IT for Manufacturing Executives
Recession May Be Over For Some, But Not Everyone
September 21, 2010 4:48 am | by Jeannine Aversa, AP Economics Writer | News | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — It turns out the recession ended more than a year ago. Feeling better now? The panel that determines the timing of recessions concluded Monday that this one ended — technically, anyway — in June 2009, and lasted 18 months. The duration makes it the longest since World War II.
Satellite-Enabled Cell Phone Unveiled By AT&T
September 21, 2010 4:46 am | by Peter Svensson, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — AT&T has weathered plenty of complaints about spotty cell phone coverage. On Tuesday, it will start selling its first phone that includes a backstop for AT&T's own network, over a satellite. That means blanket coverage of the U.S., even in the wilderness or hundreds of miles offshore.
Settlement With HP To Cost Hurd $14 Million
September 21, 2010 4:44 am | by Jordan Robertson, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Hewlett-Packard Co.'s settlement with ousted CEO Mark Hurd clears the way for him to lead Oracle Corp. in its push to take business from his former employer. The deal announced Monday will cost Hurd $14 million in stock that was part of his HP severance package.
Former Volkswagen Exec Convicted In Corruption Scandal
September 21, 2010 4:42 am | News | CommentsBERLIN (AP) — A former personnel executive at Volkswagen AG's Skoda unit was convicted and given a suspended 10-month suspended prison sentence on Tuesday for his involvement in a corruption scandal at the German automaker. An administrative court in Wolfsburg, where VW is based, found Helmuth Schuster guilty of corruption, breach of trust and being an accessory to fraud in a case that involved an expensive sports car and a brothel visit, the German news agency DAPD reported.
Survey: Computer Buyers Happy With PC Performance
September 21, 2010 4:41 am | by Rachel Metz, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Consumers are as happy as they've ever been with their computers, and those with Apple computers are the most pleased, a new survey says. The American Customer Satisfaction Index's score for personal computers, which is part of a larger survey that also includes consumer sentiments on home electronics, totaled 78 out of 100 for the past 12 months.
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.
