USA and Canada

Bombardier’s visit to the Paris Air Show has proved fruitful, with large orders placed for both its CSeries and Global Business aircraft.

Most notably, with an order of up to 30 CS300 aircraft, Korean Air will become the new jet’s launch customer in Asia.

Korean Air, South Korea’s flagship airline, signed an agreement to acquire 10 Bombardier CS300 aircraft, with an additional 10 options and 10 purchase rights. The two companies signed a letter of intent following several months of negotiations, and made the announcement at the show today.

Toyota has announced that it expects its North American vehicle production levels to return to 100 percent in September.

Production is recovering earlier than originally anticipated following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Eight of the company’s 12 North American-built models returned to 100 percent production on 6 June.

“After September we will focus on making-up lost production as much as possible,” said Steve St. Angelo, executive vice president of Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing, North America.

Arch Coal today announced the completion of its acquisition of International Coal Group Inc, for $3.4 billion.

Prior to the merger, Arch had acquired approximately 92 percent of ICG's outstanding shares of common stock in connection with its previously disclosed tender offer. ICG has now become a wholly owned subsidiary of Arch.

"We are pleased with the swift and successful completion of the ICG transaction, which will add tremendous value for Arch's stakeholders in the coming years," said Steven F. Leer, Arch's chairman and chief executive officer.

Swedish telecommunications operator Ericsson has agreed to acquire New Jersey, US-based Telcordia for $1.15 billion.

Telcordia develops mobile, broadband and enterprise communications software and services within the operations support systems/business support systems (OSS/BSS) field.

Ericsson said Telcordia’s core competence and leading market position within the OSS/BSS market would reinforce and expand its own existing competences.

Sunnyvale, California-based positioning technology specialist Trimble today announced the acquisition of Yamei Electronics Technology, Co. Ltd, a Chinese wholly foreign owned entity (WFOE) of Digisec Group of the Caymans.

Financial terms have not been disclosed.

VF Corporation, the apparel business best known for its Wrangler brand, is to acquire The Timberland Company to create a $10 billion global apparel and footwear powerhouse.

The two companies signed a definitive merger agreement today under which VF will pay Timberland shareholders $43 per share, representing a total enterprise value of approximately $2 billion. The merger agreement was unanimously approved by both companies' boards of directors.

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has agreed to sell its global wire business to Hyosung Corporation, a multinational corporation with substantial tire reinforcement operations, for $50 million.

The business manufactures tire reinforcement wire in Asheboro, North Carolina, and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg, employing around 600 people.

Goodyear and Hyosung will also sign a multi-year supply agreement upon closing, which is expected to occur in the third quarter of 2011.

General Dynamics Information Technology, a business unit of General Dynamics, has been awarded a task order through the US General Services Administration's Alliant Contract to support the relocation of the US Department of Homeland Security's headquarters.

The task order has a ceiling value of $876 million and duration of seven years if all options are exercised.

Mazda Motor Corporation has said it will build its next midsize automobile entirely in Japan, rather than the United States.

Its current midsize model Mazda6 (known as Atenza in Japan) is produced in three locations, the Hofu Plant in Japan, AutoAlliance International (AAI) in Michigan, USA, and at FAW Car Co., Ltd. in Changchun, Jilin province, China.

The company said it would continue to make the Mazda6 in the US “until the end of its current cycle plan” but that its successor would be made in Hofu.

Thomas R. Cutler investigates the role of automated guided vehicles and the need for independent experts to facilitate their implementation in food and consumer packaged goods.

Suppliers of end-of-line automation and material handling in the food sector have a distinct scope of technology to consider, including various types of palletizing robots, stretch wrapping equipment, labeling systems, pallet control systems, and laser-guided automatic vehicles.