June 29, 2012
Collaboration is one of the primary objectives of many biotech firms attending the annual Biotechnology Industry Organization convention, held this year in Boston. One promising company with that objective is Pluristem, a developer of placenta-based cell therapies based in Haifa, Israel.
June 29, 2012
As home to more than 3,400 biotechnology R&D firms and manufacturing companies, Texas is one of the leading biotech states in the country. More than 84,100 workers are employed in the biotech sector in Texas, and dozens of global biotechnology companies, such as Novartis, Allergan, Inc., and Endo Pharmaceuticals, have major operations in the state. A concentration of highly trained biotech workers, multiple top-tier medical and research institutions, and a top-ranked business climate all strengthen the state’s status as a biotechnology leader.
June 28, 2012
Last week more than 200 people from around the country attended an event at Willow Run, a signature automotive brownfield site in Ypsilanti, Mich., and one of 89 former General Motors properties in 14 states under the aegis of the Revitalizing Auto Communities Environmental Response (RACER) Trust. It’s the factory where the inspiration for Rosie the Riveter worked, and a site that has been called “the world’s largest room” for its massive assembly floor space.
June 27, 2012
After a selection process pitting one area of the Land of Enchantment against another, the Center for Innovation, Testing & Evaluation (CITE), a 20-sq.-mile (52-sq.-km.) project from Pegasus Global Holdings, is destined for the EnergyPlex near Hobbs, N.M.
June 27, 2012
On June 7 a celebration took place in honor of St Marys Cement Inc.’s Bowmanville Plant in Ontario receiving North America's first International Organization for Standardization's ISO 50001 certification. St Marys was officially registered as the first North American recipient of ISO 50001, a new standard for industrial facilities seeking to manage their energy use, on November 15, 2011. The plant is located within the municipality of Clarington, located just northeast of Oshawa along the shoreline of Lake Ontario.
June 27, 2012
Approximately 70 percent of the nation’s goods are transported by truck, and the cost of this mode of transportation is heavily dependent on the price of oil ($80/bbl at this writing), increases in which quickly ripple through to the cost of gasoline or diesel fuel.
With the current cost of gasoline around $3.53/gallon and the cost of diesel fuel around $3.72/gallon (as reported by EIA), the cost of transporting products remains an important factor in many manufacturing location decisions. Transportation costs also play an important role in consumer, business and government budgets as well.
June 27, 2012
Most buyers of Ford Motor Co.’s 2013 Escape won’t know specifically where their new mini-SUV was made. But, in fact, they will have Louisville labor and a labor-friendly Kentucky business climate to thank for their ride. Ford invested $600 million in late 2010 in its Louisville Assembly Plant (LAP). The project is adding 1,800 jobs to the 1,100 already in place.
June 21, 2012
Managing personal property taxes and compliance across multiple states can be an ongoing challenge for large corporations. Nestlé USA has a diverse portfolio of more than 40 manufacturing facilities, distribution centers and office buildings, plus vending equipment, that requires a robust system.
June 19, 2012
Is it just coincidence that companies are realizing pioneering renewable energy success along Great Lakes shorelines? Or that territories in two nations are seeing progressive energy policies blend with their industrial heritage to spawn growth in corporate investment?
June 13, 2012
The state of Utah not only offers the best in outdoor activities. We have also found that the people who live here are very well educated and innovative,” says Albert Modrovsky, vice president of strategic initiatives for L-3 Communication Systems Group. “They tend to thrive in an environment of teamwork and are more than willing to mentor other employees by sharing their work experiences and industry expertise.
June 13, 2012
Iowa Gov. Branstad has a four-point plan to boost his state’s business climate. Branstad touts Iowa’s strong Midwestern work ethic, a robust job training program, a favorable tax climate and its status as a right-to-work state as among its biggest draws, but he says the key to continued success is getting companies to notice the state.
June 11, 2012
A governor with an ambitious agenda is proving that Iowans are even more resilient than he thought. Battling recession, floods and misperceptions, Gov. Terry Branstad is ahead of schedule in reaching his four main goals.
June 6, 2012
Three Latin American locations have a rare combination of international air service, adjacent higher education resources and available sites – a powerful combination for the right site selector.
June 6, 2012
Two Atlanta-based companies are making the case that not all new investment in China is heading to the hinterlands, where many believe more advantageous labor rates can be found relative to coastal sites. An eastern China location still delivers the labor availability and logistics edge they require as the country’s huge domestic market takes on a more central role in these companies’ growth strategies.
June 6, 2012
Two-Wheeling in Southeast Asia; European Auto Plants Rev Up; Color for Scandinavia; Tunnel-to-Tunnel Bridge Debuts In China
June 6, 2012
Québec-based IT executives at multinational computer services giants attribute the success and expansion of their enterprises to being located in Québec. An increasingly bilingual and skilled work force, higher education resources, proximity to Europe and the U.S. Northeast and a business climate that encourages capital investment are some of the assets they identify as drivers of their ability to compete. More specifically, they compete successfully with other subsidiaries of their parent companies worldwide for capital investment, or they complement those subsidiaries as no other operation can, they maintain.
June 5, 2012
When Silicon Valley Bank scoured the U.S. for an information-technology and operations location, it didn’t take long for the Santa Clara, Calif.-based company to find what it needed in Tempe, Ariz.
May 30, 2012
The U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) recently released a study of the 2010 lighting market, finding that lighting across all sectors became more energy-efficient since a study of the 2001 lighting market.
May 30, 2012
Colorado is ranked No. 3 in the U.S. in the Beacon Hill Institute’s latest State Competitiveness Report, based on 44 economic indicators in eight categories: government and fiscal policy, security, infrastructure, human resources, technology, business incubation, openness and environmental policy. Among those groupings, Colorado scored highest (No. 2) for infrastructure, which includes such indicators as mobile phones per 1,000, high-speed lines per 1,000 and air passengers per capita. Colorado scored No. 6 for technology and No. 8 for business incubation.
May 30, 2012
In April Dominion Energy said it is confident that its existing agreement with the Sierra Club and the Maryland Conservation Council permits the company to build a natural gas liquefaction plant proposed for its Cove Point facility in Lusby, Md.
May 30, 2012
To industry observers and participants alike, it is becoming increasingly clear that the U.S. military is taking an aggressive role in turning to renewable energy sources for a variety of reasons. And that bodes well for the solar industry.
May 30, 2012
University spending on research (R&D) in all fields increased 6.9 percent between FY 2009 and FY 2010 to US$61.2 billion. University of Florida Innovation Hub, Tijuana, Mexico tax incentives.
May 25, 2012
Warwick, R.I., might not be as well known as Providence, its neighbor 10 miles (16 km.) to the north, but it is starting to get attention for its new intermodal hub at the Warwick Station Development District near T.F. Green Airport.
May 24, 2012
As a little girl, Susan Gibbs remembers visiting her grandmother’s coastline home in Rockport, Mass. There was the bronze bust of her grandfather, William Francis Gibbs, positioned as if he were staring off to sea. It would later prompt curious expeditions to the attic, where old newspaper clippings and photographs were pulled from trunks.