North Korea Launch Could Arm Pentagon Suppliers
from Reuters U.K.
 North Korea's rocket launch may be good news for Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and other big Pentagon contractors that face possible program cuts. "A new security era has begun," said Riki Ellison, who heads the grass-roots- and industry-funded Missile Defence Advocacy Alliance, which lobbies for a layered shield against missiles that could carry chemical, biological and nuclear warheads. More
Gates Budget Plan Reshapes Pentagon’s Priorities
from The New York Times
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates on Monday announced a broad reshaping of the Pentagon budget, with deep cuts in many traditional weapons systems but billions of dollars for new technology to fight the insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan. The decisions represent the first sweeping overhaul of American military strategy under the Obama administration, which wants to spend more money on counterterrorism and less on preparations for conventional warfare against large nations like China and Russia. More
New GM Chief Doesn't Rule Out Bankruptcy
from The New York Times
A week into his new job as chief executive of General Motors, Fritz Henderson said on Sunday he was confident in the future of the company but a structured bankruptcy remains a possibility. Henderson has just 55 days remaining to meet President Obama’s timetable to come up with a new plan to save the struggling car giant. Speaking on NBC’s "Meet the Press," he said that the company was working to avoid bankruptcy, but that if it failed to meet its goals for cutting costs and shrinking the company, it "may very well be the best alternative." More
More Layoffs at Cessna
from Aviation Week
Cessna Aircraft is continuing to lower its production schedules for 2009 and 2010, company parent Textron said. The move will result in another round of layoffs and a two week furlough in July. "Most of the company's commercial markets continue to soften in the current economic environment, and credit markets at Textron Financial Corporation remain challenging," Textron said. More
Report: Slow Corvette Sales to Result in Plant Shutdowns Throughout July
from AutoBlog
Two years ago, the Chevrolet Corvette plant in Bowling Green, Ken., housed 1,000 workers – that number is now down to 600. In order to align production with demand, those workers that remain will reportedly be getting much more time off as General Motors is idling the plant for two weeks every month for the next four months. More
U.S. Steel Delays $1.1 Billion Upgrade at Pennsylvania Plant
from The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
U.S. Steel Corp.'s decision to delay its much-touted plan to invest $1.1 billion in new coke batteries and refurbish older ones at its Clairton Works won't disrupt efforts to improve air quality in the region, officials said Thursday. That's because U.S. Steel has idled three of the plant's 12 batteries and four more are expected to be idled soon. Those actions, blamed on the global recession, will bring the layoff of about 230, or 20 percent of the plant's 1,155 workers, a union official said. More
Centralized vs. Decentralized Maintenance
from Reliable Plant Magazine
Companies often ask if maintenance planning and scheduling will work if they have a decentralized maintenance organization. Yes, it will. In fact, they need planning and scheduling just as much as a centralized shop. Let's review why. More
On Land, On Sea: Heavy Lifting for Turbines
from Cranes Today Magazine
With large-scale growth predicted within the European wind power sector, cranes are set to become increasingly important to the growth of the renewable energy industry. Cranes and other lifting equipment play a central role during the installation process of offshore wind farms. From the moment the components reach the dock to their preparation for installation, crawler and mobile cranes with capacities well into triple figures are used to move, store, stack and load the masts, turbines and blades. More
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