In this episode of MBT’s Manufacturing Newswire, we’ll discuss scandals facing some big businesses, as well as major updates from GM and Ford. We’ll also talk to LNS Research about 2014 tech trends in manufacturing, and take a look at NASA’s superhero robot.
Check out the full interview with Matthew Littlefield, president of LNS Reseach here.
In the spiciest of setbacks, Sriracha – the popular hot sauce whose allegedly unpleasant smelling factory operations are facing the wrath of neighbors – is now facing a hold on shipments til mid-Janaury at the behest of the California Health Department.
Between this and the recent judge-ordered partial shutdown, The New York Times is reporting a run on the spicy sauce, with retailers saying they can’t keep it on their shelves.
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European Union antitrust regulators have raided the offices of several companies that make and sell consumer electronics and domestic appliances online.
Both Philips and Samsung have confirmed that they were among the targets of the raids, and the European Commission has said that the investigation involves possible anticompetitive practices related to e-commerce.
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With the end of the year approaching, manufacturers are looking forward into next year and the trends that matter to them.
Several of you out there have already read Ten Business Technology Trends You’ll Read About In 2014 on MBTMag.com, so we decided to invite Matthew Littlefield, president and principal analyst with LNS Research, to narrow down his list in this week’s Face to Face.
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On Friday, Ford said it will hire more than 11,000 people in the U.S. and Asia next year to support an aggressive rollout of new vehicles. Joe Hinrichs, Ford’s president of the Americas, said 2014 will be the busiest product year in Ford's 111-year history, with 23 new vehicles being introduced around the world. Of those, 16 will be sold in the U.S., including a new Mustang sports car.
In other automotive news, GM announced last week it has appointed its first female. Mary Barra’s appointment announcement came on the heels of one from the federal government that it had sold its remaining stake in the automaker, four years after it invested $49.5 billion to bail out the company and steer it through bankruptcy.
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Meet Valykrie, NASA’s 6 foot 2 inch, 275 lb, battery-powered, Superhero Robot
Valykrie is actually NASA Johnson Space Center’s entry into the DARPA Robotics Challenge. Project and Group Lead, Nicolaus Radford suggests that humanoid robots like Valykrie could be sent to Mars to pave the way for humans to follow, eventually working side-by-side.
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