-
+3 +1
Meet the Texas startup that wants to decarbonize the chemical industry
Solugen, a startup that has set itself up with no less lofty a goal than the decarbonization of a massive chunk of the petrochemical industry, may be the first legitimate multi-million dollar company to start out in a meth lab. When company co-founders Gaurab Chakrabarti and Sean Hunt began hunting for a lab to test their process for enzymatically manufacturing hydrogen peroxide they only had a small $10,000 grant from MIT — which was supposed to pay their salaries and cover rent and lab equipment.
-
+15 +1
Donald Trump is short-circuiting the electronics industry
For more than a year now, President Donald Trump has been playing chicken with China, instituting increasingly expensive tariffs to add pressure for a trade deal that never seems to materialize. So far, those tariffs have kept clear of consumer goods like smartphones or televisions, with the most damaging taxes restricted to intermediary products like soybeans or steel. But after talks broke down last week, a new set of tariffs pulled those products into the trade war, creating a nightmare scenario for the tech industry.
-
+21 +1
Every single piece of these sneakers is made from plants
Look down at your feet. Your shoes might seem an innocuous, but they contain lots of forms of plastic, and often leather, giving them their own sizeable carbon footprint. As all companies try to limit their plastic use, shoe manufacturers are trying to design new shoes with lower embedded emissions. Canadian shoe company Native Shoes is doing it by making a shoe that’s entirely biodegradable, because every component is made from plant material.
-
+4 +1
Why The American Shoe Disappeared And Why It's So Hard To Bring It Back
Footwear companies face big costs in potential new tariffs on more Chinese imports. Almost all shoes sold in the U.S. are made overseas. Only about 200 factories remain. One man tried to change that.
-
+1 +1
Robots 'to replace 20 million factory jobs'
Up to 20 million manufacturing jobs around the world could be replaced by robots by 2030, according to analysis firm Oxford Economics. People displaced from those jobs are likely to find that comparable roles in the services sector have also been squeezed by automation, the firm said. However, increasing automation will also boost jobs and economic growth, it added.
-
+28 +1
Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo join PC makers in looking to move production out of China
While at this point it’s unclear whether US President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on Chinese goods will actually come to pass, continued uncertainty about the relationship between the countries and rising costs in China have some of tech and gaming’s biggest companies looking to move their manufacturing efforts elsewhere.
-
+8 +1
Apple could make AirPods outside China for first time
Apple is gearing up to carry out a trial production of AirPods in Vietnam. This is as part of Apple’s aim to expand manufacturing outside of China. Earlier this summer, Apple asked its suppliers to explore manufacturing in other markets. This was at a time when concerns about possible China tariffs were at their height.
-
+15 +1
Samsung Phones Beat Apple and Huawei in Download Speeds
If you live in the United States and you own a Samsung, chances are that you are enjoying much better download speeds than people using iPhones. That’s one of the findings from independent network analysis firm Opensignal.
-
+12 +1
The world’s most advanced nanotube computer may keep Moore’s Law alive
MIT researchers have found new ways to cure headaches in manufacturing carbon nanotube processors, which are faster and less power hungry than silicon chips.
-
+25 +1
Shift to electric vehicles will radically change auto factories
The flood of electric vehicles rolling out over the next decade will have many fewer parts and assemblies than today's gas-powered cars and trucks. And that will radically change the auto factory floor, with fewer jobs and the real possibility that the batteries and electric motors that power the new vehicles could be sourced offshore.
-
+15 +1
US manufacturing survey shows worst reading in a decade
A monthly gauge of U.S. manufacturing showed its worst reading in more than 10 years in September as exports dived.
-
+23 +1
Trump slams 'pathetic' Fed and Wall St tumbles as US factory activity hits 10-year low
Shares are set to fall sharply in the wake of the United States recording its worst manufacturing result in 10 years — ratcheting up fears of a global economic downturn, exacerbated by the US-China trade war. Of course it's everyone except Trump's fault.
-
+15 +1
Massive, AI-Powered Robots Are 3D-Printing Entire Rockets
Relativity Space may have the biggest metal 3D printers in the world, and they're cranking out parts to reinvent the rocket industry here—and on Mars.
-
+24 +1
These Worm-Like Robots Could One Day Build Spaceships
They scoot around like tiny inch worms but these robots can build absolutely huge structures.
-
+25 +1
Electric-car battery prices dropped 13% in 2019, will reach $100/kwh in 2023
Although electric cars haven’t quite taken off in the 2010s the way some had anticipated, sheer economics are pointing to the 2020s as the time when EVs will find that market fever pitch. From 2010 to 2019, lithium-ion battery prices (when looking at the battery pack as a whole) have fallen from $1,100 per kilowatt-hour to $156/kwh—an 87% cut. From 2018 to 2019 alone, that represents a cut of 13%.
-
+27 +1
TSMC will reportedly start production of A14 chip for this year's iPhones in Q2, new 5 nanometer process
Once again, TSMC appears set to be the exclusive supplier of Apple’s custom iPhone SoC chip designs. Digitimes reports that the foundry will begin manufacturing the A14 chip for this year’s iPhones in the second quarter. The new ‘A14’ chip will be manufactured using TSMC’s new 5 nanometer production process, down from 7 nanometer fabrication seen in the A12 and A13.
-
+20 +1
Chinese air quality regulations could put an end to 'new car smell'
Air pollutants that generate “new car smell” have been found at levels up to 10 times regulatory limits inside some models. But new Chinese rules could put an end to the odour, which is generated by volatile organic compounds (VOCs), chemicals that are readily released as gases by the materials that make up dashboards, seat covers and other fittings.
-
+7 +1
India's January manufacturing activity hits near eight-year high as orders jump
India’s manufacturing activity expanded at its quickest pace in nearly eight years in January with robust growth in new orders and output, a private survey showed on Monday, suggesting the economy may be getting back on firmer footing. In response to the jump in sales, factories hired new workers at the fastest rate in more than seven years.
-
+15 +1
Pressure grows on China to re-open factories
Global firms are waiting for China to re-start production to avoid further disruptions.
-
+19 +1
Ford partners with 3M, GE to make respirators, ventilators and face shields
Ford Motor Co. is teaming with major medical equipment manufacturers, including the 3M Co. and GE Healthcare, to boost their production and to make face shields and 3-D print respirators.
Submit a link
Start a discussion