analysis on the industrys key financial data, cost and pricing, competitive landscape, industry structure, and trends and opportunities.

This 163-page report contains unparalleled research on this industry in breadth and depth. With a macroeconomic perspective, the report provides a fresh and comprehensive view of the industry. The report”s supply and demand data covers both U.S. shipments and international trade while taking into consideration of the industrys capacity utilization. The industry level income statements, balance sheets, and capital expenditure analysis contain all the elements needed for financial benchmarking.more

Manufacturer reports successful compliance with asbestos legislation.
Gasket manufacturing and distribution company Gasket Manufacturing Corporation (GMC) reports that 18 months after the banning of asbestos, solutions for every possible application have been found.

Currently, there are many different materials to replace asbestos, such as glass, mica, cellulose and graphite-based materials. ‘The alternative-material gaskets have generally been installed with success and GMC has fully converted all clients to nonasbestos materials,’ says GMC joint MD Mark Stger.

At first, challenges were expected in replac- ing asbestos in certain applications. The power-generation sector posed a particular challenge, where applications capable of handling 800 C and 200 bar of pressure with superheated steam as a medium had to be developed to replace asbestos.more

Thousands Of Manufacturing Jobs May Come To Mid-State.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Manufacturers are seeing growth for the first time in nearly two years and Middle Tennessee stands to benefit. Murfreesboro has been named as a possible site for a new Harley Davidson plant.

During tough economic times no business is recession proof, but Brenda Ritenour said the barber shop comes close.

‘I think I”m in the best business that I could be in because the economy is bad,’ said Ritenour.

Ritenour said her clients are getting haircuts less often and they aren”t tipping as much, but it could be worse.

‘We still make enough to buy groceries and pay the bills. It”s just not as good as it was,’ said Ritenour.

Rutherford County could have a cure for the cutbacks. Murfreesboro is up against two other cities for a Harley Davidson production facility, one in Indiana and one in Kentucky.more

Keller Electrical Industries constructing Phoenix manufacturing.
Keller Electrical Industries Inc. is building a $16 million, 105,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in central Phoenix that will help the company expand and add jobs.

Keller, which manufactures and repairs industrial electric motors, announced the construction on the facility, dubbed the High Voltage, in an announcement Monday. The company said the facility, which will open in July 2010, will allow the company to add about 125 jobs during the next five years

The plant construction will more than triple the size of the company”s space in the Valley, said Don Anderson, Keller”s president and CEO.

‘We think there are opportunities out there,’ he said.

The project will use five industrial bridge cranes during construction and will feature a 270-kilowatt solar system on its roof.more