Meeting the moment

How Iowa suppliers contributed in the race to build personal protective equipment Early on in 2020, headlines of product shortages began hitting the screens and newstands. Consumers worried about finding diapers, toilet paper and disinfectant spray; organizations employing essential workers were suddenly seeking personal protective equipment for their staff. Chris…

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MakuSafe CEO named top 25 leader by SME Media’s Smart Manufacturing Magazine

Gabriel Glynn, CEO and cofounder of West Des Moines-based MakuSafe, is one of the top 25 leaders in manufacturing as recognized by SME Media’s Smart Manufacturing Magazine, MakuSafe announced this week. Glynn and co-founder/CTO Mark Frederick launched MakuSafe’s wearable armband devices and MakuSmart SaaS platform to the market in early 2020 as…

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ISU, Alliant Energy partner to deliver 9,000 face shields to schools, daycares

Alliant Energy and the Iowa State University Digital Manufacturing Lab are partnering with two Iowa companies to provide 9,000 free face shields to schools and daycare facilities across the state, Alliant Energy announced on Wednesday. Alliant Energy has started delivering the face shields developed, produced and donated by the Digital…

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Wells Enterprises names Gwendolyn Hatten Butler to board of directors

Wells Enterprises Inc. announced it has appointed Gwendolyn Hatten Butler, president and chief investment officer of Capri Investment Group, to its board of directors. Hatten Butler will be the second female board member and the first African American woman on the board. She has more than 35 years of experience…

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JCI Industries acquired by Ohio Transmission Corp.

Ohio Transmission Corp., an industrial equipment service provider and distributor based in Columbus, Ohio, has acquired JCI Industries Inc., a provider of pumps, motors, controls, field service and remanufacturing to commercial, industrial and environmental customers throughout the Midwest. Based in Lee’s Summit, Mo., near Kansas City, JCI Industries has seven sales and…

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DMACC receives donation from Mercedes-Benz for automotive technology center

Mercedes-Benz USA donated a 2015 C300 vehicle and a Xentry diagnosis kit to the Des Moines Area Community College Automotive Technology program, the first donation by Mercedes-Benz, DMACC announced this week. Students will use the vehicle and diagnosis kit at the Karl Chevrolet Automotive Technology Center on the Ankeny campus,…

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John Deere receives CES Innovation Award in Robotics category

John Deere’s X Series combines received a Robotics category award at CES, the national trade show hosted by the Consumer Technology Association, John Deere announced Wednesday. John Deere is a CES Innovation Award Honoree for the X Series, which uses ActiveVision camera technology to help farmers see inside a combine’s grain…

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Deere will deploy 5G in manufacturing facilities

Deere & Co. has received 5G licenses in five Iowa and Illinois counties as part of the Federal Communications Commission auction for the Citizens Broadband Radio Service 3.5 GHz spectrum, enabling Deere to accelerate the availability of 5G in its largest manufacturing facilities in North America, the company announced this…

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Rantizo launches sanitization spraying for stadiums, sports arenas

Agtech startup Rantizo, primarily known as a drone spraying service for row crop farmers, is launching stadium and sports arena drone spraying services to help large-scale event vendors with sanitization efforts, the Iowa City company announced this week. Sports organizations or open areas needing to be sanitized will be charged…

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