Manufacturing

General Motors and Powermat, a pioneer in wireless charging technology, announced a commercial agreement today that will eliminate the need for charging cords for personal electronic devices in many future Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac products beginning mid-2012.

GM Ventures, the company's venture capital subsidiary, will invest $5 million in Powermat to accelerate the technology's development and support efforts to grow Powermat's business globally.  

Although Toyota maintains a narrow lead as the strongest automobile brand in the United States, Ford leads the way in factors that matter most to consumers, according to Consumer Reports' 2011 Car Brand Perception Survey.

The past decade has been revolutionary for much of our society, but few sectors have seen as much change since 2000 as the auto industry.

Ten years ago, automakers were touting the number of cupholders in the cabin and the increased off-road capabilities of family haulers. Today, these same companies are racing to offer increasingly hands-free mobile communication, eye-popping fuel economy and technologies aimed at helping drivers avoid accidents.

After approval by competition authorities on 31 December, CoorsTek has now finalized its acquisition of the advanced ceramics business of Saint-Gobain for US $245 million.

Headquartered in North America, and celebrating its 100th year in business, CoorsTek is the largest technical ceramics manufacturer in the world with facilities in the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

SC Johnson, one of the world's leading manufacturers of household cleaning products, has reached an agreement to acquire Sara Lee's global shoe care business for €245 million.

The deal will bring the world famous Kiwi brand that has been polishing shoes around the world for more than 100 years into SC Johnson's robust portfolio that already includes Pledge, Glade, Mr. Muscle, Windex and Ziploc. Like many SC Johnson brands, Kiwi is the leader in its category.

The Timken Company today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, TSB Metal Recycling LLC, has purchased substantially all of the assets of City Scrap and Salvage Co. in Akron, Ohio.

City Scrap has been a local source of supply of ferrous scrap for Timken’s steelmaking operations for more than 15 years. Timken's steel business was founded in 1917 to provide a dependable supply of steel for its bearing business, and this acquisition is consistent with that strategy.

The US Navy has awarded contracts worth a total of more than $7 billion to build 20 of its new Littoral Combat Ships to Lockheed Martin and Austal USA.

The Defense Department has awarded Lockheed Martin a $491.6 million deal to construct one ship. If options for nine additional ships are exercised, the award total amounts to $4.57 billion.

Israel’s Koor Industries has announced the sale of its subsidiary MA Industries, the world’s biggest maker of crop protection chemicals, to China National Chemical Corp (ChemChina).

The deal, which values MA at $2.4 billion, will see Koor retain 40 per cent of the maker of fungicides, pesticides and herbicides. ChemChina will buy the 53 per cent of MA currently held by the public for $1.27 billion, and will pay Koor $168 million for an additional seven per cent.

Aston Martin is in talks with Daimler over a potential plan that would see the British luxury carmaker design and build the German company’s Maybach brand, according to a report in the Financial Times.

According to the FT, the partnership would see Aston Martin take engine technology from Daimler in exchange for building cars. It is thought that Daimler’s four-wheel-drive technology could be particularly useful to the British company, as it is considering making an off-road vehicle.

France’s Ingenico, the world’s largest maker of electronic payment terminals, has rejected a €1.4 billion takeover offer.

The bidder is unnamed, though reports suggest it to be the US industrial conglomerate Danaher Corp.