NASHVILLE, TN—Schneider Electric recently announced the company is expanding its manufacturing presence in Middle Tennessee. Schneider Electric will create 355 new jobs in Mt. Juliet as the company locates a new facility on Maddox Road in Wilson County. Additionally, Schneider Electric plans to expand in Smyrna with 100 new jobs at its Rutherford County location. Together, both projects represent a total investment of approximately $85 million.
Wichita State University is leading a new a three-year project to assist NASA’s manufacturing paradigm shift from “factories on earth” to “factories in space.”
AUBURN HILLS, MI—The expansion reflects the company’s focus on the US market and commitment to continued investment in Michigan. The expansion will create 72 highly skilled new jobs in the area and is supported by a $450,000 Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant.
DENVER, CO—TractEasy has been chosen to supply its “EZTow” autonomous tow-tractor to John Deere globally. TractEasy was awarded the contract after initial proof of concept last year where an EZTow moved combine harvester cabs from staging to the assembly line at John Deere Harvester Works (East Moline, Illinois) on an exterior route.
CHARLOTTE, NC—Electrolux Group has developed a vacuum cleaner made of up to 44% recycled material. The Electrolux brand Ultimate700's paint-free surface removes the use of chemicals in the manufacturing process; the colors are created with new recycled plastic formulations that range from 36% to 44% recycled material by weight, depending on color and nozzles. The calculation considers the vacuum itself, complete with nozzle accessories – but minus the charging stand, battery, adapter, and filters.
DAYTON, OH—Joby Aviation, Inc., a company developing electric air taxis for commercial passenger service, recently announced it has acquired an existing facility at Dayton International Airport and begun hiring in support of the Company’s initial manufacturing operations.
MCMINN COUNTY, TN—Tennessee Lithium is a lithium hydroxide facility currently in the funding stage in McMinn County, Tennessee. According to its website, in full operation, the facility is expected to produce 30,000 metric tons of lithium hydroxide per year.
FREMONT, CA—On March 5, Anyware Robotics announced an add-on for its Pixmo robot for truck and container unloading. The add-on includes a vertical lift with a conveyor belt that is attached to Pixmo between the robot and the boxes. The integrated Pixmo software processes the heights of the boxes in the container and then controls the conveyor of the add-on to move up and down to these positions to “meet” the robot arm as it unloads. The add-on enhances unloading efficiency, weight capability, and reliability.