Site selection professionals surveyed by national publication Area Development once again ranked Alabama in the top five states for doing business, citing its strong labor climate and workforce development programs. Alabama ranked No. 5 in Area Development’s 2015 “Top States For Doing Business” analysis, appearing this week online. It’s the sixth consecutive year that Alabama […]

Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield will lead a trade and business development mission to South Africa and Tanzania this month that will permit Alabama businesses to explore partnership and export opportunities in a fast-growing region. Representatives from six Alabama companies will join Secretary Canfield and international trade specialists from around the state on the 10-day mission […]

CULLMAN, Alabama – European auto parts maker REHAU formally opened its first North American technical center at the company’s manufacturing facility in Cullman, creating a U.S. site to handle research and development functions that had been conducted primarily in Germany. REHAU said the ultra-modern technical center, staffed with 45 engineers, will enable the company bundle production, […]

MONTGOMERY, Alabama – Mercedes-Benz supplier Samvardhana Motherson Group plans to open a $150 million manufacturing facility in Tuscaloosa County, creating 650 jobs by the fourth year of operation, officials announced today. The new venture, called SMP Automotive Systems Alabama Inc., will manufacture various exterior and interior components for future models produced at the Mercedes assembly […]

A student team from Russellville is aiming for even loftier goals after winning a major U.S. rocketry competition and then a high-profile international contest at this summer’s Paris Air Show. The RCS Engineering Team, made up of seven middle and high school students from Franklin County, plans to follow its triumph in Paris by participating […]

Though the country may just now be discovering Birmingham’s dynamic food scene, locals have been talking about it for years. Birmingham Restaurant Week, now in its sixth year, plans to celebrate this local scene with style. With more than 60 participating restaurants, the event is expected to experience its best year yet with a focus […]

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Auto supplier Kamtek announced plans today to invest $530 million in an expansion of its Alabama operation that includes opening a new aluminum casting facility to meet automaker demands for lighter parts. Kamtek, whose parent company is Canada-based Magna International, says the expansion project in Birmingham will add 354 jobs to its […]

DECATUR, Ala. — Switzerland-based RUAG announced Friday that it will launch an Alabama manufacturing operation after forming a strategic partnership with United Launch Alliance, which produces rockets at a factory in Decatur. RUAG, one of Europe’s leading suppliers of products for the space industry, said the new Alabama operation will produce carbon-fiber components for ULA’s […]

AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn University and NASA today signed a Space Act Agreement to explore and advance the applications of additive manufacturing, or 3-D printing — a technology that will revolutionize how all kinds of products, from simple items to components in rocket engines, are made. The signing took place during the university’s forum on […]

Alabama Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield says initiatives to expand the availability of renewable energy in the state will enhance Alabama’s ability to compete for some economic development projects. This year, TVA entered into a 20-year agreement to purchase 80 megawatts of solar power from NextEra’s solar facility near Florence, and just last month Google and […]

AUBURN, Ala. — German manufacturer Schmidt Maschinenbau GmbH announced that it has selected Auburn, Alabama, as the location for its first U.S. manufacturing operation. Starting in 2016, Schmidt USA will produce engine components including balance shafts and gear wheels in Auburn for Mercedes-Benz and other German car manufacturers. “Schmidt’s decision to open a manufacturing facility […]

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — Dr. Condoleezza Rice, the 66th U.S. Secretary of State, will deliver the keynote address at a November joint meeting of groups that seek to promote trade, investment and cultural exchange between seven Southeastern states and Japan. Dr. Rice, a Birmingham native who served as the chief U.S. diplomat from 2005 to 2009 […]

The Alabama Innovation Fund has $4.5 million to support programs that seek to leverage research performed by the state’s universities and other institutions to generate new ventures, create jobs and spur additional economic development opportunities. Created in 2012 as part of the “Accelerate Alabama” strategic growth plan, the Alabama Innovation Fund awards grants to bolster […]

AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn University is positioned to become a key training center for commercial operators of unmanned aircraft as it launches the nation’s first FAA-authorized flight school for those piloting the aerial systems. Auburn’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Flight School represents the latest chapter in the university’s longstanding involvement in aviation, and the program is […]

AUBURN, Ala. — GE Aviation is turning its facility in Auburn into the world’s first factory for 3-D printed jet engine fuel nozzles, landing the Alabama plant a starring role in a technology that promises to revolutionize aerospace manufacturing. GE Aviation, one of the world’s top aircraft engine producers, announced plans to introduce high-volume production […]

Alabama’s aerospace industry has already flown to the moon with the Saturn V rocket. Now, it’s ready for a new set of missions that will keep this critical sector of Alabama’s economy soaring in revolutionary ways. With aviation and aerospace officials from around the globe gathering at this week’s Paris Air Show, it’s time to […]

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – Engineers and scientists in the Huntsville area are using next-generation manufacturing techniques and the latest advances in rocket engine technology to build cost-efficient hardware aimed at lifting U.S. ambitions in space and safeguarding security at home. Dynetics, a Huntsville firm with roots dating back 40 years, and partner Aerojet Rocketdyne are leaders […]

MONTGOMERY, Alabama – Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield is leading an Alabama delegation to next week’s 2015 Paris Air Show as part of a strategic, team-focused effort to build on the state’s increasingly prominent position in the global aerospace and aviation sector. The Alabama team arrives at the industry’s most important business-development and trade show just […]

MONTGOMERY, Alabama – Exactly 10 years ago Wednesday, former President George H.W. Bush took the stage at Hyundai’s new Alabama plant for a splashy grand opening ceremony. Chairman M.K. Chung was on hand for the celebration, along with top state officials. At one point, Korean pop sensation Elec Cookie delivered a rendition of Oh Susanna, […]

A team of students from Russellville won first place in the world’s largest rocketry competition, earning the right to represent the United States in an international fly-off at the Paris International Airshow in June. The RCS Engineers Rocketry Team beat out 100 competing teams to claim victory in the 2015 national finals of the Team […]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iWhIBRfiSA (Video above: Zagat names Birmingham its #1 “Next Hot Food City”) BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Zagat ranked Birmingham No. 1 on its new list of the nation’s up-and-coming food cities, singling out its tasty mix of high-end and casual dining spots and a growing cocktail culture. Zagat – an authority on where to eat, dine […]

LINCOLN, Alabama – A new $71.4 million engine assembly facility at Honda’s Alabama plant is so advanced that its 250 workers and 92 robots can turn out 1,500 V-6 engines per day, thanks to automated systems that can handle tasks such as assembling and installing pistons. The sophisticated new engine line at Honda’s facility in […]

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Grayson Hall, who leads Alabama’s only Fortune 500 company, has been named the 2015-16 private sector chairman for the Southeast U.S.-Japan Association as the group prepares for a joint meeting in Alabama with its Japanese counterpart. Hall, who serves as chairman, president and chief executive officer of Regions Financial Corp., will lead […]

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Workers in Alabama assemble rockets that blast satellites into orbit, warships that patrol the seas, automobiles that are driven around the world. They design aircraft components, identify cancer-fighting drugs, operate robots that keep factory floors humming. But Alabama’s workforce can’t operate on autopilot. How can we make sure that the state has […]