IT for Manufacturing Executives
Ford's Chief Technology Officer To Step Down
October 22, 2010 4:41 am | News | CommentsDEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — Ford Motor Co. said Thursday its chief technical officer, who helped develop the Sync hands-free phone and entertainment system, will retire Feb. 1 after a decade with the automaker. Gerhard Schmidt, 64, a former BMW AG executive, led Ford's research and advanced engineering team, a staff of engineers and scientists with offices in Dearborn, Mich.
IBM To Move 190 Jobs To China
October 22, 2010 4:37 am | by Shawn Pogatchnik, Associated Press Writer | News | CommentsDUBLIN (AP) — IBM Corp. said Wednesday it plans to cut 190 jobs at its Ireland server-manufacturing lines and move them to China. The move is the latest sign of traditional manufacturing operations deserting high-wage Ireland in favor of Eastern Europe and Asia. Such cuts have helped to drive Irish unemployment to 13.
All-Encompassing Reporting Platform
October 21, 2010 12:06 pm | Product Releases | CommentsMAG Industrial Automation Systems (Sterling Heights, MI) now offers an all-encompassing manufacturing data reporting platform for industrial assets. The Freedom EWare software suite from e-tekx consists of five modules for logging, analyzing and reporting information, plus a control-resident eCONNECT™ interface for each machine that uses a PC front-end control.
Apple Unveils Slew Of New Offerings
October 21, 2010 11:01 am | Videos | CommentsFresh off its best quarter in history, Apple is pushing forward at a Lion's pace with a slew of new products. Two new laptop models, a netbook offering, the next version of its OSX operating system, among other software offerings, are now available for consumers and businesses. Despite major moves made by competitors in recent weeks, it seems as if Apple is prepared to protect its reputation as the biggest tech giant on the block.
How To Navigate CPSIA Compliance
October 21, 2010 10:46 am | by Nick Parnaby, Founder and COO, RollStream Inc. | Articles | CommentsWith recent legislation demanding rapid compliance and costly fines for organizations that fail, a new approach for compliance is required – one that could forever change the way we think about exchanging supply chain information. For years, standards bodies have worked to develop common vocabularies to help streamline supply and demand chains.
Lean Manufacturing Goes Molecular
October 21, 2010 10:44 am | by Tom Fabek, General Manager, Profit Finders | Articles | CommentsContinuous improvement requires delving deeply into all processes at manufacturing companies and being able to track both sub-metered energy and raw material data real-time. Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement, based on the Toyota Production System, is now being applied to factory processes including anodizing, metalworking fluids, cleaners, thermal oxidizers, waster water treatment, wash lines, and finish coatings.
GE To Invest $32M In Tenn. Plant
October 21, 2010 5:02 am | News | CommentsSELMER, Tenn. (AP) — A plant in Selmer will receive $32 million in infrastructure improvements as General Electric aims to reduce costs and meet new energy standards. According to The Jackson Sun, the upgrades at the Monogram Refrigeration LLC plant are designed to enhance refrigeration technology for the wholly owned subsidiary of GE.
Google To Resume $600M Data Center Project
October 21, 2010 5:01 am | News | CommentsPRYOR, Okla. (AP) — Google Inc. is restarting work on a data center in Pryor — nearly two years after delaying the opening of the $600 million project. Google announced late Wednesday it plans to resume work on the plant. The company said it expects the plant to be fully operational with about 100 employees by late next year.
Why Isn't China Exporting Tech Materials?
October 20, 2010 12:24 pm | Videos | CommentsChina supplies approximately 90 percent of the rare earth materials to the rest of the world for use in the manufacturing of tech goods, among other uses. Needless to say, the recent news about China holding back exports of these important materials to countries such as Japan is rather disconcerting.
100 Miles On One Gallon Of Gas
October 20, 2010 12:22 pm | Videos | CommentsWhat's 830 pounds, can be moved using only one human thumb, and can travel 100 miles using just one gallon of gas? Apparently, the car featured in this video. The Edison 2 is this year's winner of the Automotive X Prize competition. It's certainly not a luxury automobile an executive would buy to impress his or her friends and colleagues, but it's a pretty impressive (and efficient) vehicle in its own right.
The Ship That Flips
October 20, 2010 12:20 pm | Videos | CommentsThe FLIP (Floating Instrument Platform) is quite the vessel, and an absolute technological wonder. By filling ballasts in its long, horizontal construction, it can actually rotate itself into a vertical position. By bobbing in the water, the craft is much less susceptible to waves, which aids in properly utilizing the detailed instrumentation onboard.
The High-Speed Rail Is A Game-Changer
October 20, 2010 12:19 pm | Videos | CommentsA high-speed train that could one day link Germany and Great Britain recently completed a successful trial run. If it gets safety approval, it could be operational in about three years. It's clear that the high-speed rail industry intends to directly compete with the rail and air industries, which could shift the balance of power in the travel industry and create a major market for industrial products in the process.
Always On Guard
October 20, 2010 9:18 am | Product Releases | CommentsRockwell Automation (Milwaukee, WI) now offers a new line of Guardmaster safety relays for machine builders and end-users seeking to reduce component inventory and lifecycle costs. According to the company, the safety relays are designed to meet new global safety standards, such as EN ISO 13849-1.
Verizon, Samsung Ready To Debut iPad Competitor
October 20, 2010 4:47 am | by Peter Svensson, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — The first big-name competitor to the iPad in the U.S. won't be undercutting it in price. Verizon Wireless says it will start selling Samsung Electronics Co.'s tablet computer, which is half the size of the iPad, for $600. That's more than the basic version of Apple Inc.
GE Unveils New, More Efficient Gas Engine
October 20, 2010 4:46 am | News | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — General Electric Co. on Tuesday unveiled a gas engine that it said would be more efficient at generating power. GE said the J920 engine could produce 9.51 megawatts of power, enough for 18,500 average European households, and would produce lower greenhouse-gas emissions than current gas engines.
