Business
Companies, production and the decisions shaping business.
Alstom trains planned for France-backed Moroccan high-speed expansion
A French financing plan supports Morocco’s proposed purchase of 18 Alstom high-speed trains, alongside the country’s rail-network expansion programme.
Bamboo-fibre composites: why the polymer interface matters
Bamboo fibre can reinforce a polymer, but the result depends on the matrix, fibre preparation and their interface. Research examples show why stiffness, strength and impact behaviour need separate assessment.
Black tea processing: how withering, oxidation and drying change the leaf
A black tea’s character develops through a sequence of leaf changes. Withering, rolling, enzymatic oxidation, drying and storage each influence pigments, aroma and the final infusion.
Buckwheat milling: how grain fractions shape flour
Russia's 2025 harvest update leads into the mill: dehulling, grain fractions and starch condition explain why buckwheat flours behave differently in food production.
Changan opens Rayong production base for regional and right-hand-drive markets
Changan has opened its Rayong factory in Thailand with initial annual capacity of 100,000 vehicles, alongside plans for expanded production and regional support.
Coffee roasting: why taste sensors and aroma tests differ
Temperature and time change several parts of a coffee profile. A Yellow Bourbon experiment separates taste-sensor responses, volatile patterns and odor observations, explaining why the three tests answer different questions.
Copper foil: grains, texture and bending fatigue
A copper-foil experiment connects rolling history, annealing and repeated bending. Its layer-specific results show why grain size, crystal orientation and the test conditions must remain beside any reported fatigue-life number.
Firefly begins Blue Ghost flight and completes initial spacecraft commissioning
Firefly Aerospace reports a successful launch, spacecraft separation and initial commissioning for Blue Ghost Mission 1, with lunar landing still ahead.
Molten-salt heat storage: mixtures, measurements and material stability
Molten salts carry and store heat in solar-tower systems. Two laboratory studies show how mixture composition, test conditions and equipment affect the properties being measured.
Nintendo prepares Uji museum linking its playing-card and video-game history
Nintendo plans to open its Uji museum on 2 October 2024. This former factory will display products, interactive exhibits and the company’s playing-card origins.
Olive paste malaxation: extraction, pigments and taste
Two short mixing trials at a Spanish olive mill produced different extraction and composition results. Their Royal-cultivar oils show why fruit batches, sampling points and expert tasting belong beside the processing time.
Nanofibres in moulded pulp: strength versus drainage
Cellulose nanofibres strengthened experimental pulp sheets but made water removal slower. A comparison of wood pulps, moulded test pieces and bowls shows why reinforcement must be assessed together with drainage and shape.
Saffron cultivation: corms, growing systems and spice quality
Indoor demonstrations in Kashmir and raised-bin trials in Umbria examine different ways to grow saffron, measure the harvested spice and study its genetic identity.
Silk degumming: removing sericin while preserving fibroin
Removing silk’s outer protein coating can also affect its fibroin core. A comparison of four enzyme treatments separates mass loss, estimated residual sericin and regenerated-protein measurements, showing why one number cannot describe the process.
SPHEREx prepares an all-sky infrared survey after spacecraft testing
SPHEREx plans an infrared survey of galaxies and Milky Way stars. Its January 2025 launch target follows spacecraft testing and sets out a public data programme
Timken plans staged job reductions at Springfield belt factory
Timken plans 97 job cuts at the Springfield belt plant while keeping the site open. The notice lists staged reductions as the company reshapes industrial motion
