During the first half of 2012, the African Development Bank (AfDB) approved US$800 million in loans to encourage private investment in Morocco’s growing wind and solar markets.

The bank’s support of Morocco’s plan to develop a concentrated solar power (CSP) plant at Ouarzazate and its Integrated Wind/Hydro and Rural Electrification Program is helping the country realise its goal of increasing its installed renewable energy capacity to 42 per cent by 2020.

Enovos Luxembourg and its project partners Pholpa and NPG Energy have celebrated the opening ceremony for the Biopower Tongeren biogas plant in the province of Limburg, Belgium.

In the presence of the minister of Economy and Innovation Ingrid Lieten, the mayor of Tongeren Patrick Dewael, and the CEO of Enovos Luxembourg Jean Lucius, the plant’s engines were started and will run on average 8,200 hours per year.

The biogas plant is the first of its kind in the Benelux. It uses a pre-fermentation tank that enables a higher biogas production.

The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) has formed an executive committee composed of high-level manufacturing professionals from the aerospace and defense OEMs to assist in the development of AeroDef Manufacturing 2013.

The aerospace and defense event will be held from 19-21 March, 2013, at the Long Beach Convention Center in California. AeroDef has unprecedented support from OEMs to keep the industry competitive in the face of major economic and public policy challenges.

China’s ICBC Financial Leasing Co has signed an agreement with Airbus for a total of 50 A320 aircraft, including 30 A320ceo and 20 A320neo.

The aircraft purchase agreement was signed in Beijing as part of a series of Europe-China agreements signed in the presence of visiting German chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese premier Wen Jiabao.

As of 31 July 2012, there were over 700 A320-family aircraft in operation with 15 Chinese airlines.

Larry W. Reaugh, president and chief executive officer of American Manganese Inc., provides corporate guidance for advancing its 100 percent owned Artillery Peak Manganese Project (Mohave County, Arizona) in light of the pending filing of the amended technical report.

Automotive manufacturers want their ERP to be able to streamline business processes, improve collaboration and support them in achieving operational excellence.

By Wolfram Schmid

The automotive industry continues to face one of the most demanding market contexts. Although the prospects for growth are huge in emerging economies, automakers and their suppliers are suffering from aggressive competition, shrinking traditional markets, increasing production costs and chronic overcapacity.

We are witnessing the large-scale industrialization of the data center, owned and operated by the ICT operators, with security technologies in the hands of the end user to remove any need to trust their human operators.

Engage every employee in improvement and you won’t think of replacing them with robots.

By Mark Graban

Nobody's perfect. What quality or ability do you wish you had?

The ability to read minds! On a more serious note—wisdom. We acquire knowledge at a tremendous pace, and using it wisely is a real skill.

 What is the best business book you have ever read, and why?