ANN ARBOR—Officials at the Ann Arbor-based Association for Advancing Automation, robot orders in the second quarter of 2021 were up 67 percent over the same period in 2020, showing a return to pre-COVID 19 pandemic demand for automation as manufacturers and other North American companies return to business. A3 said North American companies ordered 9,853
TROY—Car buyers say that new vehicle technologies are a major factor in car buying decisions. But on the other hand, they also confoundingly say that many new car owners don’t bother to use much of that great new technology. That’s according to the recently released J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Tech Experience Index Study. Power analysts
SOUTHFIELD—A capstone thesis project team from Lawrence Technological University was one of only eight national winners of the Engineering Education Award from the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying. LTU was the only Michigan university to win one of the awards. The project, developed by students in LTU’s five-year combined bachelor’s and master’s
TROY—On the strength of some very successful new-vehicle launches for 2021, the auto industry continues its trend of producing ever-more appealing vehicles. The BMW 4 Series, Chevrolet Tahoe, Ford Bronco Sport, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Genesis G80, Kia K5 and Toyota Sienna are all-new or completely redesigned models that achieved segment-topping performances in appeal to owners.
DEARBORN—Ford Motor Co., Walmart, and a Pittsburgh, Pa.-based autonomous vehicle company called Argo AI are working together to launch an autonomous vehicle delivery service in Miami, Austin, Texas, and Washington, D.C. — Walmart’s first multi-city autonomous delivery collaboration in the United States. The last mile delivery service will use Ford self-driving test vehicles equipped with
TROY—A balky transmission? Poor fit and finish? Nope. The automotive quality analysis firm J.D. Power’s latest U.S. Initial Quality Study found that smartphone connections are now the No. 1 quality complaint with new cars. Overall, new vehicle quality improved 2% from 2020 to 2021, the survey found. This is slightly lower than the average
KALAMAZOO—C2Dx Inc., a medical device company, announced a partnership with another Michigan startup, Farmington Hills-based Quintree. Quintree claims to be the first telemedicine platform that integrates with existing diagnostic equipment. It was created by Dr. Adam Folbe, a practicing ear, nose, and throat doctor, and Sandy Kronenberg, an IT expert and entrepreneur, with the mission to drive higher efficiencies
GRAND RAPIDS—Shoulder Innovations Inc., a developer of shoulder replacement devices, announced a move to a new headquarters in Grand Rapids that is six times larger than the company’s prior headquarters in Holland. The company said it has tripled its staff so far in 2021 amid rapid growth. The company recently received FDA clearance for its
SOUTHFIELD—The C3 Accelerator, a program of the Centrepolis Accelerator manufacturing business incubator established by Lawrence Technological University and the City of Southfield, brought together the companies supported through the program in a C3 Accelerator Showcase event Thursday, Aug. 26. The event speakers provided the latest details on the changing landscape of cleantech innovation and funding opportunities.
PONTIAC—Earlier this year, the Detroit Auto Dealers Association announced a “bridge to the future” auto-centric event called Motor Bella, to take place Sept. 21-26, at the M1 Concourse in Pontiac. The event brings next-generation mobility, vehicle debuts and innovative auto technologies. Sponsored by the Michigan Economic Development Corp., Motor Bella holds a two-day Automobili-D Technology
