USA and Canada

US vehicle manufacturers are producing higher-quality vehicles than ever before, according to the JD Power and Associates 2012 US Initial Quality Study (IQS) released today.

WABCO Holdings Inc, a tier-one supplier to the commercial vehicle industry, has entered into a long-term supply agreement with Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA).

WABCO will supply its MAXXUS air disc brake technology for series production on DTNA's trucks starting in July 2012.

Pioneered in Europe, MAXXUS represents the lightest and highest performing single-piston air disc brake for North America's commercial vehicle industry, reducing the vehicle's overall weight, which boosts fuel efficiency and enables increased transport payload.

Liberty Gold Corp. has acquired a 60 percent interest McCord Creek Property gold project in central Alaska's Tolovana Mining District.

Liberty Gold will be the project's operator.

The McCord Creek project comprises 14 State mining claims located 70 miles northwest of Fairbanks in the Tintina Gold Belt, which has produced nearly 30 million ounces of gold to date and has experienced accelerated gold exploration, development, and mining activity over the years.

Romarco Minerals has renegotiated a number of key contracts to re-align equipment deliveries for the development of the Haile Gold Mine in South Carolina.

Last month, Romarco received a schedule from the US Army Corps of Engineers for completing the Environmental Impact Statement for the Federal 404 Wetlands permit. The schedule gives the decision date for the permit as 16 August 2013, somewhat later than Romarco had anticipated.

After nearly a year of planning and preparation in the design phase, Good Samaritan Hospital in Vincennes, Indiana, has broken ground on its $109 million building expansion- the Beacon Project.

The project consists of a 200,000 square foot, five-story, 120-bed inpatient tower to be known as Gibault Memorial, as well as a redesign of key health care service areas and upgrade of the hospital’s critical engineering systems.

Despite the contribution mining makes to any economy there are always plenty of hoops to be climbed through as Alan Swaby learns in conversation with one of Canada’s representative bodies.

Anadarko Petroleum has announced the discovery of a “significant” natural gas accumulation at one of its wells offshore Mozambique.

The discovery was made in the Offshore Area 1 of the Rovuma Basin. The Atum discovery well encountered more than 300 net feet (92 metres) of natural gas pay in two high-quality Oligocene fan systems, the company said.

Insight Imaging, based in Lake Forest, California, and Center for Diagnostic Imaging, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, today announced plans to merge.

Together, Insight and CDI will form one of the largest medical imaging and related services organizations in the US, with a footprint of 116 fixed centers in 25 states and 90 mobile MRI and PET/CT units. The transaction is expected to close in July.

Canadian engineering consultancy Genivar has announced it will merge with its UK-based rival WSP.

Genivar will acquire all of WSP’s shares for around £278 million.

The companies said that given their complementary geographic footprints, end-market exposures and service offerings and limited client overlap, the business fit is expected to provide revenue diversification as well as enhanced capabilities to better serve their combined client base on a global basis.

Harry Winston Diamond Corporation announced its first quarter Fiscal 2013 results today for the quarter ending 30 April 2012. 

Consolidated sales increased 34 percent to $192.5 million for the first quarter compared to $143.9 million for the comparable quarter of the prior year. Operating profit was $18.7 million compared to $4.7 million in the comparable quarter of last year.