Jobs at risk
Article Abstract:
High technology companies around the world with employees to cut from the payroll are led by IBM with 90,000 jobs cut, General Motors in the US with 74,000 jobs cut, British Telecom in the UK with 65,000 jobs eliminated, Daimler-Benz in Germany with 40,000 employees laid off, and Nippon Telegraph & Telephone in Japan with 33,000 layoffs in 1992 - 1993. Cuts range from a small percentage to a third of a company's workforce. Engineers from research and development, manufacturing and management are being given their leave. The repercussions to job elimination on such a large scale are seen in the airline industry needing fewer new passenger planes, less aluminum needed by airframe manufacturers, and fewer components. Many of the layoffs of engineers are the result of permanent structural changes in the way high-tech companies plan to conduct business in the 21st century, and are not merely a reaction to bad economic times. Recovery is expected to begin at a whimper, not with a bang. Detailed information is provided on job losses at specific companies in Europe, Japan and the US.
Publication Name: IEEE Spectrum
Subject: Engineering and manufacturing industries
ISSN: 0018-9235
Year: 1993
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Choosing the best battery for portable equipment
Article Abstract:
Size, shape, and energy density are the most important considerations for the engineer responsible for choosing the best battery design for portable equipment. The size of a cell should be based on the highest discharge rate and the lowest operating temperature expected. In March of 1987 Duracell designed a zinc-air button cell 1.2 in diameter by 0.4in. high producing more than 7AH with a flat discharge. If space inside a device is not too tight, a designer can increase the size of the battery and thus increase its current and power. The newest options in primary (nonrechargeable) batteries are zinc-air and lithium. Some useful publications are recommended and briefly described.
Publication Name: IEEE Spectrum
Subject: Engineering and manufacturing industries
ISSN: 0018-9235
Year: 1988
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Gallium arsenide shrinks power pack
Article Abstract:
Toshiba Corporation in Tokyo, Japan, has developed the world's smallest power amplifier module using gallium arsenide. This small power amplifier is a first power metal semiconductor field effect transistor and operates at 2.7 volts. The power amplifier is small and easy to manufacture, thereby reducing the overall size of the devices in which it is used.
Publication Name: IEEE Spectrum
Subject: Engineering and manufacturing industries
ISSN: 0018-9235
Year: 1995
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