Technology Developments
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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Construct Your Own Innovation Pipeline
September 21, 2012 8:17 am | by Mike Schmidt. Associate Editor, Manufacturing Business Technology | Blogs | CommentsWhether it comes from a senior executive, a mid-level manager or new-hire, TIP allows ideas to be shared with a broad audience of potential collaborators through an online platform. Ideas move through a rate-and-review process, and the best and most promising ideas are developed further and considered for funding.
RIM Licenses Microsoft Patent
September 19, 2012 1:25 pm | News | CommentsUnder the deal announced Tuesday, Microsoft Corp. will license patents to a filing system called exFAT. Microsoft says it improves upon older storage systems in dealing with larger files — such as those used for photos and video. Devices that use flash memory — namely, smartphones and tablet computers — will be able to handle files that are five times as large as the limit on older systems.
Investing In Labor Pays Off With Productivity
September 19, 2012 8:16 am | by Mike Schmidt. Associate Editor, Manufacturing Business Technology | Articles | CommentsKeeping labor costs down has long been a preferred method for manufacturers around the globe to achieve sustained success and profitability. However, lately it seems manufacturers have found investing in efforts to raise workforce productivity to be a reasonable and desirable alternative.
Ford Hopes New Fusion Will Be Camry Killer
September 18, 2012 10:13 am | by Dee-Ann Durbin, AP Auto Writer | News | CommentsFord hopes the redesigned 2013 Fusion will finally be its Camry killer. The Fusion has become Ford's best-selling car since it went on sale in 2005, and it's one of the top sellers in the country. Ford hopes the sexier styling, improved fuel economy, and features like automatic parallel parking on the new Fusion will help it trounce the Toyota Camry.
Boeing Offers Clues On 787-10
September 14, 2012 2:04 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsBoeing Co. is getting closer to figuring out what the next version of its new 787 would look like, although it still hasn't decided for sure whether to build it. The aircraft manufacturer has been delivering the base model of the new 787 for a year now.
Q&A: Critical Innovation Trends And Technology
September 14, 2012 8:36 am | Articles | CommentsMilind Lakkad is the Global Head of Manufacturing at Tata Consultancy Services, a $10.17B global IT services organization. He recently spoke about the impact of emerging technologies and the four big innovation trends – mobile, social, big data, and cloud computing on the manufacturing world and how companies can address the new and varied technological needs within the industry.
A Manufacturing Opportunity
September 12, 2012 5:30 pm | Articles | CommentsIn the past decade, America has lost 6 million manufacturing jobs; yet today, 600,000 jobs can’t be filled in America because manufacturers can’t find people with the right skills. When Americans are asked how they would create a thousand new jobs in their communities with a new business facility, manufacturing is their first choice.
Apple: New iPhone 5 Is Thinner, Lighter
September 12, 2012 2:20 pm | by Michael Liedtke, Peter Svensson, AP Technology Writers | News | CommentsApple Inc. on Wednesday unveiled the iPhone 5, saying it's thinner and lighter than the previous model, even though it has a bigger screen. Apple marketing head Phil Schiller unveiled the year's most eagerly awaited phone at an Apple event in San Francisco.
Nissan Chief Pitches Electric Taxis To Hong Kong
September 12, 2012 10:17 am | by Kelvin Chan, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsNissan President Carlos Ghosn met Wednesday with Hong Kong's leader to pitch a proposal for the Japanese car maker to supply electric taxis to the southern Chinese city. Ghosn's visit with Leung Chun-ying is part of an effort to sell Nissan's electric taxi technology to cities around the world looking to upgrade their taxi fleets to more environmentally friendly models.
To Cloud Or Not?
September 11, 2012 8:08 am | by Don Lyman, CEO, Docassist | Articles | CommentsAccording to the July 2012 IDC Manufacturing Insights report, “Business Strategy: Cloud Computing in Manufacturing”, 22 percent of manufacturers worldwide have already implemented cloud-based computing systems, and an additional 45 percent of those surveyed are actively evaluating cloud deployments to replace internally-managed IT infrastructures over the next 24 months.
NTSB: Anti-Collision Aids Needed For Large Planes
September 7, 2012 10:05 am | by Jennifer C. Kerr, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe National Transportation Safety Board wants to see ground collision warning systems on all large commercial airliners. The board recommended Wednesday that the Federal Aviation Administration require large airplanes to be equipped with collision avoidance tools, such as an on-board externally-mounted camera system that would give the pilot a clear view of the plane's wingtips.
VW Launches Lighter, More Fuel-Efficient Golf
September 5, 2012 2:08 pm | by David McHugh, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsVolkswagen is rolling out the latest version of its mainstay Golf hatchback in a key test of its ability to widen its lead over other mass market carmakers in Europe, lower manufacturing costs and overtake Toyota as the world's biggest carmaker.
Mitsubishi Motors To Premiere 1st Plug-In Hybrid SUV
September 5, 2012 2:02 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsMitsubishi Motors Corp. said Wednesday it will unveil its new Outlander as the world's first plug-in hybrid sport utility vehicle during the Paris motor show starting Sept. 27. Carrying a 12-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery, the model has a cruising range of over 880 kilometers and a fuel economy of 61 km per liter, the automaker said.
Murata Turns To Tiniest Device For Big Business
September 5, 2012 10:23 am | by Yuri Kageyama, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsSmall is big for Murata: The Japanese electronics maker has developed the world's tiniest version of a component known as the capacitor. And that's potentially big business. Capacitors, which store electric energy, are used in the dozens, even in the hundreds, in just about every type of gadget — smartphones, laptops, parts for hybrid cars, medical equipment and digital cameras.
The NEMA Premium Labeling Scheme
September 4, 2012 8:06 am | by Rob Boteler, Nidec Motor Corporation | Articles | CommentsThe original NEMA Premium labeling scheme was designed to simplify the identification and application of NEMA Premium efficient motors by end users and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Since its inception, the NEMA Premium mark has gained wide acceptance with motor buyers, utilities, and other specifying organizations.
Samsung Unveils Voice-Controlled Camera
August 31, 2012 11:52 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsSamsung has unveiled a voice-controlled camera as part of a fall lineup of consumer gadgets aimed at setting itself apart from rival Apple. The South Korean electronics giant presented the 16-megapixel Galaxy Camera at the IFA tech show in Berlin. It comes days after Samsung suffered a costly defeat in a patent dispute with Apple in the United States.
Fiesta: Ford's Smallest U.S. Car
August 29, 2012 2:06 pm | by Ann M. Job, For The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Ford Fiesta is a versatile, budget-conscious small car with a stylish interior and upscale car options such as heated leather seats and voice-recognition controls. The Fiesta also has higher U.S. government fuel economy ratings than does a gasoline-powered Honda Fit.
New Mileage Standards Would Double Fuel Efficiency
August 28, 2012 2:38 pm | by Matthew Daly, Tom Krisher, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe average gas mileage of new cars and trucks will have to nearly double by 2025 under regulations that were finalized Tuesday by the Obama administration. The new rules would require the fleet of new cars and trucks to average 54.5 miles per gallon in 13 years, up from 28.6 mpg at the end of last year. The regulations will drive automakers to introduce new technology to make vehicles cleaner and more efficient.
PC Makers In Desperate Need Of A Reboot
August 27, 2012 2:00 pm | by Michael Liedtke, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsHewlett-Packard Co. used to be known as a place where innovative thinkers flocked to work on great ideas that opened new frontiers in technology. And like HP, Dell also missed the trends that have turned selling PCs into one of technology's least profitable and slowest growing niches.
Web Comic Fuels Donations To Tesla's NY Lab
August 27, 2012 10:03 am | by Frank Eltman, Associated Press | News | CommentsA jolt of support from Inman has re-energized a decades-long effort to restore a decrepit, 110-year-old laboratory once used by Nikola Tesla, a visionary scientist who was a rival of Thomas Edison and imagined a world of free electricity. Thousands of donors from over 100 countries have kicked more than $1M through a social media fundraising website to pay for the restoration of Nikola Tesla's Wardenclyffe laboratory.
Microsoft Revamps Logo For 1st Time In 25 Years
August 24, 2012 2:15 pm | by Michael Liedtke, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsMicrosoft's corporate logo has a new look, setting the stage for a wave of products designed to cast the world's largest software maker in a new light. The makeover unveiled Thursday marks the first time that Microsoft Corp. has revamped its logo since February 1987. The Internet was barely around then, and cellphones were considered a luxury.
RIM Begins Showing New BlackBerrys To Carriers
August 24, 2012 2:09 pm | by Rob Gillies, Associated Press | News | CommentsCanadian phone maker Research In Motion has begun showing its new BlackBerry smartphones to wireless carriers around the world, but the struggling company says it is still months away from starting to sell them. The smartphones running the new BlackBerry 10 operating system are critical to RIM's survival. RIM executives met with wireless companies this week and provided a glimpse of the much-delayed system.
The Cloud: Still A Work In Progress
August 22, 2012 8:40 am | by Mike Schmidt. Associate Editor, Manufacturing Business Technology | Blogs | CommentsThe cloud computing "ecosystem" failed Mat Homan, and his plight should serve to remind individuals and companies that store sensitive data in “the cloud” that the technology (while oozing with upside and potential) remains very much a work in progress.
Feds, University Test Cars That Can Communicate
August 21, 2012 2:21 pm | by Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writer | News | CommentsIn a few weeks, about 2,800 cars, trucks and buses will start talking to each other on the streets of Ann Arbor, Mich., in a giant experiment that government officials are hoping will lead to safer roads. Wireless devices will allow the vehicles to send signals to each other, warning their drivers of potential dangers such as stopped traffic or cars that might be blowing through a red light.
Honda Robotics Powers First Product For Homes
August 21, 2012 10:11 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsHonda Motor Co. finally has its first product for the home packed with its prized robotics technology — a sensor-equipped lawn mower. Miimo goes on sale next year, in only Europe, where spacious lawns are often enclosed in gates, targeting 4,000 unit sales a year.
