Other

• Whirlpool to expand refrigerator plant in Iowa Jul 21, 2006

  Whirlpool Corp., Benton Harbor, Mich., plans to spend up to $11 million to increase the capacity of its refrigerator manufacturing operations in Amana, Iowa.

• Nemi shrugs off Western Canadian, sticks with three-way merger plan Jul 21, 2006

  Northern Energy & Mining Inc. (Nemi), Vancouver, British Columbia, said it intends to proceed with its three-way merger with Anglo Coal Canada Inc. and Hillsborough Resources Ltd.

• Modine to ax two US plants, add one in Mexico Jul 21, 2006

  Automotive heating and cooling systems maker Modine Manufacturing Co., Racine, Wis., said it plans to close two plants in the United States and add a new plant in Mexico.

• Dietrich, Nova mix steel and plastic in new venture Jul 21, 2006

  Dietrich Metal Framing, a unit of Worthington Industries Inc., Columbus, Ohio, has formed a joint venture in Pittsburgh with Nova Chemicals Corp., Calgary, Alberta, to develop and manufacture composite construction products and systems.

• Olympic Steel earmarks $14 million to roll out consolidated IT system Jul 21, 2006

  Service center Olympic Steel Inc. is spending an estimated $14 million to implement a new information system that will consolidate its three legacy systems into one integrated system.

• US machine tool consumption ‘encouraging’ Jul 21, 2006

  U.S. machine tool consumption totaled $319.4 million in May, 21.4 percent ahead of an upward-revised $263.19 million the previous month and a 29.7-percent increase from $246.27 million in May 2005, according to a joint report by the American Machine Tool Distributors’ Association, Rockville, Md., and the Association for Manufacturing Technology, McLean, Va.

• Tower reaches tentative deals with 2 unions Jul 20, 2006

  Auto parts maker Tower Automotive Inc., Novi, Mich., has reached tentative contract agreements with the United Auto Workers and United Steelworkers unions in talks that are seen by some as paralleling intense negotiations at larger Delphi Corp., Troy, Mich.

• ThyssenKrupp unit awarded 6-year Bombardier contract Jul 19, 2006

  TMX Aerospace, a division of ThyssenKrupp Materials NA, Southfield, Mich., has signed a six-year contract with Bombardier Aerospace, a unit of Bombardier Inc., Montreal, to become its service provider for cut-to-size aluminum and related supply chain services.

• McNichols doubles size of Illinois operation via move to Des Plaines Jul 18, 2006

  Metals service center McNichols Co., Tampa, Fla., has moved its Chicago-area service center to Des Plaines, Ill., from Elk Grove Village, Ill., doubling its size to 80,000 square feet.

• Prototype titanium heat pipe from Modine unit goes to NASA for tests Jul 17, 2006

  High-temperature titanium heat pipes for long-duration space and planetary missions has been delivered to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) by a subsidiary of Modine Manufacturing Co., Racine, Wis., for evaluation.

• Burnt-once syndrome could bias Vietnam's future trade status Jul 14, 2006

  Today's China critics rue the day the United States granted permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) status to the Far East powerhouse. Now they fear history might repeat itself with another Asian nation Vietnam.

• It's the deficit, stupid Will trade policy carry the day this November? Jul 14, 2006

  Trade is emerging as a major political issue, and the party that shores up a populist stance will enjoy an advantage in November's congressional elections and other elections down the road, political experts said at a trade summit sponsored by the U.S. Business and Industry Council and the AFL-CIO.

• Western Canadian mulling legal action vs. Nemi over merger plan Jul 14, 2006

  Western Canadian Coal Corp., Vancouver, British Columbia, is considering legal action after a potential merger partner announced it had found other suitors.

• Nymex energy volume records set on Globex Jul 14, 2006

  The New York Mercantile Exchange said daily volume records were set for total energy futures contracts, Nymex miNY heating oil futures and natural gas financial futures traded Thursday on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s Globex.

• Ford switches magnesium covers to plastic Jul 14, 2006

  Automotive parts supplier Dana Corp., Toledo, Ohio, has promised Ford Motor Co., Dearborn, Mich., cost and weight savings by switching cylinder-head cover modules to thermoplastic material from magnesium.

• Nymex sets energy volume records on CME’s Globex Jul 14, 2006

  The New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex) said daily volume records were set for total energy futures contracts, Nymex miNY heating oil futures and natural gas financial futures contracts traded Thursday on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s Globex.

• US construction activity climbs 2.7% in May Jul 14, 2006

  The value of new construction contracts increased 2.7 percent in May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $691.93 billion, according to the McGraw-Hill Construction division of the McGraw-Hill Cos., New York.

• Nymex moves after-hours energy trading to CME Globex Jul 13, 2006

  The New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex) will migrate its after-hours energy futures contracts from Nymex Access, the exchange's after-hours electronic trading system, to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s Globex electronic trading platform, which operates virtually 24 hours each trading day, beginning Aug. 6 for trade date Aug. 7.

• Nymex and Comex e-trading talks deadlocked Jul 13, 2006

  Talks between the New York Mercantile Exchange and its Comex division about the sale of Comex’s electronic trading rights reportedly have reached an impasse.

• Three Canadian met coal miners plan merger Jul 12, 2006

  Three Canadian metallurgical coal companies are merging their assets to form a new entity.

• China seeks probe of investments into ferroalloy, coking coal projects Jul 12, 2006

  China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has told its local bureaus to check on the rate of fixed-asset investment in the coking coal and ferroalloys sectors as part of its previously announced crackdown on overcapacity.

• Chinese automaker to revive MG line with new Okla. plant Jul 12, 2006

  Chinese automaker Nanjing Automobile (Group) Corp. confirmed it plans to build automobiles with its recently acquired MG brand at a new manufacturing plant in Ardmore, Okla., that will initially have relatively low production volume.

• China’s $61.45B trade surplus through June up 55% from ’05 Jul 11, 2006

  China’s trade surplus hit a record high in June, government figures showed, potentially adding to pressure on Beijing to revalue its currency.

• Domenici drilling bill could get speedy vote Jul 11, 2006

  Legislation to allow offshore drilling for natural gas is expected to come up for a vote in the Senate within the next three weeks, sources said Monday.