The high-speed rail program spearheaded by President Obama was intended to improve access to and service by passenger trains to commuters in the Pacific Northwest, specifically in the state of Washington between Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia. However, the same railways used for Amtrak’s commuter trains are shared by freight trains, owned by BNSF Railway,…
Honda is preparing to open their first new auto manufacturing facility in 23 years. The plant is located just north of Tokyo in the rolling green hills of Yorii. It is one of the most technologically advanced auto manufacturing facilities in the world, making use of new automation technologies that can be used as a…
The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) announced their quarterly index for manufacturing growth this quarter through November was up to 57.3 percent, which is a significant improvement over the 56.4 percent reading announced in October. Any percentage over 50 is considered a sign of market growth. This is the highest growth seen in two and…
Ousted JC Penny CEO Ron Johnson was let go in April following poor sales, profit losses, and a lack of cash on hand for the company. JC Penny hired Johnson in November 2011 after his successes running Apple retail stores, but his tenure was short lived as his practices failed to bring success to JC…
The manufacturer’s organization of the UK, EEF, is revising projections for the 2013 production year to indicate stronger than expected growth, and is further gearing up their supply chain infrastructures in anticipation of an even stronger year in 2014. While the overall economy of the UK is expected to grow by 2.4 percent, manufacturing output…
Prices remain low among ocean container shippers, particularly concerning rates for shipping between Europe and Asia. However, the European Commission is pursuing investigations on about 14 different shippers because the EC has reason to believe that the companies were engaging in activities which violated antitrust laws. According to the laws, companies do not actually have…
The Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration recently pushed through changes to truckers’ hours of service regulations, and, at the time, many truckers and the American Trucking Association said that the FMCSA did not use sound research or good judgment when drawing out the rules. Now that the plan is in place, and truckers are losing 2-10…
Chief of Freight for FedEx, Bill Logue, recently spoke to the National Industrial Transportation League in Huston, Texas, and made frightening predictions for the future of the world’s transportation infrastructure systems. According to Logue, the problems are across the board, including issues with roadways and bridges, airports, and seaports. The Federal Highway Administration predicts that…
As reported earlier, a non-union Nissan plant in Mississippi is under pressure from the United Auto Workers union (UAW) is orchestrating picketers at Nissan dealerships in Brazil, just as the country, travel agencies, and authorities are trying to stage a positive environment for the upcoming Olympic games. Now, another automotive factory, the Volkswagen facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee…
As Abu Dhabi leaders deal with their most pressing problem — the dwindling of their staple economic booster, oil — they are delving into new industries to keep the capital city afloat after the oil is gone. Among their plans are attracting tourists and building up their manufacturing sector.