On March 24, Google announced its recent partnership with Luxottica Group. The partnership will pin Luxottica Group as a major provider for Google Glass Frames. According to Luxottica, “[Luxottica’s] wholesale distribution touches 130 Countries in all the 5 continents and makes use of 20 logistic centers and more than 40 commercial subsidiaries, that allows a…
According to a report by Forbes, “Hewlett-Packard’s CEO, Meg Whitman, at the shareholders meeting on March 20, announced that the company is planning to enter the 3D printer space by the end of this Fiscal year. (HP’s fiscal year ends on 31st October.)” In recent years, 3D printing has presented both a unique challenge and…
With the rising confidence in U.S. manufacturing, another unlikely global player quietly takes the stage. According to Market Watch, “Italy’s composite business confidence index, a broader indicator subsuming retail, market-services and construction sectors, also rose, to 89.5 in March from 88.2 in February. The new level is the highest since September 2011.”
Outside of Detroit and Chicago, economists are citing a second chance for new manufacturing hubs, as well as revivals of long-standing manufacturing micro economies that have slowed in recent years. Recovery persists for the U.S. job market as New York shows signs of life for manufacturing. A 2013 yearend report shows 76,300 manufacturing jobs New…
According to a report by the Associated Press, “Orders to U.S. factories for long-lasting manufactured goods rose in February by the largest amount in three months, helped by solid gains in demand for airplanes and autos.” The total increase came in at 2.2 percent. In addition to the demand for airplanes and autos, February-end reports…
Apple switched supply chain manufacturers from Taiwan’s controversial Foxconn Technology Group facility to Pegatron, a smaller, supplier, which reportedly offered the company lowers margins on devices such as the iPhone C and iPad mini, in May 2013. As a result, the numbers suggest Apple has experienced substantial gains (22 percent).
Economists are optimistic for China’s manufacturing industry despite declining production rates, based on a steady rise in market shares. The latest numbers show the Hang Seng Index is up by 1.1 percent at 21,673.21 points, a recent high. The latest financial numbers come on the heels of the industry’s eighth consecutive month of slow production….
The World Bank didn’t paint a happy picture for commodity prices following a lackluster 2013. Gold prices are expected to take a huge hit, dropping during the course of 2014 by 16 percent to $1,050, down from its current price of $1,251 per troy ounce, according to Goldman Sachs. Most of the falling price of…
When Amazon announced plans for drone package deliveries last November, sceptics said the FAA would not allow the practice. However, the FAA has long postponed issuing new regulations for flying drones weighing less than 55 lbs and flying at altitudes lower than 400 feet. Though the agency will announce the new regulations in November, few…
Deborah Hersman, the public face and chair person of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, plans to step down from her position next month to accept a new position as president and chief executive officer of the National Safety Council. This is a safety advocacy group in Itasca, Illinois. The vice chair person of the…