ViaSemiconductor International Sustainable Chamber Cleaning Solutions:The Back End of the Front End Sustainable and production-proven chamber cleaning solutions allow device manufacturers to deliver increased productivity and reduce environmental impact while “taking out the trash.” In most manufacturing processes, tool cleaning is often an afterthought in the process design and execution. Its impact is generally thought of as little more than housekeeping, akin to sweeping the shop floor at the end … Continue reading →
ViaThe Hindu NEW DELHI: Coinciding with this year’s Auto Expo beginning January 10 will be the first-ever Robo Expo-2008 that will showcase cutting-edge technologies in robotics that will contribute to the growth of Indian industry, particularly the fast-growing auto sector. Being organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry-Innovation Mission, the exhibition will also give an opportunity to see unique robots and new robot launches for the first time in India. … Continue reading →
Via Globe And Mail 2008: The make-or-break year for the Detroit Three Are the companies moving quickly enough to compete globally? By JEREMY CATO Globe and Mail This year, Ford, GM, and Chrysler’s combined share of the critical U.S. light-vehicle market stands at 51.1 per cent, down from 53.9 per cent in 2006, from 60 per cent just four years ago and from 81 per cent in 1984. In November, … Continue reading →
ViaWebProNews Information Overload Costing $650 Billion By Mike Sachoff Information overload is being called the 2008 “Problem-of-the-Year” by research firm Basex. Information overload reduces employee efficiency and overall productivity and has been flagged as a key challenge for companies that operate in the knowledge economy. The cost of unnecessary interruptions is estimated to be $650 billion per year in the United States according to Basex, which took into account, decreased … Continue reading →
From the McKinsey QuarterlySpecial to CNET News.com Technology alone is rarely the key to unlocking economic value: companies create real wealth when they combine technology with new ways of doing business. Through our work and research, we have identified eight technology-enabled trends that will help shape businesses and the economy in coming years. These trends fall within three broad areas of business activity: managing relationships, managing capital and assets, and … Continue reading →
Council staff’s million day sickie by Steffan RhysWestern Mail COUNCIL workers in Wales took more than one million sick days in the last financial year, the Western Mail can reveal today. The figures equate to each local authority employee taking 11.3 days a year off sick, although in some councils the number is as high as 12.8 days – equal to two and a half working weeks each. This is … Continue reading →
ViaSydney Morning Herald Annual leave: a lot to be desired By Ross Gittins When Kevin Rudd won the election he warned his ministers they could take Christmas Day and Boxing Day off but, apart from that, they were to “hit the ground running”. The new Government had a lot of things it needed to do and it was imperative to make an early start. For a time it seemed he … Continue reading →
ViaThe Economic Times Following the Bali climate-change conference, the writing on the wall is clear. India would need to chalk out a credible roadmap for mitigating emission of green-house gases (GHGs). Global-warming mitigation action needs to be very much on the policy agenda. An integrated game plan would mean huge economic benefits, lead to efficiency gains and productivity improvement across the board, and be thoroughly environmentally benign as well. Much … Continue reading →
ViaThe Star By Sean Geobey With each record set by the Canadian dollar, talk of crisis in Canada’s manufacturing sector grows louder. Productivity growth here has trailed that of the United States for more than a quarter century, and now without a low dollar keeping our exports competitive, the decline of the sector is inevitable. At least that’s what we’re told. Yet that same high dollar, coupled with a little … Continue reading →
ViaHuffington Post By GERALD BRACEY In the last post, I challenged the notion that test score for elementary and secondary students are related to the U. S. ability to compete in the global economy. In this one, I want to examine what does contribute to competitiveness. First, though, we have to take a look at the concept of competitiveness. Many people take it as a zero-sum game: If you win, … Continue reading →
