No matter what products they make, how many they make, or how often they make them, all U.S. manufacturers share a common goal: They need to get their products to their customers, on time, and the familiar litany of trucks-trains-boats-and-planes (and sometimes, pipelines) remains the way that goods get moved. At least that's the case in early 2017. Within a year or two, maybe not so much.
International Business Machines Corp. says it's ramping up its digital-skills training program to accommodate as many as 25 million Africans in the next five years, looking toward building a future workforce on the continent.
The business case for more women in manufacturing leadership is strong. Research has shown that there is a verifiable link between women in leadership and improved business performance.
Many of the organizations that stand to benefit from IoT technology face something of a Catch-22: They can exert great caution in deploying connected technology, thereby minimizing their chances security breaches, but also slowing them down, putting them at a competitive disadvantage. On the other hand, companies that are cavalier in how they deploy IoT technologies increase their risk of getting hacked.
Way back in December 1890, decades before it landed its first defense contracts, Newport News Shipbuilding delivered its maiden hull, a 90-foot tugboat affectionately named for the young daughter of a former Navy Secretary. Dorothy was delivered at a loss, well over budget. Big data might have helped to curb the overrun. Augmented reality might have helped, too.
Tesla Motors Inc. is making a huge bet that millions of small batteries can be strung together to help kick fossil fuels off the grid. The idea is a powerful one - one that's been used to help justify the company's $5bn factory near Reno, Nev. - but batteries have so far only appeared in a handful of true, grid-scale pilot projects.
Automakers and parts manufacturers on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border are meeting state and provincial governments to co-ordinate a response to President Donald Trump as he pushes far-reaching changes to a trade deal that's crucial to the industry, the head of Canada's biggest autoparts maker said.
A U.S. startup pursuing Elon Musk's vision for near-supersonic rail transport announced an agreement on a feasibility study for a hyperloop system connecting two European cities.
Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. say they'll keep making cars in the U.K. despite Prime Minister Theresa May's plan to leave the European Union's single market, which could make exporting from British factories less lucrative.
European car sales rose to a nine-year high in 2016, with Renault SA taking advantage of recovering demand and Volkswagen AG's tarnished reputation to leap to second place from third in the region.
