Originally published in FiercePharma Manufacturing on May 03, 2010 by George Miller
The FDA discovery in mid-April of high API concentrations, substandard inactive ingredients and particle contamination in Children's Tylenol and other products has led to the shutdown of J&J's McNeil Consumer Healthcare manufacturing facility in Fort Washington, PA. The shutdown and related product recall marks a continuing slide by Johnson & Johnson to GMP-violation depths formerly reserved for offshore generics makers...
Originally published in The Canberra Times on Apr 19, 2010 by Chris Johnson
Australia is moving towards another skills shortage with some of the country's major infrastructure projects already being affected, according to findings in the Clarius Skills Index issued today. Demand exceeded supply in a number of employment categories during the March quarter, with metalworkers the most sought after...
Originally published in BusinessWeek on Apr 14, 2010 by Connie Guglielmo and Katie Hoffmann
Apple Inc. delayed by a month the international debut of its iPad tablet computer after shipping more than 500,000 of the devices in a week and underestimating how quickly they would sell in the U.S. Less than a week after Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs said the company was building iPads “as fast as we can,” Apple said in a statement that demand is “far higher” than it predicted. Apple...
Originally published in Purchasing.com on Apr 08, 2010 by James Carbone
While supplier audits are not new, many companies have conducted more of them in recent years as they sourced more from suppliers in low-cost regions and because of last year's economic downturn, which challenged the financial solvency...
Originally published in IndustryWeek on Apr 07, 2010 by Tom Comstock
This year will be an important year for the electric vehicle industry as car makers look to develop and launch viable battery-powered transportation solutions. While hybrid gas/electric vehicles have been around for some time, the availability of fully electric passenger vehicles is now just becoming viable for the commercial vehicle market. Many expect rapid growth of this market segment as the green movement continues to accelerate. Management consulting firm McKinsey & Co. came out with new research in January...
Originally published in Global SMT & Packaging Magazine on Mar 23, 2010 by Jade Kellard
A good many companies now use the current economic situation for both cost reductions on the shop floor and for improvements of manufactured product quality. For example, Siplace™ equipment will be increasingly employed for the automated placement of relays and connectors in bigger sizes. These components, delivered in stick magazines, have to be supplied into the placement machines through special feeder mechanisms...
Originally published in TopNews United States on Mar 17, 2010 by Ryan Bilanich
It seems the ghost of recalls has started haunting the car giant Honda all over again. According to latest reports, the company said that it will have to recall approximately 410,000 small trucks and minivans belonging to the Element and Odyssey series. It appears that the break system in the vehicles can make stopping a problem for the drivers...
Originally published in BusinessWeek on Mar 15, 2010 by Bob Willis
Blizzards on the East Coast and harsh weather in other parts of the U.S. probably slowed factory production in February, marking a temporary setback in the recovery, economists said before reports today. Manufacturers this month will probably make up for the disruptions as companies strive to stabilize inventories and exports climb, even as the outlook for homebuilders remains dim as foreclosures mount. Analysts anticipate Federal Reserve policy makers meeting tomorrow will reiterate a pledge to keep interest rates low to keep the economy growing...
Originally published in Xinhua on Mar 12, 2010 by Liu Jie
China's central bank said Friday a stronger yuan offers no help for solving the Sino-U.S. trade imbalance problem, and China opposes politicizing yuan's appreciation. Su Ning, vice governor of the People's Bank of China, made the comments a day after U.S. President Barack Obama told the U.S. Export-Import Bank's annual conference that a more market-oriented exchange rate of yuan...
Originally published in Houston Chronicle on Mar 11, 2010 by Vikas Mittal and Utpal Dholakia
Toyota's recall of more than 6 million vehicles is a hot topic of discussion in business circles these days. The recalls are for defects that have been associated with 52 fatalities so far. By and large, industry and business experts have lambasted Toyota's managers, criticized the National Transportation Safety Board and made dark prognostications about...
