Automotive manufacturers want their ERP to be able to streamline business processes, improve collaboration and support them in achieving operational excellence.

By Wolfram Schmid

The automotive industry continues to face one of the most demanding market contexts. Although the prospects for growth are huge in emerging economies, automakers and their suppliers are suffering from aggressive competition, shrinking traditional markets, increasing production costs and chronic overcapacity.

We are witnessing the large-scale industrialization of the data center, owned and operated by the ICT operators, with security technologies in the hands of the end user to remove any need to trust their human operators.

Engage every employee in improvement and you won’t think of replacing them with robots.

By Mark Graban

Nobody's perfect. What quality or ability do you wish you had?

The ability to read minds! On a more serious note—wisdom. We acquire knowledge at a tremendous pace, and using it wisely is a real skill.

 What is the best business book you have ever read, and why?

Five marine energy developers are to benefit from £7.9 million in funding to develop the testing of new wave and tidal prototypes in Scottish waters.

The second round of WATERS (Wave & Tidal Energy: Research, Development & Demonstration Support) funding is to enable Scottish developers and supply chain firms to capture an increased share of the growing international marine energy market, which could be worth up to £4 billion to Scotland’s economy by 2020.

Today Google launched an initial set of Google+ features designed specifically for businesses, initiating a full preview mode for Apps customers.

During the preview period, organizations that have “gone Google” will be able to use the business features of Google+ free of charge through the end of 2013, as more features continue to be added.

A relative newcomer to the tire business, Eurotire is making room for itself in a crowded marketplace.

Imagine the situation: a new name in off-road tires for the mining industry is trying to break into a market dominated by three of the biggest brands in the world. At the other end of the spectrum, customers are losing faith in unknown brands thanks to masses of inferior Chinese tires flooding the market and failing to live up to expectation.

In a land where mining is centuries old, one of the country’s most productive 21st century practitioners is focusing on operating sustainably, responsibly—and profitably.

Inevitably, there are many superlatives to be heard in any discussion about the Goldcorp operations in Mexico. In a country with such a long tradition in mining as Mexico, Goldcorp is the most important producer of gold, zinc and lead there has ever been. Even with silver, Goldcorp is a close second to the country’s largest producer.

Private power producers are set to increase Kenya’s electricity generation capacity by 285 megawatts to spur economic growth and improve competitiveness, the World Bank has announced.

Various agreements for the first project, Thika Power, were signed yesterday by Kenya’s government, Kenya Power, Citibank, and the World Bank. The project will add 87 megawatts of capacity and the electricity produced will be purchased and distributed by Kenya Power.