NC Innovation, From Barcodes to Berries

by Frank Vinluan

If you’ve made a retail purchase recently, chances are good you used technology developed in Research Triangle Park without even realizing it.

The modern day barcode has its origins in the 1970s research of IBM scientists Joseph Woodland and George Laurer. Their work in IBM’s RTP labs was accompanied by the scanning technology to read Universal Product Codes. This technology was so transformative for retail that it found widespread adoption. These days, no one even gives the technology that facilitates their shopping transactions a second thought.

Silicon Valley and Boston always top the lists and rankings of technology and life sciences hubs. Like barcodes, Research Triangle Park often remains a distant thought. But there’s a lot happening in North Carolina that the rest of the country doesn’t know about. There’s more happening here than drug research and new cloud-based software. And it’s not just in the Park.

When I first started covering technology and biotechnology in North Carolina, an N.C. State University professor I met during a startup event reminded me that as big an imprint technology and biotechnology have made on North Carolina’s economy, agriculture remains the state’s biggest business. Tobacco still reigns as the state’s top cash crop. North Carolina is also the nation’s leading producer of sweet potatoes. Yet these old standby crops are ripe for innovation. Vaccine developer Medicago operates a manufacturing plant in RTP that can manufacture vaccines from tobacco leaves, a process that is faster and less expensive compared to traditional vaccine production methods. Researchers at N.C. State are studying how to use industrial sweet potatoes—full of starch and not the kind that you’d serve at Thanksgiving dinner—as a biofuel feedstock.

North Carolina is the U.S. home to several global agricultural technology companies. Bayer CropScience, BASF Plant Science, and Syngenta all maintain key operations around the Park and across the state. Bayer CropScience has made a concerted effort to expand in this region; the company recently committed to spend nearly $30 million to build a new state-of-the-art greenhouse at its RTP site. This expansion follows construction on bee research centers in RTP as well as another site south of Raleigh.

North Carolina’s technology innovation is not limited to the Research Triangle. The North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis, once a busy textiles town north of Charlotte, is an example of North Carolina’s transition from the old economy to a new one. What was once the birthplace of new towels and bedding is now the site of research on a broad sample of North Carolina crops.

The Research Campus is the realized vision of David Murdock, chairman and CEO of Dole Foods. Dole is a California company but Murdock calls North Carolina home. Murdock, 91, is a firm believer that nutrition holds the key to his own longevity and health. He founded the campus in 2008, aiming to make it a center of food research by emulating the public-private partnership model that made RTP a hub of biotech and tech innovation. The campus currently houses industry operations from Dole and General Mills, as well as labs for university research partners from several North Carolina universities. At some pharma companies, genetic scientists study the human genome to find the causes of diseases and to develop targeted therapies to treat them. At the Research Campus, plant scientists study the blueberry genome to find specific compounds in the berry that have an effect on health and disease.

In Winston-Salem, Anthony Atala directs the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Atala envisions a day when organs can be grown in labs to alleviate the shortage of donor organs. He developed a way to grow tissue in the lab from a patient’s own cells. This technology spun out of the Institute as regenerative medicine firm Tengion. The company has since translated the technology from Atala, a urologist, into a way to help bladder cancer patients who have had their bladder removed. If the technology succeeds in clinical trials, these patients would have a better way to urinate. The company is also pursuing a second clinical program to treat patients whose advanced chronic kidney disease requires dialysis or worse, a transplant.

I have covered business, technology, and life sciences in North Carolina for seven years—long enough to see software entrepreneurs grow their startups into mature companies, but still short of the average time needed to take a new drug from discovery through regulatory approval. When I talk to people in different parts of the country, the first thing they ask about North Carolina is basketball. The second is barbeque. Few ask about biotechnology. No one says anything about barcodes. That’s too bad. While I’m sure that IBMers are quite proud to have changed the consumer shopping experience, and it’s a great North Carolina innovation story, a lot has happened here since the barcode. I look forward to telling Xconomy readers all about it.

Frank Vinluan is a contributing editor at Xconomy, based in Research Triangle Park. You can reach him at fvinluan@xconomy.com

FBI Issues Warning For Unapproved AC Coolant

ATLANTA (AP) -- As the U.S. tries to phase out a polluting refrigerant that is used in millions of air conditioners across the country, unapproved coolant is popping up on the market — with potentially dangerous consequences.

The FBI is warning people to be on alert for refrigerant substitutes that have not been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. Some contain propane, which is flammable and can explode or catch fire if, for example, a technician servicing an air conditioner gets too close to the coolant while soldering. So far, the explosions have been rare.

The problem has cropped up as the U.S. phases out R-22, a chemical used for decades as a refrigerant in air conditioners and refrigerators. Because R-22 destroys the ozone layer, it is being banned globally under an international treaty. The EPA is guiding the switch over to ozone-friendlier refrigerants, and has listed approved ones on its website.

The phaseout caused prices of R-22 to skyrocket, increasing the demand for cheaper, unapproved replacements, many of which are made in China and sold on the black market. Products like "Super Freeze 22a" have been selling mostly online or over the telephone to home owners and "do-it-yourselfers," circumventing stores and regulators, the FBI said on its website. The FBI has launched an investigation into the sale of unapproved refrigerants but declined to answer questions from The Associated Press.

It is unclear how many people may have fallen victim to a refrigerant scam. Reports of fires or explosions seem rare. The EPA, without citing specific examples, said it knows of cases in the U.S. and abroad where people have been injured after using unapproved refrigerants in air conditioners. Additionally, the agency took action against at least one U.S. company in 2013 for selling an unapproved refrigerant that had the potential to explode.

There have been scattered reports of deaths overseas. A New Zealand firefighter was killed and seven others were seriously injured in a 2008 explosion blamed on a propane-based gas being used to cool a refrigeration warehouse, according to local media reports at the time. More recently, dock workers in Vietnam and Brazil were killed after giant shipping containers exploded when suspected counterfeit refrigerant was placed in their cooling units, according to shipping reports obtained by the U.N. Environment Programme.

The Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute, an Arlington, Virginia-based trade association, has yet to hear about an accident occurring domestically, said Karim Amrane, vice president of regulatory policy and research with the group.

Allison Bailes, founder of Energy Vanguard, an energy efficiency consulting and design firm in Decatur, Georgia, said consumers should choose only contractors who are licensed, preferably those who have North American Technical Excellence certification.
"Tell them you want the type of refrigerant — if it needs refrigerant — that it is manufactured for. If it's supposed to be R-22, then put R-22 in it," Bailes said. Companies that skirt the law are "creating the potential for greater cost to their customers and causing injury or death to techs who work on those systems later."

Environmental Protection Agency:
http://www.epa.gov/ozone/snap/r22a.html
http://www.epa.gov/ozone/enforce/blackmkt.html#cases
http://www.epa.gov/ozone/snap/refrigerants/lists/homeac.html

Got Unconventional Repairs? Save Time With TEAMSESCO’s ‘Non-Standard’ Repair Service

Our customers often contact TEAMSESCO looking for assistance repairing “odd ball” electronics or an item that must be sent oversees or to the OEM for a reliable repair. These customers are often forced to accept excessive lead times. In most cases we can partner with the customer and develop a reliable test procedure that will allow our technicians the ability to fully repair and test these units. This is accomplished through an on-site visit from a TEAMSESCO engineer, customers giving or loaning us old or scrapped equipment and all the documentation that is available. This is a service that is truly a partnership between the customer and TEAMSESCO and can only be accomplished when both parties view the project in that manner.

For additional information about our non-standard or unconventional electronic repairs, visit our website at www.teamsesco.com and look under electronic repair.

'If You Can Think It, We Can Make It': A Look Inside Brooklyn's New Lab

Apple buys 100 acres of land for third North Carolina solar farm

Apple on Monday reached a deal with the city council of Claremont, N.C. to annex 100 acres of land for a new 17.5 megawatt solar farm, the construction of which is expected to cost some $55 million. 

As approved by the Claremont City Council, Apple's latest solar farm project will bring 100 acres of land into the city's corporate limits and should generate about 75 jobs, which the company agreed to source locally, reports the Hickory Daily Record.

As it stands, the land is currently valued at $1.4 million, but Apple will be giving two parcels back to the city for use as greenways, recreation space and other public works projects. According to the publication, the tracts are worth a combined $96,000.

After Apple draws the requisite permits, takes control of the land and fulfills other development related minutiae, construction of the farm is expected to be completed in five years.

The Claremont solar farm will be Apple's third such facility in the area surrounding its Maiden, N.C. iCloud data center, which itself boasts a 100-acre solar installation putting out 20 megawatts of power. In September of 2012, the company purchased another 200 acres of land a few miles away in Conover, to be used for a second 20-megawatt farm.

As noted by Apple VP of Environmental Initiatives Lisa Jackson, the company's data centers are run off 100 percent renewable sources like solar and biogas, as are 94 percent of its corporate structures. The next step, according to Jackson, is to take brick-and-mortar Apple Stores completely off the grid.

Presenting the "Elf", a lean, green driving machine

PLC Programming Schematics Inputs

Goal-line technology to debut in World Cup

Harley-Davidson Project LiveWire

Manufacturing - The Next Industrial Revolution

How to build a $2 million tractor

Introducing the New Matter MOD-t 3D Printer

How to build a roller coaster

Aerofex's Aero-X Hoverbike

InSinkErator President on U.S. manufacturing benefits

InSinkErator President on U.S. manufacturing benefits

Spread Your Social Wing

So you have a social media campaign–perfect! It’s something all business owners should have. Now, when was the last time you updated it? Your campaign should be refreshed yearly, at the very least, and you should stay engaged with your sites throughout the year. Social media is not static–it needs to be massaged, manipulated and turned into new, varied and amazing things.

Here are some things to consider as you breathe new life into your online presence. First, don’t put all of your social eggs in one basket. There are a lot of places to engage socially, so mix it up. Most business owners are used to Facebook, but it might be time to move beyond your comfort zone. And be on the lookout, Facebook changes their algorithm and rules from time to time, so make sure you’re up to date with the latest to see how it will impact your business page.

The other major players in the social game are, of course, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and Google+. And if you don’t think much is happening on Google+, think again. Staying active on Google+ can improve your SEO, and your ranking if you invest in Google’s Authorship by adding good content. Content and social media work hand-in-hand. The best way to get your content shared is to implement a strong campaign on social. So, grab a thesaurus, a comfy seat, and get writing! Once you’ve got a bounty of content, connect it to your Google+ account. Next thing you know you might just become the leading expert in whatever it is you’re telling the world about, and you’ll be Google-famous for being a thought-leader in your area.

If writing’s not your thing, you can also sing, scream, preach or just eloquently share with the world all about you and your business with a YouTube channel. Customers tend to be more engaged on YouTube than they do on other platforms–they get billions and billions of views monthly. Roughly 35 million of those are people looking for “how to” videos. If you know how to do something–and clearly you do–share it. And while no one is expecting a Scorsese production, use a tripod, make sure your audio is crisp, and that you’re easy to understand–no jargon, keep it simple.

Whatever your social plan is, remember to diversify where you’re posting–customers are everywhere so it’s good to stretch your boundaries. Use strong imagery–it’s more likely to get noticed and shared/pinned. And most of all, stick with it. Don’t post once and never return; the more engaged you are on social media platforms, the better the ROI.

By Manta Media Inc.

Protect your patent

Patent trolls are those non-practicing entities, or NPEs, that lurk under bridges and buy up other peoples' ideas to make millions off of someone else's big idea. Well, looks like the trolls may have harassed the last bunch of goats - right now there's a bill to make buying up patents for the mere purpose of extracting licensing fees illegal. It's been passed by the House, and now it's time for the Senate to vote. If you want to protect your businesses, your part of the pie, or if you just hate patent trolls, consider reaching out to the government to have your voice heard. Manta Media Inc.

3D printer company enjoys sweet taste of success

TEAMSESCO's Wind Power Turbine Repairs

Luxe furniture made from old bowling lanes

Unexplained News| Wireless electricity? It's here!

How to Revamp Your Small Business Website

Have you ever visited a website and were absolutely bored out of your mind?

Unfortunately, way too many small business websites are just monotonous sales brochures droning on and on about the accomplishments of the business.

Always remember that your website needs to be about your customer, not about you. Your customer doesn’t care that you received a degree from “Awesome University.” All they care about is finding a solution to their problem.

Boring, static websites are much more common than websites that work. In fact, I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that most small business owners need to do a complete overhaul of their website in order to bring it from “blah” to “ta-dah.”

The good news is that there are simple and immediate solutions that you can implement in order to keep prospects on your website and convert them to paying customers.

Here is a list of five simple and proven ways to transform your website:

1. Create a clear purpose.

When a visitor comes to your website, your purpose needs to be crystal clear. Do you want the prospect to enter their name and email into a website opt-in form? Are you trying to sell a product or service? Are you interested in educating the prospect over time? Your website should be designed to efficiently guide visitors to the information that they are seeking. It must have a clear and direct purpose.

In the overcrowded world of the Internet, you only have three seconds to capture the attention of your prospect. If your visitor is confused (even a little), they are going to leave your website in order to find a more obvious solution.

2. Highlight your benefits.

A prospect visits your site in order to solve a problem or improve their lives. It’s your job to convince them that your product or service will accomplish this. You can succeed in doing this by highlighting the benefits that your prospect will receive if they purchase your product or service.

Will your product make your prospect happier? Will it save them time? Will they be healthier or wealthier? It’s imperative that you convey to your prospect that if they purchase from you, they will receive an obvious and important benefit.

3. Keep it simple.

Time is a precious commodity in today’s world. More than ever before, your visitors are looking for a solution to their problems in a quick and timely manner. They don’t have hours to browse through your website looking for the answer.

Keep your web copy concise and to the point. You should use short paragraphs, bulleted lists and bolded and underlined text to highlight items of importance.

4. Give your visitors reasons to trust you.

As soon as a visitor comes to your site, it’s crucial that they feel that they can connect and trust you. There are a number of ways to increase the trust factor. Make sure that your contact information is prominent and easy to find.

Your website should be free from grammatical and spelling errors. Your site should have the look and feel of a well-established and successful company.

Research suggests that trust must be established for a prospect to either give you their information or make a purchase.

5. Offer something irresistible.

No matter how spectacular your website may be, we know that visitors rarely make a purchase on their first visit. In fact, it can take up to twenty-seven exposures to your brand before they’re ready to buy.

That’s why it’s essential that you capture your visitor’s name and email address so that you can continue to communicate with them.

However, you can’t just throw up a form on your website expecting your visitors to hand over their personal information.

You need to offer your visitors something irresistible in exchange for their name and email address. Ideally, it should be something they would gladly pay money to obtain. It might be an entertaining special report, educational ebook or engaging quiz. (Let’s face it, a long-winded whitepaper or subscription to your newsletter isn’t too irresistible.)

By giving away a sexy and irresistible “freebie” to your first-time visitors, you’re able to market to them over time.

There are numerous ways to keep prospects engaged in your website and convert them to happy clients and customers. If you revamp your website with a clear and specific purpose, keep things simple, create a sense of trust and offer something irresistible, you’ll soon find yourself with an abundance of new sales, clients and happy customers.

By Jessica Swanson 

Article Source: http://www.shoestringmarketinguniversity.com/revamping-your-small-business-website/

Biting into a 3D printed Oreo

Laurie Segall visits the SXSW festival and takes a bite out of Oreo's latest project, a 3D printed cookie.

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3D Printing Your Next Dining Room Table

Wired says it takes about $150 in plastic and five days to print a full-sized end table, as seen in the video below, so there’s still a lot of work that could be done in terms of cost and speed.

TEAMSESCO Wind Industry Services

TEAMSESCO provides efficient, cost-effective repairs of all major brands of wind turbine equipment, including GE, Vestas, ABB, Siemens, Allen Bradley, Mitsubishi, Converteam, Gamesa, Nordex, Clipper, REpower, Alstom, Balluff, Second Wind, Kenetech and more! Our engineering experience and highly trained staff enable us to provide OEM-quality service and non-OEM prices — all in as little as 24 hours!

Next-gen artificial limbs help amputees grab onto a better life

Even when Adrian Albrich sits still, you can hear the motors in his hand whirring. Bzzzt. Vrrrt. Zyyt. Little more than a month after doctors outfitted him with a new prosthetic left hand, Albrich still fidgets with it, clenching and unclenching, alternating grips, acclimating to the way it feels and reacts.

Introducing the WAVE concept truck

Why BMW is building a bobsled

Get acquainted with your fans

Get acquainted with your fans: You can have more fans on Facebook than Jaws had teeth, but it's not going to do any good unless you engage them. Get to know your most active users. Give them Facebook-only promos, showcase the one furthest away, chose a fan of the month - whatever you can think of. Go on and sink your teeth into it - be hands on with your social media.

Stretch without ever leaving your chair!

Glute Stretch from Performance Based Ergonomics on Vimeo.

Happy Birthday Macintosh!

Apple 1984 Super Bowl Commercial Introducing Macintosh Computer.

Tiny Cars Flunk Crash Test

Eleven of the smallest cars sold in America performed very badly in crash tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Only the Chevrolet Spark received a score of 'acceptable.'

Upset customer? Stay calm

Dealing with upset customers can be difficult and frustrating. But it's important to have a plan, especially given that it's much more difficult to attract a new customer than it is to retain an existing one. So what do you do when a customer is heated? First, stay calm. Listen carefully to your customers' complaints without interrupting. Then acknowledge the problem with empathy and respect. Finally, let them know what you can do by bringing all of their options to the table. Manta Media, Inc

3D Printing Your Next Car

Apple - Making the all-new Mac Pro

The gift of customer service

Making a list and checking it twice is hard work, so help ease customers' holiday stress. Surprise them with your helpfulness, free product knowledge, and hand out coupons redeemable in 2014. Treat customers well and they'll return again and again. But act like Scrooge and you're sure to be visited by an unpleasant ghost promising bad business ahead. Ensure your future, and give the gift of great customer service. Manta Media, Inc 

iPad in Business: The Procter & Gamble Company

“iPhone and iPad enable our sales force globally to take a step ahead in productivity. Our people are more productive, they’re enjoying their work more, and they’re connected in new ways.” Bob Fregolle, Global Customer Business Development Officer, P&G

To support its teams around the globe, P&G has developed more than 50 custom iOS apps.

Happy Thanksgiving!

From the TEAMSESCO family to your family, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving full of God's Blessings!

Happy Thanksgiving from TEAMSESCO!

Don't give me that look! You know you've at least considered it before, really?! This Thanksgiving, why slave away over a hot oven cooking and checking and checking and cooking a turkey when you have; developed in the ole' U.S. of A, space age microwave technology right in your kitchen?

Steve Jobs' Last Hurrah

Perhaps one of the last major ideas to come from Steve Jobs, Apple's future headquarters will be a sweeping reinvention of corporate office space.

Build a real email list

You've heard it said before - don't buy email lists. Don't go borrowing them from social media sites either. No excuses. It's bad news in the marketing world. Grow a list the old fashioned way, give something away, or hold a contest. Give customers a reason to opt-in, and boom! Your email list can compound overnight and make you the big winner. Manta Media, Inc

Living Roof At Ford's Dearborn Truck Plant

Dearborn is home to an incredible green oasis, a 10-acre garden (larger than eight football fields) buzzing with countless insects, spiders, and birds. The catch? It’s situated on the roof of one of Ford’s enormous manufacturing centers, making it North America’s largest living roof.

Keep Your Online Reputation Healthy

Negative reviews spread faster than the plague. Monitor your reputation with free tools such as Google Alerts, Naymz and MonitorThis to avoid the Black Death. Keep your business healthy by posting useful content before you see signs of infection. Help care for other small businesses by writing online reviews for your favorites. - Manta Media, Inc.

The Future Of American Manufacturing

For small business owners and entrepreneurs, finding factories and sourcing facilities is not a trivial task. People bringing products to life have to pay substantial directory fees or know someone in the industry. Enter Maker's Row: a new approach to cataloging, organizing and representing the best American manufacturers so designers & entrepreneurs can go from concept to prototype without going overseas or over budget.

Don't Sell Yourself Short

Don't make the mistake of competing on price!

Don't sell yourself short and go rolling back your prices. You have quality that big box stores don't. And even better, you treat customers really, really well. That smiley face logo will only get certain stores so far. You're the real deal. Stand out by offering better, and different, and charge for it. This will leave real smiles on the faces of your delighted customers. -Manta Media, Inc

The horror of disengaged employees

If your employees are beginning to resemble the walking dead, it may be time to bring them back to life with career development. Turn lifeless zombies into fired up employees with self-directed learning, cross training, or workshops. Revive and re-engage your ghoulish crew by teaming them up to teach one another new skills and say goodbye to your house of horrors. - Manta Media, Inc

 

7 Things To Know Before Financing Equipment

By Philip A. Bruno, Chief Marketing Officer, Marlin Leasing Corp.

Most manufacturing and industrial businesses are familiar with equipment leasing and financing, but may not know the kinds of specific information they need to make the best financing decisions for their investments in equipment or software. Understanding the ways in which leasing fits your company’s particular needs can help to build a solid business case for financing as well as determine which financing option to choose. This decision requires careful assessment of your financial, operational, and other situational needs, in addition to knowledge of the many benefits leasing provides.

The following is a checklist of important issues to consider when making decisions about leasing equipment:

1. Whether to buy or lease. First and foremost, the most important thing to know before financing equipment is that leasing is usually more advantageous to your business than buying equipment outright. Equipment finance industry research shows that in 2013, 55% of the projected $1.3 trillion total U.S. investment in equipment and software, or $725 billion, is expected to be financed. The most recent research available shows that in 2011, 72% of firms used at least one form of financing. These statistics bear out that organizations agree with the adage, “it is more important to have and use equipment than it is to own it.” 
    
2. Cash flow/budget requirements. Financed equipment can generate income for your business that far exceeds the cost of your monthly payment. Financing also enables you to stretch your budget to obtain additional equipment you couldn't have afforded otherwise because it’s more feasible for most businesses to make a monthly payment than to make a large lump sum cash outlay. In addition, 100% financing is available so that no down payment is required.
   
   If your business experiences seasonal fluctuations, or has a project or new line ramping up that requires equipment that will not generate revenue immediately or will only generate it seasonally, lease terms are available that allow for these circumstances. Lower initial payments or deferred payments are among lease term options. The important thing is to assess how long it will be before revenue will be generated from using the equipment to offset the finance payments.
    
3. Capital expenditure plans. Most businesses, particularly in this current economic climate, have reduced or limited budgets for business investment. If your company is like the majority of those facing unlimited wants and limited resources, leasing equipment allows capital budgets to be used for other business and operational purposes.
    
4. Equipment obsolescence risk. Technology changes and innovations develop rapidly. Chances are that the software and equipment you purchased 2 years ago are already outdated. Financing provides a hedge against equipment obsolescence through options to either purchase the equipment, trade it in for new equipment or return it outright at the end of the lease term. Taking advantage of options to avoid obsolescence is critical to maintaining a competitive edge.
    
5. Credit availability. Access to credit is a key driver of business growth. Financing equipment preserves your lines of credit and enables you to save your bank borrowing capacity—important considerations to accommodate both planned and unforeseen future business expenditures your company may incur. Financing also has one-day credit approvals, whereas banks can take days or even weeks. This speed-of-access to equipment is another strategic advantage for your market position. 
    
6. Tax Benefits. Tax code provisions continue to provide incentives for businesses to invest in equipment. For 2013, the IRS Section 179 Deduction threshold for total amount of equipment that can be purchased is now $2 million, and you can deduct up to $500,000 of equipment cost.
    
7. Standard Finance Plans. With a clearer picture of your business situation and equipment needs determined from this checklist, you are ready to think about the type of finance plan for the equipment you are acquiring. Following are some of the most commonly selected ones:
   
   Fair Market Value offers the most options both during and at the end of the term, so this is suitable if you are concerned about obsolescence or want a small security deposit and a relatively low monthly payment. At the end of the term, you have three options: extend the term of the agreement, return the equipment, or buy the equipment at its fair market value. 
   
   10% Security Deposit also offers a lower monthly payment. It is especially attractive if you can afford to pay a security deposit of 10% of the finance amount at the beginning of the agreement. End-of-term options still apply. The deposit can be used to extend the agreement or you can return the equipment and request a refund of the deposit.
   
   10% Purchase Option offers a fixed purchase option at the end of the term. Upon final payment, you can continue to finance the equipment, return the equipment, or buy it at 10% of the original equipment cost.
   $1.00 Buy Out is the recommended option if you are fairly certain you will want to purchase the equipment at the end of the agreement. Once the term expires, the equipment is simply purchased for $1.

This summary of topics to consider is key to the equipment financing decision-making process. Finding a full-service equipment financing company that can help you address these issues and answer your questions will help ensure that you get the right equipment at the best possible terms for your business. 

Boy gets prosthetic hand made by 3-D printer

Two years ago, Paul McCarthy began searching for an inexpensive yet functional prosthetic hand for his son Leon, who was born without fingers on one of his hands. McCarthy came across a video online with detailed instruction on how to use a 3-D printer to make a prosthetic hand for his son.

Don't keep your website visitors waiting

Is your website the tortoise or the hare? Because in this scenario, it's not the slow turtle that wins in the end - it's the speedy bunny. How fast your web pages load is critical. A mere one-second delay can cost your site as much as a 7% decrease in conversion rate. Yikes! Optimize page speeds, make sure you have enough bandwidth, and take the lead in customer satisfaction. - Manta Media, Inc

'Fogmageddon' grips Seattle

Seattle is known for it’s gray skies and rainy weather, but experts say the dense fog and temperatures in the 40s or 50s that have blanketed the city over the past several days is out of the ordinary.

Cliff Mass, a University of Washington Meteorologist writes on his blog, “I have forecast here for many decades and I can not remember a situation that is even close.”

The cause, according to Mass, is an odd combination of long-lasting high pressure, drought, and dense low clouds. In short, the high pressure on either side of the city is trapping colder air in the middle, close to the ground. The result? Fog, and lots of it.

The current foggy streak is standing at seven days. According to Seattle’s KomoNews.com that puts the current stretch in a seven-way tie for the fifth longest run in the city. The No. 1 spot goes to a 13-day streak from December of 1985. But according to local reports the current weather pattern could make a run at the record with the sun not in the forecast at least for the next several days.

Ironically the only thing that will wipe out the dreary conditions is a low pressure system; in other words a storm.

Such a system is on the way but is not guaranteed to hit the city. The earliest it will get there, if at all, is sometime next week. Until then Seattle will continue to see the same gray skies and dense low clouds.

Apple's Mac Pro Manufacturing Process

Automating the Royal Shakespeare Theater

A four-year, $139 million transformation of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RST) in Stratford-upon-Avon included a major project to automate the movements of back-drops and scenery as well as the complex system of lighting arrays. At the heart of the project, (designed and installed by Trekwek, a Dutch theater automation company), are around 100 AC drives and servo motors from Control Techniques, an Emerson Industrial Automation company (NYSE: EMR). The contract was awarded by Trekwerk to Control Techniques’ Rotterdam Drive Center.

Click here for story... Automating the Royal Shakespeare Theater
Click here for photos... Royal Shakespeare Theatre

Flying car for the masses set for take-off

5 Things Super Successful People Do Before 8 AM

Rise and shine! Morning time just became your new best friend. Love it or hate it, utilizing the morning hours before work may be the key to a successful and healthy lifestyle. That’s right, early rising is a common trait found in many CEOs, government officials, and other influential people. Margaret Thatcher was up every day at 5 a.m.; Frank Lloyd Wright at 4 am and Robert Iger, the CEO of Disney wakes at 4:30am just to name a few. I know what you’re thinking – you do your best work at night. Not so fast. According to Inc. Magazine, morning people have been found to be more proactive and more productive. In addition, the health benefits for those with a life before work go on and on. Let’s explore 5 of the things successful people do before 8 am. READ MORE!

Penny Pinching Pointers

Want more money? Go paperless! Reducing costs is a reality for businesses large and small. So, consider not printing those huge monthly reports, mounds of invoices, and countless emails with silly cat photos. A great way to keep some extra green in your wallet is to embrace the environmental and timesaving practice, and share files electronically. What do you have to lose other than clutter and cost? Manta Media, Inc

Alcoa's largest U.S. factory

Nurturing Your Business

It takes a village to market and develop a strong business. Online presence is needed to market yourself, but don't forget to use those old standbys: signs, business cards, brochures, stickers, and letters and envelopes. These messages allow you to reach out and touch your target audience, and help raise a thriving business from infancy and beyond. -Manta Media, Inc
 

Nation’s largest wind farm proposed for West Texas

DALLAS — A Dallas-based wind-power developer has proposed an array of as many as 650 wind turbines for 190 square miles of the Texas South Plains.

Tri Global Energy LLC announced plans for Hale Community Energy on Tuesday. The vast wind farm would extend from Abernathy over much of eastern Hale County on land Tri Global says is controlled by more than 340 owners and has more than 450 shareholders.

The company says the complex would be developed in five phases to be operational by mid-2018 with a generating capacity of 1,100 megawatts. The first, 200-megawatt phase is to be operational by late 2015.

Tri Global Vice President Curtis King says after construction, the complex would provide at least 100 permanent jobs.

TEAMSESCO's state-of-the-art repair facility. Greensboro, NC.

TEAMSESCO Is Hiring!
TEAMSESCO, North Carolina’s oldest and most established industrial electronic repair company is looking to hire bench technicians to work on industrial electronics and controls. Immediate openings available for technicians able to work on any of the following, AC drives, DC drives, PLC's, power supplies, boards, industrial computers, monitors and other HMI devices. State of the art test equipment supplied for thorough testing to insure reliability.

Candidates must be able to comprehend and apply experience and knowledge to troubleshoot and repair electronic circuit boards down to the component level. Must have the ability to identify and analyze documented circuits, establish and document procedures, programs, schematics and supporting information for boards. Candidates must possess enough component knowledge to correctly substitute components. Candidate must have Associates Degree or military equivalent and minimum of 2 years experience.

Learn more about TEAMSESCO by visiting our website at www.teamsesco.com. Send resumes with cover letter to Jobs@teamsesco.com

To learn more about the available careers with TEAMSESCO, please visit www.teamsesco.com/about-us/careers/

World's first all stainless steel robot with seven degrees of freedom #D...

University Aims to Build 'Vanishing' Electronics

Introduction Movie（Spiber Inc.）

TEAMSESCO Is Hiring!

TEAMSESCO, North Carolina’s oldest and most established industrial electronic repair company is looking to hire bench technicians to work on industrial electronics and controls. Immediate openings available for technicians able to work on any of the following, AC drives, DC drives, PLC's, power supplies, boards, industrial computers, monitors and other HMI devices. State of the art test equipment supplied for thorough testing to insure reliability.

Candidates must be able to comprehend and apply experience and knowledge to troubleshoot and repair electronic circuit boards down to the component level. Must have the ability to identify and analyze documented circuits, establish and document procedures, programs, schematics and supporting information for boards. Candidates must possess enough component knowledge to correctly substitute components. Candidate must have Associates Degree or military equivalent and minimum of 2 years experience.

Learn more about TEAMSESCO by visiting our website at www.teamsesco.com. Send resumes with cover letter to Jobs@teamsesco.com

To learn more about the available careers with TEAMSESCO, please visit www.teamsesco.com/about-us/careers/

Knock on Wood, This Car Works!

Bringing Jobs Back to the United States.

An American Manufacturing Success Story

Something you may not have known... New Balance is the only athletic shoe company still producing in the US.

24/7/365 Emergency Service

TEAMSESCO's StarService Emergency Service is vailable 24/7/365 click for more information!

TEAMSESCO’s factory-trained technicians are available around the clock to troubleshoot your industrial equipment and get your machines back up and running as soon as possible. Need an on-site repair? Call TEAMSESCO today to learn more about our industrial technology field services in Greensboro, NC and the surrounding region!

Additive Manufacturing Changes Everything

UConn and Pratt & Whitney have created one of the most advanced additive manufacturing laboratories in the country. The new Pratt & Whitney Additive Manufacturing Innovation Center at UConn will serve as an important resource for training the next generation of engineers and designers.

U.S. Assembly of 2013 LEAF Nissan Vehicle and Batteries Begins In TN

U.S. Assembly of 2013 LEAF Nissan Electric Vehicle and Batteries Begins in Tenn. SBARTSTV Global News. This week, Nissan will ramp up U.S. assembly of the 2013 model year all-electric LEAF at its manufacturing plant in Smyrna, Tenn., where it will be manufactured alongside the company's gasoline-powered products. The start of Nissan LEAF assembly in Smyrna comes on the heels of the opening of Nissan's battery plant in an adjacent facility. Nissan is the only automaker that manufactures its own electric vehicle batteries, at the largest lithium-ion automotive battery plant in the U.S.

'Paintable' Electronics Pave the Way for Cheaper Gadgets

Elizabeth Palermo, TechNewsDaily Contributor for TechNewsDaily


Researchers in the field of materials science are using a new technique to create paint-on plastic electronics that can be used to make popular gadgets less expensive and better for the environment.


Scientists at the University of Michigan (U-M) recently announced that they've discovered a way to make unruly semiconducting polymers- like those used in computer processors and LED displays- more manageable.


Most semiconductors used in modern electronics are inorganic, or based on materials other than carbon, like silicon or copper. While inorganic semiconductors do an excellent job of spreading a charge through an electronic device, they're costly and impossible to produce without specialized equipment.


Organic and plastic semiconductors like the ones used by the U-M researchers, on the other hand, can be prepared on a basic lab bench. However, scientists have found that they're not as efficient at carrying a charge through an electronic device as their inorganic brethren. Or at least, such was the case until recently.


The new "paintable" semiconducting polymers can be brushed over a surface to create a thin-layer film capable of carrying an uninterrupted charge.


"It's a big breakthrough," Jinsang Kim, a professor of materials science and engineering at U-M, said in a statement. "This is for the first time a thin-layer, conducting, highly aligned film for high-performance, paintable, directly writeable plastic electronics."


The decision to create a liquid polymer solution led to some interesting opportunities for innovation by Kim and his fellow researchers. First, they designed the polymers to be slippery because, as Kim explained, ordinary polymers glom together like "flat noodles left in the fridge."


By choosing polymers with a natural twist, the team was also able to keep the polymers from sticking to one another inside the solution. But researchers then had come up with a way for the polymers to align with one another to create a charge-carrying freeway for energy being passed through the semiconductor. To achieve this, they designed the polymers to untwist as the solvent dried up.


To further stop the polymers from sticking together, the researchers added flexible arms to the sides of the flat, wire-like polymers. The arms helped each polymer push its neighbors away and remain isolated in the solution. When a paintbrush was dragged across the solution, the polymers lined up in the direction of the applied force.


After painting the polymers onto a piece of plastic film, the U-M team built the "paintable"semiconductor into a simple transistor, like that used to make computer processors. And the device worked.


"By combining the established molecular design principle with a polymer that has a very good intrinsic charge carrier mobility, we believe it will make a huge difference in organic electronics," Kim said.


Kim also said he believes the semiconducting film will be useful for making electronics such as those used in LED displays or the light-absorbing coatings for solar cells.

Image via iStockphoto, krystiannawrocki
Story link: 'Paintable' Electronics Pave the Way for Cheaper Gadgets

BMW in Spartanburg expands hydrogen fuel cell fleet

BMW Manufacturing announced today the successful expansion of the company's hydrogen fuel-cell material handling equipment across its 4.0 million square foot production facility. In 2010, BMW completed the installation of a hydrogen storage and distribution area near the plant's Energy Center to power about 100 pieces of fuel cell material handling equipment. Since that time, the company has more than doubled its hydrogen-fuel cell fleet to approximately 230 units to service the entire plant's production and logistics functions.

The 3D-Printed Car Of The Future

We've already seen all kinds of 3D-printed items, from jewelry, to guitars, and even football cleats. Now, we might soon have an almost entirely 3D-printed car in the Urbee 2. The hybrid car, created by engineer Jim Kor, is designed to be light, cheap, easy to reproduce, and very efficient. It's made entirely of 3D-printed plastic parts, all except the engine and base chassis, which are metal. It has three wheels and can carry two passengers. Read the original article at Mashable.

When The Unexpected Happens

On May 1st, 2010 the rains began to pour over the country music capital of the world, Nashville Tennessee. Within a 36-hour period more than 13 inches of rain had fallen and the creeks and rivers were flowing into the streets and business’s creating billions of dollars in damage. It took several days for the waters to recede before anyone could assess the damage. TEAMSESCO was contacted that week by one of our distributors. A wire drawing facility along the Cumberland River had been submerged and they asked if we could handle rebuilding all of the drives in the facility. TEAMSESCO accepted the challenge!

The customer loaded an eighteen wheeler full of drives and circuit boards and headed to our Greensboro NC service center. The truck arrived on the 14th and by that afternoon, forty-six AC and DC drives were inventoried and quoted to the distributor. Approval was given on the 18th with the first shipment due on the 21st. TEAMSESCO began dismantling and cleaning the mud and debris out of the drives. Each drive was cleaned, components replaced, re-assembled, powered up and load tested using our closed loop hydraulic loading system – putting the drive under full load conditions. The first shipment left our facility a full day ahead of schedule with more than the requested number of units on it. Through phone support and on-site visits, TEAMSESCO field service and repair technicians supported the customer throughout the startup process helping them meet their deadline to get the plant up and running. TEAMSESCO kept true on its promise and delivered early.

So when the creeks are rising and you’re in need of quality industrial electronic repairs, regardless of stringent deadlines or a truck full of opportunities, TEAMSESCO can handle the challenge!