With the aid of both ergonomists and users, Morse Controls has brought out a new type of programmable joystick that will enable more ergonomic operation of equipment, such as industrial vehicles.

The beginning of May marks the introduction of new manufacturing standards and quality control systems at Stora Enso's Baienfurt plant in Germany. It is believed to be the first mill in Europe to base its folding box board manufacturing on the stringent hygiene and quality standards normally found only within the pharmaceutical industry that meet European Directives for Good Manufacturing Practice,GMP.

The Swedish company SSAB Oxelösund claims to be the first in the world to guarantee the precision of their AccuRollTech rolled steel plate. The guarantee covers thickness tolerances and applies both to ordinary steel and the Hardox and Weldox grades, in plate dimensions from 4 mm to 150 mm. These close thickness tolerances for rolled plate have been made possible by means of a new and advanced four-high rolling mill. "Today we can produce plate with a thickness tolerance down to +/-0.2 mm", says Johan Anderson, Business Development Manager for the company. Such close tolerances save weight and material, and have many other advantages too.

The Swedish start-up Gatespace announced today that it has received $ 11 million in a first round of financing. The group of European and US investors includes: Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, Fuqua Venture Partners, European Equity Partners, Pythagoras Participations, Investment AB Bure and T-bolaget. The new funds enable rapid expansion of Gatespace's development of products for services gateways for intelligent residential, automotive and industrial applications.

Oral vaccine would be delivered by "bacterial robot" and be produced and sold for far less than other AIDS vaccine candidates

Using separate safety and welding helmets is felt by many to be heavy and awkward.Hörnell International is launching this spring a new solution that specifically combines these two products. It is based on the Speedglas 9000 automatic anti-dazzle welding helmet. The securing arrangement that permits the automatic welding helmet to be used together with an existing safety helmet relies on a newly-developed locking mechanism.

A completely new generation of automatic door openers has been developed by Besam Limited. The new universal Power Swing will be able to replace many older types of opener, since all previously required functions and performance are incorporated into a single model. This also meets the requirements of both the market and the authorities.

The market for milk-based desserts is undergoing a period of tough competition between different brands. New brands and flavour combinations appear on supermarket shelves every month. Valio, one of the Nordic countries' dairy giants, stands out clearly from the competition with its packaging choice. The company's Fanny line of custards is packaged in half-litre gable-top cartons from which the custard is easy to serve into dessert bowls.

A new series of vacuum conveyors manufactured in accordance with the USDA standard has been developed by the vacuum technology company PIAB. This series is designed to meet the stricter demands on processing equipment set by the food products and pharmaceutical industries.

An increased emphasis on noise reduction in industrial environments has been made by Hägglunds Drives. It is offering customers greater flexibility in noise control solutions in applications that employ hydraulic drive systems.