Kuka robots chosen for plastic trimming system: Clinton Township-based Kuka Robotics Corp. said Monday that it had been selected by a new system partner, Rimrock Corp. of Columbus, Ohio, as its robotics supplier for the RoboRouter 200, a new addition to Rimrock's plastic and composite trimming system product line. Rimrock's New Berlin, Wis.-based manufacturing division will use the Kuka KR 60 robot in its system, which will allow manufacturers to increase productivity, throughput and reliability. The pre-designed routing, cutting and trimming robotic system uses the Kuka robot, inverted and mounted to a Güdel TrackMotion system. providing a reliable and cost effective alternative to manual or CNC router operations. The Kuka KR 60 is a six-axis robot with a reach of 2,429 millimeters (nearly eight feet) and a payload of up to 60 kilograms (132 pounds). The track gives the robot a seventh axis of motion. Kuka is a subsidiary of Augsburg, Germany-based Kuka Roboter GmbH. More at www.rimrockcorp.com or www.kukarobotics.com.

LTU plans IT career fair: Corporate recruiters are invited to attend the first Information Technology Career Fair at Lawrence Technological University on Wednesday, March 21. Lawrence Tech's Office of Career Services has created the career fair for corporate recruiters looking for qualified candidates in information technology, information systems, computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, business management and other technology-based fields. There will be candidates for co-op positions, internships, entry-level jobs and skilled professional opportunities. An open-room format will allow recruiters to meet all the candidates. Recruiters also can reserve interview rooms by contacting the Office of Career Services. The fair will run from 2 to 5:30 p.m. in the atrium of the Buell Management Building on Lawrence Tech's main campus in Southfield, just north of 10 Mile Road and just west of Northwestern Highway. Setup begins at 12:30 p.m. The $75 registration fee includes lunch and refreshments. For more information and registration, recruiters can contact the Office of Career Services at (248) 204-3140 or ltuocs@ltu.edu.

A new look at Web 'information foraging': Ann Arbor Web site usability guru Andrew B. King has posted an online interview with Peter Pirolli, author of a groundbreaking new book on how people use the Internet, "Information Foraging Theory." The interview, at www.websiteoptimization.com/speed/tweak/information-foraging/interview.html, has hints on how to boost the "information scent" of a Web site to boost visits. Pirolli's work, a mixture of mathematics and human-computer interaction, is presented at www.websiteoptimization.com/speed/tweak/information-foraging/. 

Syntel, Lason named to Global Services 100 list: Syntel Inc. (NASDAQ: SYNT) and Lason Inc., both based in Troy, announced Monday that they had been included on the 2007 Global Services 100, a list of top providers of business and technology services developed by Global Services magazine and NeoIT, a services consulting firm. The evaluation is based upon data provided by the service providers and third parties regarding effective operations, service offerings, client relationships and human capital. Data collected for the list was clustered into four categories that included operations, services, client data and human-resource policies. Rather than rank each company from one to 100, the study aims to provide a quality "short list" of leading providers. Syntel provides a broad array of IT services. Lason provides business process outsourcing services, including data and document management. More at www.syntelinc.com, www.lason.com or www.neoit.com.

New CIO at American Laser: The Farmington Hills-based American Laser Centers have named Graham Budd CIO. Budd began his career as a part-timer with ALC in 2002 and in 2004 joined full-time as vice president of information services. As CIO he will expand his work in development and implementation of proprietary software, the design and engineering of corporate and data center IT infrastructure, and management of IT staff. Budd was formerly a systems engineer for Gentronics Global in Arlington, Va. and with the state of Washington's Administrative Office of the Courts. He attended Radford University.

Nutek sets Taguchi seminar: The Bloomfield Hills quality improvement firm Nutek Inc. will hold its next open-enrollment seminar on "Product and Process Design Improvement Using the Taguchi Approach" April 3-6 at the Somerset Inn in Troy. The four-day seminar, with a hands-on application workshop, is aimed at engineering and quality specialists seeking to gain proven skills necessary to design quality product and tackle technical problems on production floor. The seminar is led by Nutek president Ranjit K. Roy, the author of two textbooks on Taguchi application as well as the custom software used in the seminar. More at http://nutek-us.com/wp-s4d.html.

CPR, Cisco offer IP communications event: Grand Rapids-based Computer Products and Resources Inc. and Cisco Systems Inc. are offering a joint IP Communications Technology Briefing Feb. 14 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. The event, at CPR's headquarters at 1595 Galbraith Ave. S.E., features a live demonstration of the latest in Internet Protocol phones and unified messaging. For questions or to RSVP by phone, contact Jamie Metcalf at (616) 575-8500, ext. 1375. To RSVP online, visit this link.

First Tech Direct, partners set island-themed CRM event: Royal Oak-based IT consultants First Tech Direct and partners ASAP Software, C360, Cygnus Systems, Experlogix, Microsoft Corp. and Scribe Software are putting on an island-themed customer relationship management event Feb. 28 from 3 to 6 p.m. at Microsoft Corp.'s Southfield office, 1000 Town Center, 19th floor. To register, visit www.firsttechdirect.com/GotCRM_Aloha.htm.

Advanced Photonix sets earnings call: Ann Arbor-based Advanced Photonix INc. (AMEX: API) will hold a conference call to discuss its financial results for its third fiscal quarter, which ended Dec. 29, on Monday at 5 p.m. Eastern time. The call will be available at www.earnings.com or http://investor.advancedphotonix.com. Or to listen by phone, call (800) 798-2801 in the United States or (617) 614-6205 elsewhere, using the pass code 94694797. A replay will be available shortly after the conclusion of the call for an additional two weeks. To listen, call (888) 286-8010 in the U.S. or (617) 801-6888 elsewhere, using the pass code 36195562. 

New VP at TechTeam: TechTeam Government Solutions Inc., a subsidiary of Southfield's TechTeam Global Inc. (NASDAQ: TEAM), Monday named Jeff Flading as vice president of its Department of Defense Division. In this capacity, Flading will oversee TechTeam's defense division and will be responsible for the growth of Department of Defense business. He comes to TechTeam with 30 years of experience in technology support in the defense industry, most recently as leader of technology support for homeland security and civil agency programs of General Dynamics Information Technology. He also was a vice president of Anteon Corp., and before that, served in the United States Air Force. More at www.techteam.com/governmentsolutions. 

Show display firm names VP: Warren-based H.B. Stubbs Cos. Monday announced the appointment of Fred Sherry as vice president of strategic planning. He will report to the company's president and CEO, Scott W. Stubbs. Sherry will be responsible for creating and implementing strategic corporate and new business strategies that will drive profitability and growth in key targeted markets. Sherry was formerly president, CEO and owner of Regan Productions Inc., a developer and producer or marketing, training and communication programs. Stubbs offers technologically advanced show display services, and was responsible for two major displays at last month's International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. 

Ballard seeks to move fuel cells beyond autos: To help generate cash until the transportation fuel cell market becomes viable, Canada's Ballard Power System Inc. aims to push sales of fuel cell systems for non-automotive use, AutoTech Daily reports. Last year, Ballard grew revenue 15 percent to $62 million and cut operating expenditures 38 percent to $51 million. It also divested non-core operations, including selling its electric drive business to Siemens VDO Automotive Corp. in December. Even so, the company projects this year's revenue will be between $55 million and $60 million -- a hike of 30 percent on continuing operations. Ballard foresees increased demand for its fuel cell-based residential cogeneration and backup power systems to 1,200 from 472 last year. In the meantime, the company began last year to ship its next-generation 902 automotive stack for testing. It says the system meets or exceeds intermediary targets for cost, cold-weather start and volumetric power density. Ballard hopes to achieve United States Department of Energy durability requirements in the second quarter.

Parents of teens see media as bigger worry than sex, booze: U.S. parents are more worried about the amount of time their kids spend watching television or meeting friends on Internet social networks than about sex or alcohol abuse, according to a new study. The study was released on Monday by Insight Research Group and commissioned by Common Sense Media, a San Francisco-based group that studies the impact of media on kids. Some 57 percent of 1,138 U.S. parents surveyed were either very concerned or strongly concerned about children spending too much of their time with different media outlets. By comparison, about 45 percent of parents said they were as concerned about their kids engaging in sex or using alcohol. "Intuitively, parents have a sense that too much media isn't a good thing, but they can't quite put their finger on why," James Steyer, founder and chief executive of Common Sense Media, said in a statement. More.