Alabama tech company Dynetics joins Leidos as $1.65B deal closes
The sale of Dynetics, a Huntsville research and government contracting company, to the holding company Leidos has been completed for $1.65 billion in cash, Leidos announced Friday. Dynetics has contracts with the Pentagon, NASA and commercial companies across a range of science and technology fields. It is active in laser weapons, rocket testing and propulsion, automobile diagnostic equipment and advanced manufacturing, among other things. – AL.com
National Cement making solid progress on $250M expansion
National Cement Co. of Alabama has broken ground on its $250 million plant expansion in the Saint Clair County town of Ragland. The expansion is built adjacent to the company’s existing plant on Highway 144. The work should be complete by 2020 and is the biggest economic project in a seven-county region of central Alabama. It is by far the town’s biggest employer and accounts for 70 to 75 percent of Ragland’s economy, according to Mayor Richard Bunt. – Cemnet
Coca-Cola Bottling Company United opens $86M distribution facility
Coca-Cola Bottling Company United of Birmingham has opened a new sales and distribution center in Union City, Georgia, following an investment of $86 million. The 456,000 South Metro Sales Center – which also includes a warehouse, fleet shop, administrative offices and meeting space – represents one of the largest investments in a sales center in the U.S. Coca-Cola System. – FoodBev Media
U.S. Steel says it saw a $680M net lost for last quarter of 2019
Pittsburgh-based United States Steel Corp. has reported a $680 million net loss in the fourth quarter of 2019, wiping out gains it had made earlier in the year. For the year, the steelmaker has reported a net loss of $642 million. The 2019 loss compares with full-year 2018 net earnings of more than $1.1 billion. U.S. Steel says it “expects the first quarter of 2020 to be the trough for the year, due to the normal seasonality of our mining operations and lower first quarter shipments in flat-rolled [steel]….” The company’s Tubular Division is investing in scrap-fed EAF technology at its mill in Fairfield, Alabama. – Recycling Today
Alleged Ford engineer calls out Tesla on build quality
Allegedly, a Ford engineer thought it was wise to criticize Tesla for shoddy build quality and other questionable safety concerns, but then the engineer deleted all of the comments. The Ask Me Anything thread on Reddit had this zinger: “Their tech and engineering in battery and HV electronics and harnessing outpaces the industry by 5yrs easy, but their logistics and quality is so poor I’m astonished that the things have as few problems as they do.” – Inside EVs
