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ROBERT BOSCH Robert Bosch Power Tools is constructing a new office building at headquarters in Leinfelden, Germany. The new building will provide space for around 600 employees who have been working in other buildings. Henning von Boxberg, president of the Bosch Power Tools division, said they are going to create a state-of-the-art working environment in the new building that will promote creativity and cross-functional cooperation. The design also incorporates quiet spaces and private areas to enable employees to concentrate on individual work as well. The space is being designed for maximum flexibility so it will be able to meet changing needs. Bosch is also planning the building to be environmentally friendly; the LED lighting will be controlled by occupancy and movement sensors and sanitary facilities will use rainwater. E-bike charging stations will be installed by bicycle parking spaces and changing rooms and showers will be provided for people who cycle to work. The Leinfelden location is the headquarters of the Bosch power tools division. It is home to development, marketing and administration, as well as production. A total of 1,700 employees work at the headquarters location. STANLEY BLACK & DECKER DeWalt unveiled what the company says is the world’s first lithium-ion battery that automatically changes voltage to fit the tool it’s plugged in to. Batteries for cordless power tools usually work at just one voltage level. DeWalt’s Flexvolt battery will be able to power their new line of 60-and 120-volt cordless power tools that was introduced simultaneously with the battery, along with all of DeWalt’s 65 existing 20-volt cordless power tools. Battery and tools will be available to consumers this fall. SB&D said they are hoping that the new technology could allow some professional job sites to go cordless. They are hoping this latest innovation will help them gain a larger share of the professional power tool market. Authorized online dealer Acme Tools is taking advance orders for the FlexVolt system, and telling consumers that the products will become available in mid-to-late August. DeWalt reportedly filed a 500-page patent application for their new battery. Among other products being introduced is what the company says is the first cordless table saw, powered by a single 60-volt battery. Frank Mannarino, president of the professional products group at SB&D, said the table saw, which has a brushless motor, would be able to cut about 300 feet of wood on a fully charged battery. The battery reportedly provides more than triple the battery power of DeWalt’s 18V NiCad battery. NEWELL BRANDS Newell Brands gave new fiscal guidance for 2016, with legacy Newell Rubbermaid core sales growth of 4% to 5% and legacy Jarden core sales growth of 2% to 4%, which includes the negative impact of planned product line exits. Newell Brands expects to exit product lines with annual sales of $250 million to $300 million across both legacy businesses over the next two to three years. TTI/TECHTRONIC INDUSTRIES Sales for fiscal 2015 rose 6% to a record U.S. $5.0 billion. Sales adjusted for foreign currency grew 10.5%. Power Equipment sales grew 11.8% to U.S. $4.0 billion, accounting for 78.8% of total sales. The Milwaukee business grew 23.7% adjusted for foreign currency. Milwaukee will create between 50 and 75 new jobs as part of their planned $1.5 million expansion in Greenwood, Mississippi. The additional jobs will bring the total number of Milwaukee Tool employees at the facility to 583. The Greenwood City Council approved a proposed Urban Renewal Plan that includes the city-owned building and grounds that Milwaukee is using that will provide up to an additional $2 million with a 10% match. The city also approved a 10-year ad valorem tax exemption for Milwaukee and the hiring of Mike Rozier Construction to work on the expansion project. TRIMBLE Trimble is partnering with Gensler, a leading global architecture and design firm, to collaborate on exploring the intersection of human interfaces, architecture and computing using mixed-use reality technology. With mixed reality, the primary mode of interaction is spatial. Design teams can review and interact with 3D models in the context of their physical environment and explore previously invisible aspects of a building’s performance. Trimble is partnering with AECOM and collaborating on what they say is the world’s first use of Microsoft HoloLens mixed-reality technology for engineering and construction. HoloLens technology adds holograms of 3D objects into a user’s view and allows the user to interact with the objects. AECOM is deploying HoloLens devices and Trimble technologies in real-world projects, including the Serpentine Galleries annual architectural program in London which will produce four Summer Houses with complex, unconventional designs and structures using the technology. Designers and engineers can view the complex structures as if they were 3D models placed on a table, and then zoom in to virtually move through the structural framework. This ability allows team members to discover and correct problems and conflicts before actual construction begins. IRON BRIDGE TOOLS FILES CHAPTER 11 Iron Bridge Tools filed for Chapter 11 protection. The company makes hand tools that are sold in Home Depot, Best Buy, Target, Advance Auto Parts and other retail outlets. True Value is among the creditors named in the filing, along with several companies based in China. © Robert Bosch Tool Corporation. All rights reserved, no copying or reproducing is permitted without prior written approval.
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