IT for Manufacturing Executives
Caterpillar Receives $641M Contract From Defense Department
September 21, 2010 4:35 am | News | CommentsPEORIA, Ill. (AP) — Heavy equipment maker Caterpillar Inc. said Monday that received a contract worth up to $641 million to build earth-moving tractor scrapers for the Defense Department. It's the largest single award from the department that the Peoria, Ill.-based company has received, the company said in a statement.
R&D Is A Company's Lifeblood
September 20, 2010 11:25 am | Articles | CommentsA business that people can trust, and one that enables their customers to grow more rapidly, will not only survive, but will thrive. Michelle Brand, business director of DSM Somos, a global materials supplier that provides the stereolithography resins used in 3D models and prototypes recently spoke with Production Design & Development, Manufacturing Business Technology’s sister publication, and discussed what she felt is a company’s life-blood, and how the “almighty drive to keep cost down creates an end-state detrimental to humanity.
Safety As A Core System Function
September 20, 2010 11:22 am | by George Schuster, CFSE, Senior Industry Consultant, Safety and Sustainability Solutions, Rockwell Automation | Articles | CommentsThe combination of functional safety standards, new safety technologies, and innovative design approaches are positioning safety as a core system function that can deliver significant business and economic value. Ask any food production line manager about the importance of safety, and they will likely tell you the critical role it plays in protecting personnel, reducing injuries, and meeting compliance demands.
Tech Addict Quits Cold Turkey
September 20, 2010 11:12 am | Videos | CommentsOne way to address and overcome one's insatiable need and overreliance on technology is to put down the connecting devices and take a break from them. But New York comedian Mark Malkoff took this idea to the extreme when he quit technology -- cold turkey -- for five days and quarantined himself in his apartment bathroom to prevent a tech relapse.
Time Is Of The Essence
September 20, 2010 7:06 am | Product Releases | CommentsMarsh Bellofram (Newell, W.V.) recently introduced the model 7DT-2CH programmable industrial timer. According to the company, it is designed for timing applications requiring a daily or weekly schedule. Calibrated offer high-precision accuracy in a convenient DIN rail mounting package, the industrial timer features: two independent control channels two outputs and 16A contacts a clear LCD display providing visible indication of output, mode, day, and time Switching can be achieved either automatically according to the program (AUTO) or manually, and units are designed to support AC or DC voltage requirements.
Google Makes Life Tougher For Hackers
September 20, 2010 4:40 am | News | CommentsSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google is making it tougher for computer hackers and other imposters to break into e-mail accounts and other password-protected services. An additional security measure introduced Monday will require typing a six-digit code after an accountholder's Google password is entered.
Boeing Plans To Amp Up 737 Production
September 20, 2010 4:38 am | by Joshua Freed, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Boeing Co. said on Thursday that it will increase production of its workhorse 737 to 38 per month. Boeing currently makes the planes at a rate of just over one a day and was planning to speed that up. The company said it will make 38 of the planes every month by the second quarter of 2013 because of strong customer demand.
Oracle Takes On Rivals HP, IBM In Computer Server Market
September 20, 2010 4:36 am | by Jordan Robertson, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Oracle Corp. CEO Larry Ellison steered clear of the brouhaha surrounding his most contentious new employee — Mark Hurd — but turned up the heat in his other latest troublemaking tactic: upsetting the long-standing order of the technology world with a plunge into selling computer servers.
RIM 'Optimistic' About Resolution To BlackBerry Disputes
September 20, 2010 4:33 am | by Rob Gillies, Associated Press Writer | News | CommentsTORONTO (AP) — BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. believes it will successfully resolve disputes with India, the United Arab Emirates and other countries over data security and avert their threats to ban services, the company's co-CEO said Thursday. Jim Balsillie's remarks came as the company said its second-quarter net income jumped 68 percent as it added new BlackBerry subscribers and beat analysts expectations at a time many have started to write the company off.
Samsung's iPad-Like Tablet Set To Debut
September 20, 2010 4:29 am | News | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — All four major U.S. wireless carriers will sell an iPad-like tablet computer from Samsung Electronics Co., the companies said Thursday. Samsung and the service providers — AT&T Inc., Sprint Nextel Corp., T-Mobile USA Inc. and Verizon Wireless Inc. — didn't say how much the Galaxy Tab will cost, or exactly when it will be on sale.
IBM Acquires Data Storage Firm Netezza For $1.7B
September 20, 2010 4:24 am | News | CommentsARMONK, N.Y. (AP) — IBM says it has agreed to buy data storage company Netezza for about $1.7 billion in cash. IBM Corp. says it is offering $27 per share for Netezza Corp. That's a 10 percent premium over the company's last closing share price of $24.60. Netezza helps sort through data housed on corporate servers to help companies make decisions about their businesses.
The Changing Role of the Operator
September 17, 2010 10:02 am | by GE Intelligent Platforms | White PapersAs businesses strive to gain a competitive advantage from their operations, the way operators perform their work has evolved. Shifting from being purely functional to highly analytical, operators have become an increasingly critical part of today’s business processes—significantly changing the way businesses operate and adding more value than ever before.
Shedding Light on Machine Vision
September 17, 2010 8:43 am | by Microscan | White PapersGIGO. It’s as true for information technology today as it ever was. Garbage in = garbage out. When it comes to machine vision, however, the old computer acronym can be updated: Good images = good output.
Dell Puts $100 Billion Bet On China
September 17, 2010 5:38 am | by Jessica Mintz, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsSEATTLE (AP) — Dell Inc. is making a $100 billion bet that China will remain one of the fastest-growing markets for personal computers over the next decade. Dell said Thursday it plans to open a manufacturing, sales and service center in Chengdu in 2011 that could eventually employ more than 3,000 workers.
Technology, Software Companies Earn Big In 2010
September 17, 2010 5:25 am | News | CommentsHere is a summary of recent earnings reports for selected technology companies and what they reveal about the state of spending and the overall economy: July 13: Intel Corp. reports its largest quarterly net income in a decade as the chipmaker benefits from a stronger computer market and more sophisticated factories.
