Nickel City targets new customers on Discord chat platform
The materials supplier has reached more than 30 potential customers so far, using a platform first embraced by video game players.
With AI: Trust But Verify
Much like the automation of physical labor via robots and machinery, the automation of mental labor via computing power is promoting anxiety among some, often times understandably, and overexuberance among others, who try to shove AI and machine learning into areas they’re not ready to occupy. During the recent IME West event in Anaheim, organized by Informa, Pat Baird, head of global software standards at Philips, discussed regulatory standards for…
Comar ‘hyper-focused on growth’ with expansions in California, Wisconsin, New Jersey
The capacity expansion allows the company “to support and service existing customers, as well as add on new customers that have interest in West Coast manufacturing.”
Electric Vehicles Ease into Fast Lane as Internal Combustion Engine Enters ‘Permanent Decline’
Make no mistake: The future of mobility is electric. Yes, there are still some pockets of resistance, waxing nostalgic for the “chrome-wheeled, fuel-injected” rides of yore, but that is best experienced through the rear-view mirror. As the cost of batteries and electric vehicles as a whole declines and the driving range per charge expands, electric vehicles (EVs) will displace the internal combustion-powered beast at a dizzying pace. In fact, the process…
Carbon Black Masterbatch Prized from Pyrolyzed Tires
Every little bit counts for the plastics industry in minimizing the use of fossil resources, and this now extends to low-volume masterbatches. Germany’s Rowa Masterbatch has debuted a new carbon black masterbatch — EcoPA-B095A BLACK rCB — in which the black stuff is obtained through pyrolysis, a thermal process in which used tires are heated to between 250 and 750°C in the absence of oxygen and subsequently broken down into smaller…
Faurecia to buy Hella in $8B deal
The founding family owners of Hella KGaA Hueck & Co. of Lippstadt, Germany, a maker of automotive lighting, announced Aug. 14 that it would sell its 60 percent stake in the company to French auto supplier Faurecia.
Talent Talk: Should You Quit Your Job?
I want to thank Renee Frey, whose insights on this topic I borrowed heavily. Two weeks ago, we discussed whether we were moving into a new normal, where 30% workforce turnover is common. Last week, we explored ways companies could combat this. This week, we put ourselves in the shoes of the workforce that is driving the phenomenon known as the “Great Resignation.” The Great Resignation is being used to…
Prototypes, rapid development at center of Minnesota expansion
Quadion LLC is building a 9,000-square-foot innovation center to design, build and test prototypes.
Lanxess Develops Concept for Automotive Radar Sensors with Integrated Thermal Management
Thermoplastic high-performance polymer supplier Lanxess has developed a new concept for radar sensors with integrated thermal management that will benefit autonomous driving. Though there is still some distance to go, driver-assistance systems are increasingly set to become a key feature of future generations of cars, and 360° monitoring of the vehicle’s surroundings is enabled by — among other things — radar waves. The radar sensors are an essential component for distance…
Plastindia university project loses some land to high-speed train line
A long-delayed project to build a plastics university in India, launched with help from the plastics program at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, is losing some of its land to a high-speed train project.