What's Trending: Tesla Sued By Lemon Law King; Porsche's Plug-In Hybrid

Here's a look at the top trending stories in manufacturing today based on reader feedback: Tesla sued by Lemon Law King; the Porsche plug-in hybrid; and 3D printing chocolate.

Apr 11, 2014

Here's a look at the top trending stories in manufacturing today based on reader feedback: Tesla sued by Lemon Law King; the Porsche plug-in hybrid; and 3D printing chocolate. Below these stories, check out links to other related news and features at Manufacturing Business Technology.

'Lemon Law King' Sues Tesla

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Wisconsin's self-proclaimed "lemon law king" filed a lawsuit Monday against direct-order car maker Tesla Motors, accusing the company of refusing to give a Franklin doctor a refund on a defective electric sedan that cost nearly $100,000.

Tesla is currently fighting new regulations in New Jersey that effectively prohibits car companies from using a direct-sales model. Earlier this month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration closed an investigation into Tesla car battery fires after the company said it would install more heat shields beneath the cars. Continue reading...

ALSO: Tesla Questions Motives Of Lemon Law King

The $845,000 Porsche Plug-In Hybrid

The Porsche 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid packs 887 horsepower. CNN was lucky enough to drive the $845,000 monster around the Circuit of the Americas track in Austin, Texas.

How Will Big Data Affect Manufacturing?

The current buzz-term “Big Data” may be slightly misleading in the strictest sense. The concept is nothing new. Most manufacturers are quite accustomed to having big, some might say huge, amounts of data flowing throughout their organizations, but have historically lacked the context that gives that data actionable meaning — giving birth to the oft used phrase, “data rich, but information poor.”

And that’s where the emerging technological capability we refer to as Big Data is coming into play. The potential for previously unknown correlations to be discovered, for informational silos to be demolished, is accelerating. While perhaps data didn’t exactly lie to us before, it’s going to be compelled to tell us many more truths in the future. Continue reading...

3D Printing Easter Chocolates

The world's confectioners are gearing up for Easter and an anticipated sales bonanza of chocolate eggs and Easter bunnies. However, as Jim Drury reports, one small company in Wroclaw, Poland has a message for lovers of all things chocolate — print your own.

What The Future Holds For Cloud Computing

While companies have been relying on hosted software and third-party tools for decades, it has been roughly six years since clouds entered the enterprise IT psyche. Here are some insights into the opportunities and limitations of service in the cloud, as well as what the future brings for cloud computing.

What types of tools typically exist in "the cloud" today?

Today the cloud is not just an option when it comes to selecting software applications and IT tools — it’s the default option. Applications like NetSuite were the beginning of true multi-tenant cloud infrastructure, moving beyond simple third-party hosting and passing along economies of scale to customers by pooling computing resources. Now, many organizations have cloud tools for such business applications as CRM, SFA, ERP, PSA, HR, payroll, ecommerce, PLM and design. They use cloud tools for office productivity solutions such as collaborative document management, word processing, email and video-conferencing. On the IT side, cloud-based software development tools are increasingly in use, while organizations are downsizing costly data center servers and backup systems. Even phone systems have moved to the cloud. Continue reading...

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