ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, November 12, 1996 TAG: 9611120098
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
Philpott center wins Commerce funds
The U.S. Department of Commerce will give money to the A.L. Philpott Manufacturing Center in Martinsville so the center can help smaller manufacturers adopt environmentally sound technologies.
The center is one of 16 nationwide that will identify the needs of their states' industries and develop statewide environmental services. The program is jointly coordinated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Environmental Protection Agency.
The centers, with access to $1.6million in federal funds, will coordinate the services of existing regulatory agencies to make it easier for manufacturers to find the information they need to comply with regulations.
-Staff report
Airbag snag spurs GM recall
DETROIT - General Motors Corp. on Monday recalled about 49,000 1996 Buick Skylarks and Oldsmobile Achievas to correct a problem that could cause airbags to deploy improperly.
As the front passenger airbags deploy, they can snag on a reinforcement bracket, causing the bag to inflate behind the instrument panel instead of through it. The bracket also may break, which could lead to more severe injuries, GM said.
Customers will be notified by mail to take their cars to dealers for free repairs. GM said it has received no reports of crashes or injuries resulting from the brackets.
-Associated Press
Strikes cause GM to cut production
DETROIT - General Motors Corp. said strikes in the U.S. and Canada will cut its fourth-quarter production of cars and trucks 11 percent, costing the automaker an estimated $666million in lost profit.
GM slashed 151,000 cars and trucks from its production schedule and now will build 1.17 million vehicles in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Last month's 20-day walkout by the Canadian Auto Workers shut down all of GM's Canadian assembly plants, and two strikes by United Auto Workers locals idled five U.S. truck plants earlier this month.
-Bloomberg Business News
Briefly
* Because of Monday's observance of Veteran's Day, there was no trading in U.S. government bonds or trading of related contracts on the Chicago Board of Trade and the Chicago Board Options Exchange. The weekly auction of short-term Treasury bills was postponed until today.
* U.S. coal production rose 1 percent in the week ended Nov. 2, to 21.2 million tons from 20.9 million tons the previous week and 20.4 million tons last year, the Department of Energy said Monday. Production so far this year is 903 million tons, up 4 percent. Virginia mines produced 605,000 tons that week, down from 707,000 tons in 1995. Year-to-date production in Virginia is 30.8 million tons, up from 29.1 million tons a year ago.
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