Despite a slight drop from the previous, month, the Purchasing Managers’ Indexes (PMI) in September remained optimistically high and continued growth in US manufacturing is forecasted at least through the end of this year, according to a new report fromthe Institute for Supply Management (ISM). In September, the PMI fell 2.4% to 56.6, compared to … Read more
Ballard Power Systems — the producer of fuel cell stacks based in Vancouver, Canada — announced that it will continue to be the exclusive supplier of fuel stack cells for Plug Power. The two companies have renewed their existing agreement through 2017, with the option for one-year extensions after that, according to a Ballard news … Read more
The manufacture of materials handling equipment in Europe fell 6.8% to just under $70.75 billion during 2013, according to a report issued this month by the European Materials Handling Federation (FEM). The decrease in production was attributed to a reduction in demand and stagnating exports, according to a report summary published on the website Logistics … Read more
Here’s a special sneak preview of some of the stories you will find this week on the Bahrns blog: At an Illinois manufacturer of football helmets and other sports equipment, the more workers “touch” products as they pass through the production line, the slower and more costly the process. Now the firm has created a … Read more
As energy costs continue to escalate, more than half of US companies are looking for new ways to invest in energy saving technologies, according to a recent survey commissioned by Schneider Electric. The survey, which was conducted by the firm Redshift Research during Schneider Electric’s 2013 Xperience Efficiency events held in Washington, D.C., and Dallas, … Read more
Wooden pallets may be inexpensive, durable and practical, but they are also flammable. Storing wooden pallets at your warehouse or manufacturing facility could be an invitation for disaster, as was illustrated by a series of destructive pallet fires recently: In December 2012, about 3,000 wooden pallets caught fire at a wood recycling plant in North … Read more
Toyota’s purchase of a controlling share of one of Asia’s largest forklift companies represents an aggressive move into the rapidly growing Asian forklift market. The recent purchase of 55% of Tailift Co.’s forklift division for $83 million gives the Japanese conglomerate a higher profile in the Asian forklift market. Under the agreement — which was announced … Read more
Storage Solutions — the Indianapolis-based employee-owned manufacturer of industrial storage and materials handling equipment – is making a big push into the Western market by opening a new office in Ontario, California, and a 50,000 square foot distributions center in nearby Montebello. The new warehouse and distribution center will house a wide variety of the … Read more
The typical chain is one of the most low-tech items widely used in industry today. It’s basic design hasn’t substantially changed since Leonardo daVinci drew a sketch of the first steel chain in the 16th Century. But while the ordinary chain may remain low-tech, there are now some specialty chains used in various industries that … Read more
An improving economy and strong sales in heavy equipment means the demand for industrial tires will remain high, at least for the near future, according to an executive from the global conglomerate Trelleborg. Telleborg Wheel — which has its US headquarters in Akron, Ohio — expects to see rising sales in the coming year, especially … Read more
