Alliant Techsystems (ATK), a Fortune 500 aerospace company based Arlington, Va., announced it will reorganize its business into three groups—aerospace, defense and sporting—starting in 2013. Along with this reorganization, the company says it will need to cut 200 jobs. This is the second company reorganization since longtime CEO Dan Murphy stepped down two years...
Chemical supplier BASF and automotive manufacturer Faurencia recently designed a composite car seat that integrates into the seat frame—reducing foam, metal and weight from traditional car seat designs. The composite frame, called the Performance Seat, was recently on display at the North American Auto Show in Detroit and received an overwhelmingly positive response.
For over 100 years, U.S. manufacturing has remained a global leader in manufacturing despite the advances of cheaper Chinese companies and others around the world. In order to remain competitive and advance the manufacturing industry, economists suggest that the companies should move away from traditional assembly lines and toward “smart manufacturing.”
Seeing is believing, and the show floor at COMPOSITES 2012 will include live demonstrations to help attendees grow their businesses. One will be the Lean Mean Closed Mold Machine, where composites professionals will “learn the secrets of closed molding,” says Marcy Offner, marketing manager at Composites One, a leading distributor of composite materials, and chair...
The composites industry is going through exciting changes. It continues to triumph through economic and regulatory hardship while pushing forward into new areas. From adoption in aviation, innovation in automotive and increased utilization throughout industry segments such as renewable energy and infrastructure, it never ceases to innovate, develop new technologies, products and processes.
As we start the New Year I think, “What a great time to be in the composite industry!” There will be many new composite products developed around energy efficiency and more opportunities for expansion. For example, UPS trucks, U.S. streetcars, wind turbines and more. The growing demand for light weight, high strength-to-weight ratio and...
Robert R. Lacovara, CCM, CCT-I, has been in the composites industry for more than 30 years, and he thinks composites manufacturing is at a crossroads. Traditional methods and thinking may facilitate the status quo, he says, but “real transformation is necessary to meet the challenges of our time.”
Wind energy giant Gamesa Technology Corp., Inc., announced it is joining forces with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to study and test a variety of wind energy components and systems and guide the development of future wind turbines designed specifically for the U.S. marketplace.
Although completed in August 2011, The Makkah Royal Hotel Clock Tower, also known as Abraj Al-Bait Towers, jumped in searches last week as it continues to set a number of world records. It is now one of the world’s tallest hotels, is the tallest clock tower and contains the world’s largest clock face. Inaugurated...
Composites by their nature are modifiable and adaptable, so do they have a place at Caterpillar Inc., a company renowned for its heavy-duty equipment? Not only do composites have a place, says COMPOSITES 2012 speaker John Unser, they are integral to Caterpillar’s materials plan. “The goal of our group at Caterpillar is to double...
Loading ...