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GE Vernova Outlines $600M US Expansion

William Attardi on January 31, 2025

GE Vernova Inc. outlined a capital investment program for U.S. manufacturing and development operations totaling close to $600 million through 2027. It projected the investments would address issues involving energy affordability, national security, and manufacturing growth, and would prompt the creation of more than 1,500 new jobs. GE Vernova, which is the former General Electric portfolio of businesses that manufacture industrial and alternative energy systems, pegged the new U.S. investments as part of its broader, $9-billion global capital investment and research program. Among the planned U.S. investments:

  • Greenville, SC ($160 million)
  • Niskayuna, NY ($100 million)
  • Parsippany, NJ, Bangor, ME, Schenectady, NY ($50 million each)
  • Clearwater, FL, Charleroi, PA ($20 million each)
  • Also Pensacola, Grand Forks, Amarillo, Wilmington, Pittsburgh

Energy Giant Outlines $600M US Expansion | GE Vernova | American Machinist

Bill Introduced to Prevent Supply Chain Disruptions, Protect American Producers

William Attardi on January 29, 2025

The bipartisan Promoting Resilient Supply Chains Act would authorize the Department of Commerce to strengthen American supply chains for critical industries and emerging technologies by working with the private sector and U.S. government partners to anticipate and prevent future supply chain disruptions before they happen. In the process, it will also identify opportunities to grow manufacturing capacity and jobs, and reduce costs for American consumers. Geopolitical conflicts, natural disasters and the pandemic have highlighted the fragility of supply chains. These events have already caused significant delays and shortages, impacting everything from critical medical supplies and driving up the costs of consumer goods. The U.S. is heavily reliant on single countries for critical supply chain segments, including manufacturing components, critical minerals, and active pharmaceutical ingredients. This concentration poses a significant risk of disruption. Bill Introduced to Prevent Supply Chain Disruptions, Protect American Producers – tEDmag

SATCO Guaranteed Price Protection

William Attardi on January 29, 2025

As we navigate the evolving global trade environment regarding the possible impact of new import tariffs, we want to assure you that we have taken proactive steps in our supply chain management to protect pricing and ensure product availability during this uncertain time. Through strategic diversification of our production across multiple countries of origin and an increase in our inventory levels, we have fortified our supply chain to maintain stability and reliability. Therefore, we are committed to holding our current pricing in place through May 31, 2025.  Should trade dynamics change because of new tariffs or regulatory changes, resulting in the need to adjust pricing, a minimum of 60-day notice would be provided and would not go into effect prior to May 31st.  https://www.satco.com/ 

Electrical Wholesaling: Bill Attardi Launches LearnersLive.com as Lighting Industry Training Resource

William Attardi on January 27, 2025

Bill Attardi Launches LearnersLive.com as Lighting Industry Training Resource | Electrical Wholesaling

LearnersLive.com will draw from Attardi’s 60 years of lighting industry experience, Q&As with lighting experts and other lighting market training resources. Spend a few minutes with Bill Attardi and you will learn a few things about him real fast. He’s a 60-year veteran of the lighting market who quite possibly loves learning about the lighting business more today than when he started in the business as a sales rep for Westinghouse Lamp/Philips (now part of Signify) selling lamps in the Big Apple in 1965. You can also sense his passion for learning and teaching in the services he provides lighting and electrical professionals through Attardi Marketing, and through the Energy Watch News blog.

When you talk with Bill, you will also quickly find out he is a lifetime learner who not only  enjoys learning something new every day about the latest in lighting, but also loves teaching others about lighting, sales, marketing, management and life. This passion for teaching fuels the works he does as an adjunct professor teaching strategic marketing and management courses at Monmouth University since 2000.  His background as a lifetime learner and teacher inspired a new venture: www.learnerslive.com.  In describing the launch of LearnersLive.com, Attardi says it will be a learning experience where lighting professionals will have the opportunity to learn something every day, through virtual courses that will include marketing and management sessions developed through the courses he teaches at Monmouth University; interviews with lighting experts including Jim Benya, Deb Burnett, Mark Rea, Chris Brown and Bernie Erickson; and other lighting industry training websites and videos.

“Learning Showcase on LearnersLive.com is committed to the learning process,” he says in a LearnersLive.com post. “An activity that goes on and on and on, as it should. Every month, my passion as an educator is to contribute to that process with what I have learned over my lifetime.”  Effective Presentation Skills  is  currently posted at LearnersLive.com in three 30-minute virtual sessions, and in February Attardi will post his “Selling in the Executive Suite” video. He says the video will teach the special skills required to sell a major project to the executives that run a customer’s business.  “I have a passion for teaching and learning and have been doing it most of my life and for the past 20-plus years at Monmouth University,” Attardi says. “I want to continue doing it as long as God allows.”

EXKA Selects Sollum’s Dynamic LED Grow Light Solution for Enhanced Cannabis Production

William Attardi on January 23, 2025

Sollum Technologies is pleased to announce that EXKA, a leading cannabis producer in Québec, Canada, has chosen Sollum’s cutting-edge dynamic LED grow light solution as part of the expansion of their state-of-the art greenhouse facilities in Mirabel. This partnership marks a significant milestone in EXKA’s production capabilities, with the company increasing its greenhouse footprint by 50%. [News] EXKA Selects Sollum’s Dynamic LED Grow Light Solution for Enhanced Cannabis Production – LEDinside

High-Tech Partnership Invests $500 Billion in AI

William Attardi on January 23, 2025

President Donald Trump on Tuesday talked up a joint venture investing up to $500 billion for infrastructure tied to artificial intelligence by a new partnership formed by Sam Altman of OpenAI, Larry Ellison of Oracle, and Masayoshi Son of SoftBank. The new entity, Stargate, will start building out data centers and the electricity generation needed for the further development of the fast-evolving AI in Texas, according to the White House. The initial investment is expected to be $100 billion and could reach five times that sum. “This will be the most important project of this era,” said Altman, CEO of OpenAI. The White House has put an emphasis on making it easier to build out new electricity generation in anticipation of AI’s expansion, knowing that the United States is in a competitive race against China to develop a technology increasingly being adopted by businesses. High-Tech Partnership Invests $500 Billion in AI – electrifiED

AI-Driven Electronics Design by N. Mughees

William Attardi on January 22, 2025

The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) for designing and manufacturing electronic circuits is changing the game by making it possible to develop modern, high-quality products. Electronics manufacturers are improving efficiency of their products by leveraging AI tools throughout the production process, starting from initial design to final quality checks. Generative AI can quicky do the manual time-consuming work, saving time and money of the clients.  AI can detect and fix process irregularities, routing errors, and quality control, which is an essential part of producing electronics. This AI-integration is crucial for maintaining standards in sectors where traditional quality checks are expensive and time-consuming. AI-driven electronics design | Electronics360

Deals on Leases Drive EV Market by Christopher Otts

William Attardi on January 13, 2025

Toyota Motor’s only electric vehicle widely on sale in the U.S. starts at about $37,000. But practically nobody plunks down that much for the mid size SUV, named bZ4X. “Almost everyone leases the car,” Toyota U.S. sales chief David Christ said in a re cent interview. “You’d be a fool not to.” The Japanese-made SUV, which qualifies for a $7,500 federal subsidy only if it is leased, illustrates a broader shift in the way car companies are marketing electric cars to consumers, with more-afford able monthly payments and no long-term commitment. People who leased the Toyota in 2024 paid $445 a month on average, compared with $717 for those who financed the car through a purchase loan, according to credit bureau Experian. WQWLtBjXe8K8Ki1Y3MfL-WSJNewsPaper-1-13-2025.pdf

Passenger Screening: Reimagining Imaging at the Airport

William Attardi on January 9, 2025

In 2024, TSA screened three million people in a single day for the very first time. With unprecedented numbers of travelers passing through airports, S&T is focused on improving the airport experience of the future so passengers can move to their destinations with ease. New and retrofitted passenger screening systems are currently being tested at S&T’s Transportation Security Laboratory (TSL) in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The S&T Screening at Speed Program, in collaboration with TSA, is developing new concepts and technologies to help the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) meet the needs of passengers while also fine-tuning detection performance, so TSA continues to stay ahead of evolving threats and keep the traveling public safe. High Definition-Advanced Imaging Technology (HD-AIT) is the backbone of this development.  Passenger Screening: Reimagining Imaging At The Airport

The First Army-Navy Game – Cadets and midshipmen played their first football game Nov. 29, 1890 on “The Plain” at West Point. Navy had been playing organized football since 1879 and defeated the newly established Army team, 24-0. The historic event would become one of the most celebrated traditions in American college sports: the Army-Navy football game. This was not just a mere football match; it was the birth of a rivalry steeped in pride, honor, and the spirit of friendly competition between the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point and the United States Naval Academy (USNA) at Annapolis. The Army-Navy game is more than just a sporting event; it is a celebration of American military service, a showcase of athletic prowess, and a testament to the enduring spirit of rivalry and respect. It’s not just about who wins or loses; it’s about tradition, honor, and the unbreakable bond between two esteemed military institutions.