Manufacturing news
May 2006
Consumer electronics: Film-cameras die another death
Japanese camera maker Canon will stop development of single-lens reflect or SLR cameras. Not a surprise – in the last twelve months, rivals Nikon and Konica Minolta have made similar announcements.
26 May 2006 17:21
Energy: Bush, “Go Nukes”, outlines incentives
"For the sake of economic security and national security, the United States should aggressively move forward with the construction of nuclear power plants," said President Bush at the Pottsdown, PA Limerick Generating Station nuclear plant.
26 May 2006 19:15
HR: Philip Morris takes hard line on early withdrawals
Tobacco giant Philip Morris of Charlotte, NC, has fired workers at two of its plants, which those workers allege was for withdrawing money from PM’s deferred profit-sharing plan.
26 May 2006 17:46
TAGSYS raises $35M in bid for global RFID dominance
TAGSYS, which made news this month with an item-level RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) infrastructure, announced that it has completed a $35M round of financing and relocated its global headquarters to Cambridge, Massachusetts.
23 May 2006 17:05
Big Ass Fans – not a dead donkey
Manufacturers who want to define their brand identity must read this. Big Ass Fans can teach you something.
19 May 2006 3:16
Defense Logistics chooses ODIN for RFID integration
The United States Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) selected ODIN technologies to deploy passive RFID equipment throughout 26 facilities globally by the end of 2007. The award is up to a maximum of $7,000,000.
19 May 2006 20:16
Symbol sells 500,000th MC9000 mobile computer
Symbol Technologies in mid-May sold its 500,000th MC9000 mobile computer, sold to longstanding customer Coca-Cola Enterprises. This is a very significant milestone, given that the MC9000 line is less than three years old.
19 May 2006 19:45
Fabcon appoints new operations director
Precast concrete wall manufacturer Fabcon has promoted Dave Henderson to director of operations at its Savage, MN, headquarters.
18 May 2006 20:39
Record CEO casualty rate in 2005
The turnover rate of chief executives in the world’s largest companies hit a peak last year as impatient investors booted out underachieving bosses in record numbers.
18 May 2006 16:31
Bridgestone plans new tire factory in North Carolina
Bridgestone Aircraft Tire (USA) Inc is to transfer manufacturing operations from Miami, FL, to a new facility in North Carolina, in which it will invest $13.5 million over the next three years.
17 May 2006 14:19
SKF signs Valero maintenance contract
Valero Energy Corporation, the largest refiner in North America, has signed a contract with SKF for integrated maintenance services (IMS) at its Valero Paulsboro Refinery in Greenwich Township, NJ.
17 May 2006 21:40
British teenager wins US safety award
A female high school student from England has won the United States Coast Guard award for maritime safety at the Intel sponsored International Science and Engineering Fair in Indianapolis, IN.
16 May 2006 18:43
US rail network heading for gridlock
A leading transportation executive has warned that America’s aging infrastructure cannot keep pace with growing international trade.
16 May 2006 20:16
Emissions critical
Those who advocate a carbon emissions trading scheme in the US should take careful note of the European Union first year results, published mid-May.
15 May 2006 20:08
Energy out of the woods
Two alternative energy companies in New England are to collaborate on a project to investigate the viability of a wood-fired power plant in New Hampshire.
15 May 2006 17:23
GM retires Hummer H1
General Motors has announced that production of its gigantic Hummer “Alpha”, known as the H1, will cease this month, after 14 years.
15 May 2006 16:49
Defense Department, Aerospace, meet to change procurement laws
Heavyweights from the Defense Department and the aerospace industry met the first week in May week to hammer out changes to the Berry Amendment.
10 May 2006 19:45
Dollar overvalued, limits exports, says NAM
Despite a recent decline, data indicate the dollar remains nearly 10 percent overvalued and a significant cause of the increasing trade deficit according to the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM).
05 May 2006 17:55
Labor Department: Manufacturing jobs up 19,000 In April
April was a strong month for manufacturing, which added 19,000 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor & Statistics.
05 May 2006 17:54
Procter & Gamble sues lookalike makers
Procter & Gamble Co. has filed two suits, against Percara Enterprises and Cumberland Swan Holdings, for trademark infringement, among other claims.
05 May 2006 18:00
BASF opens nanotech research center in Asia
BASF has opened a new research center for nanotechnology in Singapore. The Competence Center for Nanostructured Surfaces will involve $16.4 million dollars of research expenditures between now and 2008.
04 May 2006 16:09
Cummins writes conduct code for suppliers
Cummins Inc., the Columbus, Indiana-based maker of diesel components and engines, has announced its “Code of Conduct” for suppliers.
03 May 2006 22:19
Gutierrez: Economy "jumped out of the gates"
Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez released the following statement on the gross domestic product or GDP report, which showed that the American economy grew at a 4.8 percent pace in the first quarter of 2006:
03 May 2006 22:42
Item-level RFID tagging at last?
UHF RFID is no longer for case and pallet tagging – Dutch book chain Boekhandels Groep Nederland (BGN) has tagged 38,000 books at its Selexyz Scheltema book store, with UHF Gen 2 RFID tags.
02 May 2006 13:31