US carmaker General Motors is joining with scooter maker Segway to make a new type of two-seat electric vehicle. The prototype, which will be debuted in New York, is aimed at urban driving. GM aims to start making them by 2012.

The vehicle, named Puma, has a top speed of 35mph and can go as far as 35 miles on a single charge. It will use lithium-ion batteries. [BBC News]

GM, having been bailed out by the US government, is looking to smaller vehicles to secure its future.

Puma stands for personal urban mobility and accessibility.   Read More...

Foremost Farms USA is selling two bottling plants and the Golden Guernsey and Morning Glory brands to Dean Foods. The Ashwaubenon and Waukesha plants will continue to operate with the current management and work force. The Ashwaubenon plant employs 136 people; the Waukesha location has 146 employees.

Foremost Farms President Dave Fuhrmann says with consolidation in the food business these days, “The plants have a better chance for success as part of Dean Foods.” The sale means Foremost will concentrate on its cheese, butter and dairy ingredients business. With $1.6 billion in revenue last year, Foremost is one of the nation's 10 largest dairy cooperatives with ten cheese plants, six dairy-ingredient plants, a butter plant, and two farm-milk transfer stations. It has 2,350 dairy farmer members in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio.

Dean Foods is the largest dairy product manufacturer in the United States with more than 100 facilities in 35 states. Dean products are sold under more than 50 brand names and a number of private labels. The company says it bought the Foremost bottling plants to increase its presence in Wisconsin. [Brownfield Network]   Read More...

Residential wind turbine maker Southwest Windpower said on Monday it has raised $10 million from existing investors and General Electric to expand its operations.

With the money, the Flagstaff, Ariz.-based company said it intends to grow its European operations and invest in product development.

Southwest Windpower makes the Skystream tower-mounted wind turbine designed for individual homes or buildings. It was originally developed at the National Renewable Energy Laboratories. [CNET News]   Read More...

Japanese sensors and controls maker Omron says it's working with IBM to develop 'smart' solutions that lower energy consumption, reduce carbon dioxide emissions and increase efficiency in transportation.

The solutions, they say, will help clients decide which types of shipping and transportation to use, and optimal travel routes for packages, parts, supplies and finished goods across supply chains.

The objective is to combine their respective technologies – Omron's sensor capabilities and experience in traffic control, vehicle weight measurement, and distance and loading ratios, and IBM's simulation software and Virtual Routing Planner and Modal-Shift Transportation Planner systems.

The pair comment that they intend to provide their new solutions initially for Japanese clients, primarily in the manufacturing and transportation industries. However, their solutions "could later be expanded for additional countries and industries," they say.

[Manufacturing Computer Solutions]   Read More...

Managed hosting provider Cervalis LLC has leased space in northern New Jersey to expand its growing disaster recovery business. The company recently signed a long-term lease with Russo Development for a 148,191building in Totowa, N.J., which will house more than 50,000 square feet of data center space for Cervalis clients.   Read More...

FRANKFURT (AP) -- German industrial conglomerate Siemens AG said Friday it has opened a new plant near Istanbul to produce electric power transmission and distribution products.

The Munich-based company called the new euro100 million ($135 million) plant one of the most advanced in the world, and said it paves the way for more expansion in Turkey and the region. Siemens will move some of its current Turkish operations to the new location over the next three years.

The new factory, which has been nominated for Turkey's first green building certification, uses 25 percent less energy and 50 percent less water than some of Siemens' other Turkish facilities, the company said.

Shares of Siemens rose 5.3 percent to close at euro47.34 in Frankfurt trading. [Manufacturing.net]   Read More...

MCKINNEY, Texas (AP) -- Raytheon Co. said Monday it received two contracts valued at $163.5 million for surveillance equipment for armored Bradley fighting vehicles.

The contracts call for 822 viewer units and spares to equip the U.S. Army Bradley A3.

The viewer is a second-generation infrared vision system for the Bradley fighting vehicle. It provides a 360-degree battlefield view and early threat detection from longer ranges.

Kass Flockerzy, Raytheon program manager for the viewer, said Raytheon's equipment provides surveillance that gives the Bradley fighting vehicle "improved hunter and killer capabilities."

The work under these two awards will be managed by Network Centric Systems in McKinney, Texas.

Raytheon is based in Waltham, Mass.

Shares rose 48 cents to $38.95 in afternoon trading. [Manufacturing.net]   Read More...

Compass Minerals International Inc. bought the salt business of Cutler-Magner Co. for $3.6 million.

In a release Monday, Overland Park-based Compass (NYSE: CMP) said the transaction included its purchase of the salt processing and packaging assets and customer list of Cutler-Magner, based in Duluth, Minn., and leasing its operating site, which includes a highway deicing depot. Cutler-Magner had 2008 sales of about $15 million. [Kansas City Business Journal]   Read More...

International Paper will close its box plant in Fairfax, eliminating 100 jobs.

The company, which operates two other area plants, said the shutdown will be completed by early June.

International Paper acquired the plant from Weyerhaeuser Co.’s packing division last year. That created a need to consolidate, the company said. [Kansas City Star]   Read More...

Advanced battery supplier A123 Systems Inc. was tapped to develop and supply battery systems for Chrysler L.L.C.’s first-generation ENVI electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

A123 Systems, based near Boston, Mass., plans to supply Chrysler with Nanophosphate Lithium ion battery cells, modules and battery packs from a plant in Southeast Michigan, which is still in the planning stages, according to a Chrysler statement. [Crain's Detroit Business]   Read More...

LANSING (AP) — Michigan is expanding its tax incentive program for companies developing and making advanced batteries used in hybrid and electric vehicles.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed a bill into law Monday adding $220 million to the program. Granholm earlier this year signed legislation starting the initiative with refundable tax credits worth up to $335 million.

Lawmakers are hoping the incentives will help put Michigan in the forefront of battery production for the next generation of electric vehicles. Granholm says Michigan's initiative is more aggressive than any other state's plan.

The tax credits could be crucial for programs similar to the production of the lithium-ion battery, which General Motors Corp. expects to power the Chevrolet Volt. [Crain's Detroit Business]   Read More...

SALT LAKE CITY - April 2, 2009: Green Star Products, Inc. (OTC:GSPI), along with its global auto industry partners, announced today their strategic plans to build and assemble electric vehicles in the United States.

In 1994, Michael O. Leavitt, Governor of Utah 1993-2003 (also former U.S. EPA Administrator 2003-2005 and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services 2005-2009), declared a Zero Emissions Day in Utah and presented Joseph LaStella with an honorary plaque for his company's contribution to electric vehicles. That same day, Governor Leavitt requested to personally test drive Mr. LaStella's high-performance production electric vehicle around Salt Lake City with Mr. LaStella as a passenger and the Governor's limousine following the car. At the same time, four other GSPI electric vehicles chauffeured Capitol Hill assembly members around town. [The Auto Channel]   Read More...

Iowa Governor Chet Culver this week joined NextEra Energy Resources LLC to break ground on NextEra Energy Resources' Generation Repair and Service (GRS) facility. The GRS facility will be used to overhaul and repair wind turbine electric generation equipment operated by subsidiaries of NextEra Energy Resources. It will also be used to warehouse and store parts and supplies to support renewable and other energy-related operations throughout the Midwest. [Renewable Energy World]   Read More...

Even as it faces a massive corporate restructuring, General Motors this summer will begin testing prototypes of the electric Chevrolet Volt, a car that could be pivotal to its future.

GM on Thursday hosted a teleconference to discuss its community outreach efforts and work with electric utilities to establish an industry "ecosystem" to make electric vehicles attractive to buyers.

The Volt is scheduled for mass production starting in November 2010 in the U.S. and introduction in mid-2011 in Canada. About 80 prototypes will be built for fleet testing this summer, said vehicle line director for the Chevy VoltTony Posawatz, who revealed a few more details about the highly anticipated sedan. [CNET News]   Read More...

PORTLAND, Ore. — Viruses can be used to assemble tiny batteries that can then be printed on plastic films, Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers claim.

The MIT investigators reported details on Thursday (April 2) that of genetically-engineered viruses that were used to self-assemble nanoscale lithium-ion battery materials. The resulting batteries were then printed onto plastic films using green processes.

MIT researchers claimed to have perfected the last major component of its flexible battery film, demonstrating performance comparable to existing lithium-ion batteries that run everything from laptop computers to hybrid automobiles. The team is currently optimizing its materials to boost performance beyond existing lithium-ion batteries. Eventually, they plan to commercialize the printable battery films.

 "Viruses offer a new way of wiring batteries," said team leader Angela Belcher, a MIT materials scientist. "Now we have the anode material, the cathode material and the micro-contact printing method." Next, they must "stamp out whole batteries, optimize their performance and scale up the technique for commercialization." [EETimes]   Read More...

WILMINGTON, N.C., Apr 03, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Provides innovative screening capability for dermatologic compounds. PPD, Inc. today announced it has acquired Magen BioSciences, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on dermatologic therapies based in Waltham, Mass. The acquisition expands PPD's compound partnering program into dermatology, initially in the indications of psoriasis, atopic dermatitis and acne.

With the acquisition, PPD gains a pipeline of compounds through Magen's exclusive license to develop and commercialize preclinical compounds discovered by Eli Lilly & Co. for dermatologic therapeutics. The acquisition also provides PPD state-of-the-art research and development capability to screen dermatologic compounds to determine efficacy and safety.

[BioSpace]   Read More...

TOKYO (AP) -- Mitsubishi Motors Corp. says it will increase production of its planned electric vehicle after orders for its first 2,000 cars were quickly filled.

Japan's No. 4 automaker says it aims to roll out the "i MiEV" zero-emissions car for leasing in Japan by July.

The i MiEV can be recharged from a regular home socket.

The first year's planned production of 2,000 units has already sold out with Japanese corporate leasers, including utility Tokyo Electric Power Co. and convenience store chain Lawson. [Manufacturing.net]   Read More...

A drug from Novartis has won U.S. approval as a treatment for patients with kidney cancer that returns after treatment with older drugs.

The Food and Drug Administration approved the pill Monday to treat renal cell cancer, the most common form of kidney cancer.

One of the patients who experienced a successful treatment with the drug during its clinical trial was treated at Missouri Cancer Associates in Columbia. [Columbia Daily Tribune]   Read More...

BEIJING -- SAIC Motor Corp., one of China's biggest state-owned auto makers, is turning to American technology suppliers to engineer a gasoline-electric hybrid car that could go on sale in China as soon as next year.

SAIC is planning to use technology from A123 Systems, a closely held battery maker based in Watertown, Mass., and auto-parts maker Delphi Corp., based in Troy, Mich., according to a Delphi statement and people familiar with the matter. [Wall Street Journal]   Read More...

MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. laid off 200 employees last week at its manufacturing plants in St. Peters, Mo., and Sherman, Texas.

“The action was taken to better align the company’s workforce to current manufacturing needs as demand for semiconductors and semiconductor wafers has been significantly impacted by the current global economic environment,” the company said in a regulatory filing Thursday.

MEMC said it expects to incur $2.5 million in charges related to these layoffs for one-time discretionary severance and plans to pay this amount in the second quarter.

These layoffs follow job cuts of about 100 manufacturing employees at the company’s Japanese subsidiary, MEMC Japan Ltd., in February of 2009. [St. Louis Business Journal]   Read More...