Air Berlin Places $5.7 Billion Boeing Order November 28, 2006
Posted by Tim Raines in: business, manufacturing, transportation, finance , add a commentOne week after receiving a $5.5 billion order for 25 aircraft from Korean Air, Boeing received a $5.7 billion order from German airline Air Berlin.
The company said it would purchase 60 of the 737-800 model, extending Boeing’s lead over Airbus, which has been having problems with design and production on its commercial jets as of late.
The aircraft are to be delivered by Boeing between 2007 and 2014.
Share This Story:
Reinventing the Nail
Posted by Tim Raines in: business, construction, government, insurance, manufacturing, architecture , add a commentPopsci.com has an interesting article about how Ed Sutt, the son of an architect/contractor in suburban Connecticut, stumbled into an idea to redesign one of the most basic tools of construction: the nail.
Sutt, who now works for Stanley Bostitch, researched the problem of houses collapsing during hurricanes to help design a new nail, the HurriQuake.
Tests conducted by researchers at Florida International University and the International Code Council—the independent building-safety standards organization—confirmed that the HurriQuake has more than twice the “uplift capacity” of standard power-driven nails. Other independent tests showed that the HurriQuake can double a typical home’s resistance to high winds and add up to 50 percent more resistance to earthquakes.
Share This Story:
Big Dig Firms Sued Over Tunnel Accident
Posted by Tim Raines in: business, construction, government, insurance, manufacturing, transportation, architecture , add a commentMassachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly announced he will sue 15 companies that worked on the $15 billion “Big Dig” roadway project in Boston, alleging negligence that caused a ceiling panel to fall and crush a woman this past summer.
The civil suit claims project manager Bechtel/Parson Brinckerhoff was “grossly negligent” in building the tunnel, part of which collapsed less than four years after it was opened. The lawsuit also names the manufacturers and distributors of the epoxy used to hold bolts.
The family of Milena Del Valle, the 38-year-old woman killed on July 10th, filed a wrongful death lawsuit in August.
Share This Story:
Ford Looking for $18 Billion November 27, 2006
Posted by Tim Raines in: business, manufacturing, transportation, finance , add a commentNumber two U.S. automaker Ford Motor Company said it plans to acquire approximately $18 billion in financing to help with near- and medium-term negative operating cash flow and with funding for its restructuring.
After the transactions, which Ford expects to close before the end of the calendar year, its “automotive liquidity” will be about $38 billion. The company lost $7 billion between January and September and has said it won’t return to profitability until 2009.
Share This Story:
Deere Profit Estimates Worsen November 21, 2006
Posted by Tim Raines in: business, agriculture, construction, manufacturing, finance, forestry , add a commentProfit at Deere & Co., the world’s largest farm equipment manufacturer, will fall below analysts’ estimates in 2007, according to the company.
Total net income of $150 million to $175 million for the first quarter was the company’s prediction, resulting in 65 cents to 76 cents per share. Analysts on average were expecting 97 cents per share.
Chief Executive Officer Robert Lane is limiting production to prevent excess inventory due to higher fuel and fertilizer costs which the company expects will hurt farm budgets.
Share This Story:
Retailers Struggle With Limited PS3 Supplies November 16, 2006
Posted by Tim Raines in: wholesale, business, manufacturing, retail , add a commentRetailers frustrated with Sony’s tiny allotments of PlayStation 3 consoles are beginning to fight back.
Abt Electronics has chosen to completely ignore Friday’s launch instead of disappointing customers, staying open late and dealing with near-riots.
From TWICE magazine:
“We looked into buying truckloads through a distributor,” said president Mike Abt, who ultimately decided to pre-sell his limited allotment in July and pull any mention of PlayStation from ads. “We’re very disappointed in the allocations,” he said. “We’re not taking orders and we’re not talking about it”– an ironic twist, given that Sony’s largest-ever in-store shop will open within Abt’s showroom on the day PS3 debuts.
Circuit City is holding midnight launch events at six stores in some of the major markets, including giveaways and radio coverage. Best Buy, who appears to have the largest inventory of the consoles, will also keep select stores open until 1:00 am for the launch.
Share This Story:
Cars Are Cheapest Since 1980 November 14, 2006
Posted by Tim Raines in: business, manufacturing, retail, transportation, finance , add a commentAccording to Comerica Bank’s “Auto Affordability Index”, it now takes 23.6 weeks—slightly longer than in 1980— of America’s median family income to purchase a new car.
Including finance charges, the average passenger vehicle sold in the third quarter of this year cost $26,500, about five percent less than the same time last year. During the same time period, average family income in the U.S. has risen about five percent.
From CNNMoney.com:
Improved productivity in the auto industry has combined with intense competitive pressures to drive the cost of a new car downward since its high in 1994, said Dana Johnson, chief economist at Comerica.
“It’s a pretty happy story for the consumer,” said Johnson.
Share This Story:
Acetaminophen Recall Causes a Headache for Tylenol November 13, 2006
Posted by Tim Raines in: wholesale, business, manufacturing, retail, marketing , add a commentTylenol has the makings of a huge problem on its hands.
Perrigo makes acetaminophen for a large number of retailers and has recently decided on a recall due to problems that allowed bits of metal to be mixed in with some of its product.
The recall itself was obviously a huge problem for McNeil Consumer Healthcare, makers of Tylenol, as people generally associate acetaminophen with the Tylenol brand name. Radio spots and website alerts from the company are already pointing out that Perrigo was the company affected and bottles of Tylenol are safe.
Add to that the tampering that took place with Tylenol in 1982, and the company’s got a real PR problem on its hands.
And then Seth Godin went and pointed out what would be the straw that broke the camel’s back if I worked for the company:
A quick search on Google News for “acetaminophen” turns up the result shown above, complete with a picture of Tylenol. The search engine, of course, isn’t trying to make things worse for Tylenol; it’s just doing what many consumers do—associating acetaminophen with Tylenol.
How will McNeil’s marketing and PR departments recover from these unfair associations? Stay tuned.
Share This Story:
Siemens’ Electronic Wedge Brake
Posted by Tim Raines in: business, insurance, manufacturing, transportation , add a commentSiemens VDO currently is developing a whole new generation of brakes for possible use in new vehicle models coming to market at end of the decade. The Siemens VDO’s brake-by-wire technology overarching idea is to completely replace all hydraulic brake components. The new braking architecture enables future driver assistance systems to more quickly access the brake and in a more targeted fashion. Automotive manufacturers will be able to take advantage of shorter stopping distances for their new model series, even on ice and snow.
According to the company:
The principle of EWB braking is that a brake pad connected to a wedge is pressed between the brake rod and the brake disc. The rotation of the wheel and the friction associated with it, automatically intensify the wedge effect. This means that high braking power can be generated with very little energy expenditure. The connection between the various electronic components of the EWB is handled by a real-time data bus, enabling data rates of up to 10 MBit in both test vehicles and later in series vehicles. This means a lot of room to maneuver in order to direct each individual brake separately in critical driving situations.
Share This Story:
U.S. Automakers Gain Ground in Reliability November 10, 2006
Posted by Tim Raines in: business, manufacturing, transportation , add a commentFord’s new Fusion received praise from both Consumer Reports and consumers who rated its reliability for the magazine’s 2007 new car preview.
Asian automakers dominated the reliability ratings, but U.S. manufacturers are improving considerably.
From BusinessWeek:
Overall, Japanese automakers had 39 of the 47 vehicles with the best predicted reliability. U.S. manufacturers had six, including the Fusion, the Milan and the Lincoln Zephyr — all from Ford Motor Co.
General Motors Corp. did well in large sport utility vehicles, earning top ratings for their Chevrolet Tahoe and the GMC Yukon, again based on one year of surveys because the trucks were redesigned. GM’s Pontiac Vibe wagon was another top-scorer.
Share This Story: