DETROIT - Just in time for the summer tourist season, AT&T Inc. has announced upgrades to six cell towers on its 4G LTE network in Antrim, Kalkaska, Charlevoix and Grand Traverse counties to give customers faster, more reliable wireless service. The communities of Alden, Rapid City, Kalkaska, Evangeline Township and Traverse City received the improvements.
LIVONIA - A123 Systems LLC, a developer and manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries and systems, announced plans to build a $40 million headquarters complex in Novi. Located just off I-96 near the Fountain Walk complex, the 32-acre company-owned site will house all corporate functions, an engineering center, new laboratory space and a manufacturing plant. The new
DEARBORN - Ford Motor Co. says it will invest $1.2 billion at three Michigan plants, among other things, financing the return of the Ford Ranger mid-sized pickup and the Bronco midsized SUV. The largest part of the investment, $850 million, will take place at the home of assembly of those two models, the Michigan Assembly
LANSING - The Michigan Strategic Fund has approved three grants to create a new business incubator in Flint and build new manufacturing plants in the Grand Rapids area and Port Huron. The MSF will provide a $286,000 performance-based grant to Siliconature Corp., and a $496,000 performance-based grant to HP Pelzer Automotive Systems Inc. Funds are
SOUTHFIELD — The Southfield-based automotive supply chain software developer Radley Corp. Tuesday announced the launch of new web-based supplier collaboration software, iSC. Developed in response to customer and industry demand for a more efficient method of communicating with suppliers, iSC allows automotive manufacturers to take control of their supply chain, ensuring accurate and effective communication
LANSING — State officials have announced financial support for an expansion of a Huntington Bank call center in Flint that will result in the creation of 60 new jobs and a $5.4 million investment. The Huntington complex is on Saginaw Street across from the University of Michigan-Flint campus. The Michigan Strategic Fund has approved a
BENTON HARBOR — OK, so it’s not a spy microwave. But Whirlpool Corp. has announced the introduction of a French door refrigerator from Jenn-Air featuring WiFi connectivity. In addition to a range of smart features, from remote control to maintenance reminders, the new model offers generous capacity and a host of food preservation features to
ANN ARBOR — The Ann Arbor-based Association for Advancing Automation announced a joint U.S.-China Robotics Forum, to be held April 4 at the Automate 2017 Show and Conference at Chicago’s McCormick Place. The forum will bring together A3’s Robotic Industries Association (RIA), the North American robotics industry trade organization, and its counterpart, the China Robot
AUBURN HILLS — The Zürich, Switzerland-based technology company ABB has sold its first robot manufactured in the United States. The IRB 2600 robot is the first to be produced at the ABB Auburn Hills plant, and was sold by ABB reseller CIM Systems Inc., based in Milan, Italy, to Hitachi Powdered Metals USA Inc. of
EAST LANSING — Rebecca Anthony, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering in the Michigan State University College of Engineering, has been awarded a five-year, $500,000 NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award to research nanostructure manufacturing that will make LED lights more efficient and versatile. NSF CAREER awards support junior faculty who exemplify the role
