Piab’s piCOMPACT 10 is for pick-and-place operations, including the handling of small, heavy parts for electronics, semiconductor, plastics, metal and medical applications. It cuts energy by 30 to 50 per cent compared with traditional ejectors, according to the company. The vacuum ejectors come in four versions and can be integrated into production lines without modifications.

FRANKFURT, Germany —Industrial engineering company Siemens AG is shaking up its organizational chart, spinning off light bulb maker Osram and forging a new division that will focus on energy-efficient infrastructure projects in the world’s cities. Osram GmbH will be sold off to investors in an initial public offering of shares later this year, said Munich-based Siemens, which makes a wide range of industrial equipment such as trains, power plants and medical diagnostic machines. The company said it is also adding a fourth major division—dubbed infrastructure and cities—that will bundle the company’s businesses in power distribution and transport equipment and take advantage of growth in the world’s cities

LAS VEGAS— Scott Bartosiewicz was an outsourced Chrysler employee in Detroit when he wrote the twitter update that wound up costing him his job: “I find it ironic that Detroit is known as the #motorcity and yet no one here knows how to (expletive) drive.” The tweet was supposed to go to his personal twitter account but went instead to Chrysler’s. He was sacked by his employer, a marketing firm that Chrysler was using. The automaker also canceled its contract with the firm.

FreshCase packaging—a groundbreaking new material technology from Curwood for case-ready meats—delivers the superior flavor, quality and extended shelf life of vacuum packaging; the fresh red color beef consumers prefer; and cost advantages that help processors and retailers maintain critical profit margins.

MONTREAL— Paper manufacturer Domtar is scaling back operations at its Ashdown, Ark. plant

WASHINGTON— Canada is above average when it comes to clean tech investments, according to a new report by the Pew Charitable Trusts. The U.S.-based research firm looked at global investments in clean energy among the G20 nations. Last year there was a record total of $243 billion invested

CALGARY: TransAlta Corp. is moving ahead with construction of the 66-megawatt New Richmond wind project located on the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec. A decree was issued from the Quebec government March 25 allowing TransAlta to begin pre-construction work in April. Commercial operations are to begin in the fourth quarter of 2012.

BOLDER, COLO— Foodservice manufacturer Eco-Products has launched the first-ever hot cup lid with recycled content. “While most of the industry has been focused on sustainable alternatives for paper hot cups, the lids for those cups have largely been ignored,” said Luke Vernon, COO of Eco-Products. That’s despite the fact that hot lids usually contain twice as much plastic as the lining of the actual cup and billions of virgin polystyrene lids are used each year in the U.S

COBOURG, ONT.— An investigation is underway into CN’s 25-tanker train derailment that spilled jet fuel in Southwestern Ontario.

PMMI , the owner and producer of the PACK EXPO family of trade shows, has announced that former U.S. Secretary of State and retired General Colin L.