Fitch Downgrades General Motors to 'B-', Outlook Negative (14593)
CHICAGO & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fitch has downgraded the Issuer Default Rating (IDR) of General Motors Corporation (GM) to 'B-' from 'B', and assigned a Rating Outlook Negative. The downgrade results from weak economic conditions, the dramatic shift to fuel efficient vehicles and the resulting cash drains at GM that are expected to persist at lest through 2009.

Owens Corning Partners with Environmental Defense Fund and PHH Arval to Reduce Emissions of Vehicle Fleet. Expects to Improve Vehicle Fleet MPG by 18 Percent (14592)
TOLEDO, Ohio, June 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Owens Corning (NYSE:OC), a world leader in building materials systems and glass fiber reinforcements, announced today that it has begun to systematically measure and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its vehicle fleet.

New Tricept T9000 - Creative Solutions to Manufacturing Improvement with Universal Capabilities, 5-axis Interpolated Machining, Single Set-Up Processing, and Process Tailoring. (14579)
June 2008 - Manufacturers seeking greater flexibility, agility and multi-function capability can find a uniquely adaptable solution at IMTS in 5-axis interpolated machining by the Tricept T9000 parallel kinematic machine system. Proven with more than 300 installations worldwide at progressive aerospace, automotive, rail and general manufacturers, the amazingly versatile T9000 can perform milling, drilling, routing, deburring and finishing, optical inspection and touch probing, fastener/rivet installation, even friction stir welding with just a change of tooling. The universal machine is being exhibited on a Modular Element Systems (MES) platform that allows simple bolt-up reconfiguration between vertical, horizontal and 45° angular orientations.

Insight Automation Inks Exclusive Deal For Kyowa Motor Roller Line (14576)
(Erlanger, Kentucky) – Automated material handling company Insight Automation has signed an exclusive contract to sell and support a new line of Kyowa motor roller products in North America. The new product line, known as PulseRoller, will be manufactured by Kyowa USA in a new plant adjacent to Insight Automation.

Small Particles: The Next Big Force in Manufacturing? (14526)
Carbon nanotubes are invisible to the naked eye but with strength a hundred times that of steel, companies like Zyvex Performance Materials in Columbus, Ohio want to make them part of the manufacturing mainstream.

Industrial Site Improvement Fund Grants To Support Development of Ohio Industrial and Commercial Sites (14517)
COLUMBUS – Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher today announced that eight counties now are able to pursue crucial improvements for development projects through awards of more than $3.8 million from the Industrial Site Improvement Fund, which provides grants to improve qualified commercial and industrial areas.

Nielsen Reveals Consumer Goods Categories among Those Most Immune, Most Vulnerable to Recession (14515)
New Tool Unveiled at Nielsen’s Consumer 360 Conference Guides Consumer Goods Manufacturers, Retailers for Doing Business During Tough Economic Times

Economic Task Force for DHL Hub in Wilmington Committed to Jobs, Future (14505)
COLUMBUS - A broad-based regional task force spearheaded by Wilmington Mayor David Raizk, at the request of Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher, has begun work to preserve jobs and craft economically feasible solutions for the future. The urgent need for action stems from the potential effects of a possible direct job loss of 8,200 — with significantly more indirect job losses — in Wilmington, the region, and throughout the State of Ohio.

Sumitomo’s New Ac410k Grade for High Speed Cast Iron Turning Now Available (14503)
Mount Prospect, IL – Featuring new coating technology, Sumitomo's AC410K grade consists of two types of coating layers - the Super FF Alumina layer and the Super FF TiCN layer - both of which provide excellent peeling resistance and improved overall insert stability.

RFID Training Ensures Faster, Smoother Implementations (14497)
While much has been written about the coming of RFID and all that it promises, relatively little has been written about the training that must accompany any successful initiative. All too often companies rely on their employees to learn as they go. The resulting implementation is slower and more costly. There are, however, numerous training options available to get companies started on the right path for their RFID implementation. Information gained from training furthers individual as well as corporate RFID goals of driving down the cost and time required for a successful RFID implementation.