DETROIT - The Southeast Michigan Purchasing Managers Index bounced back in December 2016, gaining 3.9 points to reach a value of 61.9. Despite November’s drop, the three-month average is a strong 62.0. A PMI above 50 is considered an indication of an expanding economy. “We’ve experienced a see-sawing trend over the past six months between
SAN FRANCISCO - This year’s IBM 5 in 5 explores the idea that everything will learn – driven by a new era of cognitive systems where machines will learn, reason and engage with us in a more natural and personalized way. Over time these computers will get smarter and more customized through interactions with data,
SANTA BARBARA, CA. - It was a busy and abundant year for seed, crowd, series A,B,C,D and VC funding of robotics-related startups. 128 companies got funded, some multiple times. $1.95 billion, 50% more than 2015 which was also a phenomenal year with over $1.32 billion funded. Velodyne LiDAR got the most money in 2016, $150
ROYAL OAK - Alexa Jones, co-founder and CEO of TheraB Medical, a Michigan State University spin-out, is an early stage wearable technology for infant jaundice. This medical device, available in hospitals and for home care, uses light to treat infant jaundice, that affects up to 60 percent of new borns. The product, Snuglit, has the
ROYAL OAK - There’s a novel way for Michigan to increase tax revenue by legalizing recreational use of cannabis. Were cannabis legal in Michigan in 2017, over $1 billion would be generated by the business in Michigan, and some $221 million in tax revenue, so says Peter Schwartz with Supported Intelligence, part of the Anderson
ANN ARBOR - As unexpected as Donald Trump’s presidential election, consumers expressed much more positive economic expectations following his victory. While the surge in confidence ended by mid-December, it nonetheless led to the highest level of the Sentiment Index since January 2004, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers. An all-time record number
LANSING - Beginning on Jan. 1, 2017, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) will be: 53.5 cents per mile for business miles driven, down from 54 cents for 2016 17 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes, down from 19 cents for 2016
LANSING - Michigan took another step this month in solidifying its' hold on a global leadership position in the self-driving vehicle industry by the legislature's passage of, and the Governor's signature on, a package of laws that put the state well ahead of all others in regard to its policies toward the testing and future
PORTAGE - Stryker Corporation’s instruments division plans to establish a new 485,000-square-foot facility in the city of Portage, investing more than $130 million and creating 105 jobs. The division is experiencing significant growth and the company needs an expanded facility to support a new corporate campus. The facility will likely feature a customer experience center, functioning
NOVI - The IT consulting firm Red Level is moving to a larger headquarters in Novi to accommodate the company’s rapid growth. The move, taking place in January, will see Red Level moving from 6,500 square feet of leased space on Catherine Industrial Drive to an 18,000-square-foot, company-owned building at 40200 Grand River Avenue. The
