Remember Gary Daughters’ “Disruptive
Technology” story two years ago about manufacturing diamonds
instead of mining them? None other than Leonardo DiCaprio, the star of
the film “Blood Diamond,” is investing in that eco-friendly dream in
Trujillo, Spain, where renewable energy and plasma reactors and up to
650 employees will artificially create diamonds at Diamond Foundry’s
second plant. The project, including a 120-MW solar farm, will be
constructed on the Arroyo Caballo industrial estate in the Extremadura
region near the Portugal border, which company co-founder and CEO Martin
Roscheisen said was chosen for its high availability of solar radiation.
Diamonds will be made at the 30,000-sq.-m. site in six to 10 weeks
rather than nature’s thousands of years. The company’s original
manufacturing site is in Wenatchee, Washington, powered by hydroelectric
energy.
PepsiCo sparkling water brand SodaStream is opening its largest European
factory in Tilburg in order to meet growing demand for its products in
Europe, “especially in the BeNeLux,” said an Invest in Holland release
this month, “where the company has experienced remarkable growth in
recent years due to its focus on avoiding single-use plastic waste.” CEO
Eyal Shohat said, “The opening of the new location moves us even closer
to our leading European markets, helps us further reduce our carbon
footprint, and strengthens our long-lasting relationship with local
suppliers.” Site Manager Gabriel Shiterit said the location “in the
logistics heart of Europe” was another important factor. The site will
package and distribute product originating at SodaStream’s main
manufacturing site in Israel.
The National Venture Capital Association this month posted about new research that indicates a
proposed plan to tax carried interest at regular income rates would harm
new venture capital fund formation in emerging technology regions in the
United States. The
study by Rice University Prof. Yael Hochberg and Washington
University Prof. John Barrios states that carried interest tax changes
“have the potential to have far-reaching effects on the creation and
growth of innovation-driven entrepreneurial ventures in precisely the
locations where policymakers are often seeking to increase
entrepreneurial activity and growth.” The NVCA said states with startup
ecosystems that stand to lose the most from this tax change include
Pennsylvania, Arizona, Wisconsin, Montana, Michigan, Ohio, Nevada, New
Hampshire, Colorado, and Indiana.
PHOTO OF THE
DAY
Photo courtesy of NASA
If you find a drone flying over your house and yard annoying, imagine
one hovering over you while you work. That’s the futuristic scenario at
SEAT’s plant in Martorell, Spain, where the company is working with Eurecat (the
Technology Center of Catalonia) on a pilot project using drones to
deliver parts autonomously along an automotive production line. Jorge
Luis Martínez, responsible for SEAT S.A. Logistics Innovation, said the
future will see an integration of the company’s current outdoor drones
with the indoor drones to improve parts transportation both inside and
outside the workshop. “We could connect nearby suppliers with the
factory,” he said, “extending their supply line directly to the
production line and without having to rely on warehousing options for
certain electric car components in the future.”
