Quick-hitting stories update us on United Safety Technologies’
medical-grade glove production in Baltimore; top data center markets;
Purdue University’s new remote worker attraction program; the rumble
about Rumble in Sarasota County; and the growth of Mattel’s
manufacturing footprint in Mexico.
IBM last week announced the launch of a new Automation Innovation Center
to be housed within the IBM India Software Lab in Kochi, located at
Brigade World Trade Centre Info Park, Kakkanad. “According to the
recently conducted Global AI Adoption Index 2022 by Morning Consult on
behalf of IBM,” the company said, “more than half of IT professionals in
India report their company is currently using or considering automation
software or tools to drive greater efficiencies in IT operations (52%)
and business processes/tasks (53%) and to give valuable time back to
employees (55%).” IBM is partnering with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)
and Wipro, with engineering teams from both firms co-locating with IBM
India Software Lab in Kochi. IBM is also working with the Indian
Institute of Information Technology Kottayam on skills and curriculum
enhancement. “India is an innovation and talent hub for IBM, and our
collaborations with IIIT Kottayam, TCS, and Wipro will help us
accelerate the adoption of automation for businesses across industries,”
said Dinesh Nirmal, general manager, IBM Automation. “The collaborations
will also provide youths beyond metros access to jobs, exposure to the
latest in automation technology, and skilling opportunities to be
job-ready.”
This biotech firm based in Colchester, Vermont, is looking to grow from
15 to 75 employees over the next two years as it expands in Essex. The
mRNA and lipid nanoparticle process (LNP) development and manufacturing
organization in April was awarded a $99,475 grant from the Vermont
Training Program (VTP), although that grant was only connected to
growing up to 35 employees. “Vernal is fortunate to have support from
the Vermont Department of Economic Development to help us expand our
business here in the Green Mountains,” said Vernal Founder and CEO
Christian Cobaugh then. “We are excited to be able to grow our company
here, grow the biotechnology industry in Vermont, and to offer high-tech
jobs to graduates of local colleges and universities and new hires who
move into the state from elsewhere.”
Phelps County, Nebraska, was among top rural counties in project attraction in 2020.
Photo courtesy of Phelps County Development Corp.
New data from Emsi Burning Glass show that nine of the top 10 counties with
the highest growth in job postings share from 2019 to 2021 are rural,
ranging from Henderson County in East Texas to Piatt County in central
Illinois and including three counties in northern Georgia. The “Rural’s Rise” report also analyzes urban-vs.-rural
data by occupation. Watch for Site Selection’s own analysis of the “Rural Advantage” in the July
issue of Site Selection.
PHOTO OF THE
DAY
Photo by ArchExist courtesy of v2com
newswire
In the 10th annual Architizer A+Awards announced last week, “Ice cubes”
by Zone of Utopia + Mathieu Forest Architecte, was the Jury and Popular
Choice Winner in the Architecture + Glass category, and the Popular
Choice Winner in the Cultural & Expo Centers category. The structure is
located near a ski resort in Xinxiang, China. On the project’s home page (where an array of striking
images can be found), Paris-based Zone of Utopia describes its
49-meter-high structure as “an urban lighthouse for the Cultural Tourism
City” where a ski resort is located. The intertwined cubes clad in
frosted glass, says the firm, remind people “of the joy of ice and snow,
sunlight and winter sports, as if the lake became ice, condensing into a
poetic architectural movement.”
