News
Southern Research Institute attacks cancer, environmental challenges and more
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – At Southern Research Institute, scientists are researching novel cancer therapies, testing advanced materials at temperatures up to 5,000 degrees and developing solutions to daunting environmental challenges. The not-for-profit research organization, whose main campus stands close to the University of Alabama at Birmingham, can offer clients a broad range of capabilities, according to…
How it will be made in Alabama: Airbus A320 production, from start to finish
MOBILE, Alabama — What will Airbus A320 production on the aviation giant’s final assembly line at Mobile Brookley Aeroplex look like? A video from Airbus paints a picture of how the A320 family of aircraft produced in Alabama could come together in the company’s new $600 million facility beginning in 2015. In the video, an A320 family jetliner is…
Alabama STEM education initiative gets worldwide attention
MONTGOMERY, Alabama — Six-year-old Blake examines three small wheat seeds under a magnifying glass and then documents what he has observed. He pinches together a piece of paper towel until it fits into a straw. The student deposits his seeds in the straw and the teacher places the straws in cups. The class discusses whether…
HudsonAlpha Institute builds base in Huntsville for biotech research
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — A biotechnology park – the brainchild of the successful Huntsville entrepreneurs behind the HudsonAlpha Institute – showcases the promise of biotechnology in Alabama. Entrepreneur Lonnie McMillian co-founded ADTRAN, the second largest supplier of telecommunications equipment in the U.S. Jim Hudson Jr. created Research Genetics, the world’s leader in genetic linkage products. Research Genetics…
AIDT training programs give Alabama advantage in industrial recruiting
MONTGOMERY, Alabama – In just about every corner of Alabama, AIDT, the state’s top-ranked job-training agency, is helping companies assemble workforces and upgrading worker skill sets. AIDT training programs are preparing workers to build “Made-in-Alabama” products such as next-generation warships for the U.S. Navy and luxury automobiles sold around the globe. The agency is teaching…
AIDT Maritime Training Center readies workers for jobs in Alabama shipyards
MOBILE, Alabama – An eight-week welding course at the AIDT Maritime Training Center gave Rodney Patrick a future he didn’t expect – a career in shipbuilding. Around three years ago, the Mobile County man was working as an investigator for a law firm when the economic downturn put him on the job-search trail. A friend suggested…
Hyundai manufacturing plant in Alabama sets records as activity hums around clock
MONTGOMERY, Alabama – The Hyundai manufacturing plant in Alabama, already one of the U.S. auto industry’s most productive, is set to power output to record levels in 2013 after adding a third shift at the $1.7 billion facility. The third production shift, initiated last September, provided an immediate capacity boost at a plant that Automobile Magazine named…
Alabama Aviation Center trains students for careers in growing aerospace industry
MOBILE, Alabama — It’s two years before Airbus begins producing airplanes in Mobile, but Alabama students have already taken flight through training at the Alabama Aviation Center. They are getting prepared for the jobs of the future in an industry that will alter the landscape of Alabama much like Mercedes-Benz did with its auto plant…
Mercedes-Benz recruiter sees more expansion for Alabama auto manufacturing sector
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — Billy Joe Camp had a front-row seat for Project Rosewood, the recruiting effort that brought Mercedes-Benz to Alabama, and has witnessed every development in the Alabama auto manufacturing industry ever since. He remains bullish on the sector’s prospects after two decades of dynamic growth. Back in 1993, Camp headed the Alabama Development Office,…
Expansions, new projects fuel growth of manufacturing jobs across Alabama
A manufacturing boom means Alabama is poised to produce more automobiles, engines, ships, railcars and airplane components. It also means thousands of new manufacturing jobs across a state whose economy continues to be reshaped by industrial projects. “Industrial development throughout the state remains in high gear with many companies announcing expansions to their existing operations or…