In case you missed it, Swiss-based ABB will acquire Baldor Electric Company  beginning December 2010 in an all-cash deal.  The $4.2 billion deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2011.

Why?  For ABB, this transaction fills in a gap in ABB’s automation offerings by folding in Baldor’s successful NEMA motor line and will better position the company as a major player in the industrial motor market, including high-efficiency motors.  It will also bump up ABB’s mechanical power transmission business and will significantly broaden ABB’s access to North American industrial customers.

Don’t let media doom and gloomers make you think manufacturing growth and excellence in the U.S. is a thing of the past.  Hardly!

For one thing, new reports show manufacturing  technology consumption is up 62% in 2010 compared to the same time period in 2009.  That’s including a typical summer slowdown.  FYI, “manufacturing technology consumption” is just a fancy term that actually means the purchase of new machine tools and related equipment.  Manufacturers don’t invest in that much new equipment if they aren’t feeling positive about the future!

Attention all Manufacturers:   ABB is now promoting FUN!  Fun? At work you say?  Under the interesting news category we hear that ABB has teamed with tracermedia interactive to create an electronic game that entertains AND educates manufacturing plant professionals. 

Players have fun while experiencing how their reliability decisions will impact performance down the line and the overall business. Since this a virtual situation, your team can enjoy the challenge without worrying  about disastrous results.

It works like this:  players are members of a failing company.  Then, the game takes them through a series of real-life problems that require  reliability solutions to win the ABB Reliability Challenge.  The virtual manufacturing world gives players a sample of what companies may face in the real world.