Ann Arbor's
HandyLab bought out by Big Pharma's Becton Dickinson
Becton, Dickinson & Co. Friday
said it had signed an agreement to acquire Ann Arbor-based HandyLab
Inc. BD is a major pharmaceutical firm. HandyLab develops and manufactures
molecular diagnostic assays and automation platforms. The acquisition
is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to close during the
first quarter of fiscal year 2010. The financial terms of the agreement
were not disclosed. More.
WWJ,
ESD, UM-Dearborn offer a look at Michigan's 'Blue Economy' Michigan is sitting on a
blue gold mine, and it's time we did something about it. That's the
impetus for a WWJ Newsradio 950 Business Breakfast, "Blue Economy:
Turning Michigan's Fresh Water Into Renewed Prosperity," scheduled
for Tuesday, Nov. 10 from 7:15 to 9:30 a.m. at the University of Michigan-Dearborn's
Fairlane Center, 19000 Hubbard Drive. The event is sponsored by WWJ
Newsradio 950, The Engineering Society Of Detroit and UM-Dearborn. Approximately
20 percent of the world’s surface fresh water is present within
the Great Lakes. Michigan’s water can and will play a significant
role in our state’s economic recovery. More.
TiECon
Midwest draws a big crowd A healthy crowd of hundreds
of people attended the second annual TieCon Midwest entrepreneurial
conference, this year held at the Ritz Carlton Dearborn Friday and Saturday.
After an opening keynote from the Michigan Economic Development Corp.'s
Ned Staebler, yours truly had the privilege of moderating a panel discussion
on the future of IT in health care. More.
Wisconsin
company plans to build battery center in Michigan DePere, Wis.-based Megtec
Systems Inc. said last week that it plans to open a regional service
center in Michigan to support its customers in the lithium ion battery
manufacturing market. The company said the center's final location,
size and number of employees was still being determined. More.
Whirlpool
earnings plunge on sales decline
Benton Harbor-based Whirlpool Corp. Friday announced a 46 percent decline
in net income on an 8 percent decline in revenue. The appliance manufacturer
said sales fell to $4.5 billion in the three months ended Sept. 30,
down from $4.9 billion a year earlier. Net income fell to $87 million
or $1.15 a share from $163 million or $2.15 a share a year earlier.
For the nine months, revenue was $12.24 billion, down from $14.59 billion.
Net income was $252 million or $3.13 a share, down from $396 million
or $4.89 a share a year earlier. More.
Last week's schedule was truly insane,
with four major tech conferences in the Detroit area, including three
falling on the same day.
This week's isn't quite as mad, but it's
still pretty nuts, with no less than 17 separate events on the Michigan
IT Calendar, the state's most comprehensive IT event calendar, at
this link.
First, relax -- you've got today off. Tomorrow,
though, there's an Automation Alley marketing forum, the Right Place
innovation forum in Grand Rapids and Trivalent Group's iHealth event
in nearby Grandville, and the excellent Detroit EcoTuesday.
Wednesday, a high-tech surgical conference
begins at Wayne State University, and Michigan's usability pros will
meet.
Thursday is the Miller Canfield law firm's
big annual employment law seminar, and a nifty cybersecurity event in
Washtenaw County. Friday is a cool Energy Summit from ConnecTech Livingston,
a big cybersecurity event at Eastern Michigan University and a great
entrepreneurial event at TechTown in Detroit.
See you out there!
Note: For information
on how you can sponsor content in the Blue Box, contact Jeff Lasser
at (248) 455-7319 or jeff.lasser@cbsradio.com.
Monroe County
CC wins grant for advanced welding training Monroe County Community
College has won a $1.7 million Community Based Job Training Grant from
the United States Department of Labor for advanced welding training.
MCCC was one of 68 of 274 applying organizations to get the funding.
It was the only community college in Michigan to win the award. More.
Outwardly
healthy workers can cost companies big bucks
Someone healthy enough to
work could still cost an employer more than $4,000 annually in unnecessary
health care costs. A new University of Michigan study shows workers
with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and associated chronic disease can cost
employers up to $5,867 annually in health care, pharmacy and short term
disability -- compared to $1,600 for a healthy worker. But the good
news: Companies can stop those chronic health problems before they start.
More.
Detroit
Edison to seek solar energy expertise Detroit Edison said Friday
it had started a prequalification process to identify qualified respondents
to work with the company on large-scale solar energy installations.
Detroit Edison plans to install several photovoltaic solar systems in
2010 at locations throughout the company’s service territory.
Detroit Edison will own and operate the solar energy systems, which
will be ground mounted or located on rooftops of commercial, industrial
or Detroit Edison buildings. The company is seeking respondents who
have significant experience in the engineering, development and installation
of 50 kilowatt and larger systems. More.
THE WORLD
IN TECH
Facebook
tweaks home page based on feedback Worried about missing a
birth announcement, or details on what your portly uncle had for lunch?
Facebook is tweaking its home page yet again in hopes of making it easier
to find information. Among the latest changes is a list of items you
might have missed during those rare moments spent away from the online
hangout. The changes are being rolled out Friday. More.
Crowded
theaters build momentum for 3-D at home Fans
scrambled to see 3-D movies such as "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs"
in theaters this year and new 3-D televisions could soon have home viewers
feeling as if they're surrounded by a spaghetti hurricane on their couches.
Next year major electronics manufacturers Sony Corp. and Panasonic Corp.
plan to introduce 3-D-capable high-definition televisions for the mass
market. You'll still need to wear special glasses, though. Movie studios
hope 3-D can help lift the sagging home video market the same way it
has pushed up box office results. The initial price of such sets is
expected to be high - perhaps 20 percent more than normal sets of the
same size. But costs should come down in the coming years. More.
White
House switches to open source for its Web site A programming overhaul of
the White House's Web site has set the tech world abuzz. For low-techies,
it's a snooze -- you won't notice a thing. The online-savvy administration
on Saturday switched to open-source code for http://www.whitehouse.gov
-- meaning the programming language is written in public view, available
for public use and able for people to edit. More.
Icahn
resigns from Yahoo's board on friendly terms Activist
investor Carl Icahn has decided his work is done at Yahoo Inc. after
muscling his way on to the slumping Internet company's board nearly
15 months ago. In a resignation letter Friday, Icahn said he felt like
it was time to leave Yahoo so he could spend more time on his investments
in other companies. Icahn, an outspoken billionaire, spent several months
last year denigrating Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang and the rest of the
company's board after Yahoo turned down an opportunity to sell to Microsoft
Corp. for $47.5 billion, or $33 per share. Yahoo shares closed Friday
at $17.22. More.
Stocks:
Shares end week lower as investors take profits Investors dumped stocks
and locked in profits Friday after the glow of a week full of strong
earnings reports faded. The retreat came as cautious forecasts from
railroads caused unease about the economy and a rising dollar pushed
prices of commodities lower, which hurt materials and energy stocks.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 109 points to end the week with
a modest loss. Traders appeared eager to collect gains after earnings
reports for the July-September quarter came in far stronger than forecast,
which had pushed stock indexes up more than 6 percent in the three weeks
leading into Friday. The day's drop came despite some pieces of good
news. The National Association of Realtors reported that existing home
sales posted their biggest increase in 26 years in September, while
shares of Amazon.com rode to a new high after the Internet retailer's
earnings and forecasts came in much stronger than expected. More.
The Nasdaq Composite Index (COMP)
rose 14.56 points or 0.7 percent to 2,165.29. The Dow Jones Industrial
Average ($INDU)
rose 131.95 points or 1.3 percent to 10,081.31. The Philadelphia Semiconductor
Index ($SOX)
rose 4.17 points or 1.3 percent to 326.84. The Morgan Stanley High Tech
35 Index (MSH)
rose 2.08 points or 0.4 percent to 544.09. The NYSE Arca Pharmaceutical
Index (DRG)
rose 1.21 points or 0.4 percent to 295.82. The NYSE Arca Biotech Index
(BTK)
rose 4.92 points or 0.6 percent to 898.76. Finally, the Standard & Poor's
500 (SPX)
rose 11.51 points or 1.1 percent to 1,092.91.
All contents copyright 2009 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS Radio & Eye logo trademarked and copyright 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. Written and edited
by Matt Roush, Technology Editor, WWJ Newsradio 950, Detroit. GLITR may contain material from the Associated Press, CNET, News.com, MarketWatch.com or Reuters, used by permission. For coverage comments or news tips, e-mail Matt Roush at
mnroush@cbs.com or call (248) 455-7380. For marketing and advertising queries, or with general questions or concerns, contact Pete Kowalski, WWJ's station manager, at
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The Week Ahead: Not quite so crazy, but close
Fans
scrambled to see 3-D movies such as "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs"
in theaters this year and new 3-D televisions could soon have home viewers
feeling as if they're surrounded by a spaghetti hurricane on their couches.
Next year major electronics manufacturers Sony Corp. and Panasonic Corp.
plan to introduce 3-D-capable high-definition televisions for the mass
market. You'll still need to wear special glasses, though. Movie studios
hope 3-D can help lift the sagging home video market the same way it
has pushed up box office results. The initial price of such sets is
expected to be high - perhaps 20 percent more than normal sets of the
same size. But costs should come down in the coming years. 
