"I'm OCD," she says.
While it appears unlikely that she actually has obsessive-compulsive disorder, Trathen makes her point. She is among the last to scrutinize every square inch of glistening paint on the carbon-fiber hoods, roofs, fender or other body panels destined to become one of the the hottest cars on the planet.
That's how it goes here at an auto-industry supplier called Prefix Coatings, operating from a former Kmart store about five miles from headquarters of Chrysler Group, maker of the SRT Viper.
Unlike the robotic painting that characterizes mass-market auto production nowadays, Prefix workers painstakingly mask, sand, paint and polish each part by hand.While it might take about eight hours for the painting process at a regular auto plant, it takes up to 120 hours to paint a Viper at Prefix.
Top 5 Building Product Companies To Buy For 2015: Esco Technologies Inc (ESE)
ESCO Technologies Inc. (ESCO), incorporated in August 1990, is a producer of engineered products and systems sold to customers worldwide, primarily for utility, industrial, aerospace and commercial applications. ESCO operates in three segments: Utility Solutions Group (Utility Solutions), RF Shielding and Test (Test) and Filtration/Fluid Flow (Filtration). On July 31, 2010, the Company acquired the capital stock of Crissair, Inc. On September 3, 2010, the Company acquired the capital stock of Xtensible Solutions, Inc. its subsidiaries include Aclara Power-Line Systems Inc. (Aclara PLS), Aclara RF Systems Inc. (Aclara RF), Aclara Software Inc., Doble Engineering Company, Doble Lemke AG, Doble Lemke GmbH, Doble PowerTest Limited, Doble TransiNor AS, Crissair, Inc., PTI Technologies Inc., TekPackaging LLC, VACCO Industries, Beijing Lindgren ElectronMagnetic Technology Co., Ltd., ETS-Lindgren L.P., ETS-Lindgren OY, ETS Lindgren Limited and ETS Lindgren Japan, Inc. In January 2013, the Company acquired the assets of Metrum Technologies LLC. In June 2013, ESCO Technologies Inc announced that it has acquired Canyon Engineering Products Inc.
UTILITY SOLUTIONS
The Utility Solutions segment accounted for approximately 57% of the Company�� total revenue during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2010 (fiscal 2010). Aclara PLS is a manufacturer of two-way power line communication systems for the electric utility industry (the TWACS systems), which are composed of equipment (meter modules and equipment for central stations and substations), software and support services. The TWACS systems provide electric utilities with a communication technology for automatic meter reading, load control, interval data, outage assessment/restoration monitoring, remote service disconnect/connect, time-of-use data for critical peak pricing, tamper/theft detection and pre-paid metering. Revenue from the TWACS systems accounted for approximately 22% of the Company�� total revenue in fiscal 2010. Aclara R! F provides, through its STAR network, wireless radio frequency (RF) data communications systems to gas, water and electric utilities for advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) applications. In fiscal 2010, total revenue received by the Company from PG&E for all sales was 9.2% of the Company�� consolidated revenue. Revenue from STAR network products, accounted for approximately 17%, of the Company�� total revenue in fiscal 2010.
Aclara Software Inc. provides utilities with software systems for energy and water information, delivering a scalable meter data management system (MDMS), AMI/meter device records and asset management, business applications addressing areas, such as revenue assurance and distribution asset analysis. Aclara�� analytics-based software applications are used by over 100 energy organizations worldwide. Doble provides electric utility customers with products and services to achieve the reliability and sustainability of electric power infrastructure. It combines three elements for customers: diagnostic test instruments, expert consulting and testing services. Revenue from Doble�� products and services, accounted for approximately 15%, of the Company�� total revenue in fiscal 2010.
TEST
The Test segment accounted for approximately 23% of the Company�� total revenue in fiscal 2010. ETS-Lindgren designs and manufactures products to measure and contain magnetic, electromagnetic and acoustic energy. It supplies customers with a range of isolated environments including RF test enclosures, acoustic test enclosures, RF and magnetically shielded rooms, secure communication facilities and broadcast and recording studios. these facilities include shielded doors and windows. ETS-Lindgren also provides the design, program management, installation and integration services required to complete these types of facilities. ETS-Lindgren also supplies customers with a range of components, including RF absorptive materials, RF filters, active compensatio! n systems! , antennas, antenna masts, turntables and electric and magnetic probes, RF test cells, measurement software and other test accessories required to perform a variety of tests. ETS-Lindgren also offers a variety of services, including calibration for antennas and field probes, chamber certification, field surveys, customer training and a variety of product tests.
FILTRATION
The Filtration segment accounted for approximately 20%, of the Company�� total revenue in fiscal 2010. PTI is a supplier of filtration products serving the commercial aerospace, military aerospace and various industrial markets. The industrial markets include chemical processing, automotive and mobile equipment. Products include filter elements, assemblies, modules, indicators and other related components. VACCO supplies flow control products, valves and filters to the space, defense and commercial industries for use in aircraft, satellite propulsion systems, satellite launch vehicles and other space transportation systems, such as the Space Shuttle and its successor. VACCO also uses its etched disc technology to produce quiet valves and manifolds for the United States Navy applications. Crissair, Inc. supplies a variety of custom and standard valves and other various components to the aerospace, defense and commercial industries. Platform applications include fixed and rotary wing aircraft, air transport and business jets, and defense systems. TekPackaging LLC produces thermoformed products and packaging materials for medical, retail, food and electronic applications.
The Company competes with Itron, Inc., Silver Spring Networks, Landis+Gyr, Cannon Technologies Inc., Sensus Metering Systems Inc., Trilliant Inc., Elster Electricity, L.L.C., Comverge, Inc., Neptune Technology Group, e-Meter Corporation, Oracle Corporation, APOGEE Interactive Inc., Opower, Inc., Ecologic Analytics, LLC, SmartSynch, Inc.,Tantalus Systems Corp, OMICRON Electronics Corp. USA, OMICRON, Megger Group Limited, EM shiel! ding mark! et, TDK RF Solutions Inc., Albatross GmbH, IMEDCO AG, Cuming Corporation, Pall Corporation, Moog, Inc., SoFrance and Clarcor Inc.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By James Miller Phd]
Pall Corporation (PLL) is a supplier of filtration, separation and purification technologies, principally made by the company, for the removal of solid, liquid and gaseous contaminants from a range of liquids and gases. The company serves customers through two businesses globally: Life Sciences and Industrial. While Pall competes with many companies in the Life Sciences markets and Industrial, few companies operate in both, like ESCO Technologies Inc. (ESE) and Danaher Corp. (DHR).
Top US Stocks To Watch For 2014: Global X China Materials ETF (CHIM)
Global X China Materials ETF (the Fund) seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the S-BOX China Materials Index (the Underlying Index). The Underlying Index is a free float adjusted, liquidity tested and market capitalization-weighted index that is designed to measure performance of the investable universe of companies in the Materials sector of the Chinese economy, as defined by Structured Solutions AG. Global X Management Company, LLC serves as the investment adviser to the Fund. Advisors' Opinion:- [By pamatlarge]
Investors looking to short a particular sector can choose from several Global X long ETFs. The Global X China Consumer ETF (CHIQ) concentrates its investments in consumer cyclical goods and consumer defense goods. The Global X China Energy ETF (CHIE) primarily holds stocks in coal, oil and utility companies. The Global X China Financials ETF (CHIX) only invests in financial services companies and real estate companies. The Global X China Industrials ETF (CHII) holds stocks in industrial companies and basic materials companies. The Global X China Materials ETF (CHIM) invests in basic materials stocks. The Global X China Technology ETF (CHIB) holds technology stocks as the core of its investments. All of these ETFs are particularly sensitive to sector downturns and general economic contractions.
Top US Stocks To Watch For 2014: Ishares Trust Dow Jones Select Dividend (DVY)
iShares Dow Jones Select Dividend Index Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Select Dividend Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of a selected group of equity securities issued by companies that have provided relatively high dividend yields on a consistent basis over time. The Index stocks are screened by dividend-per-share growth rate, dividend payout percentage and average daily dollar trading volume, and are selected based on dividend yield.
The Index consists of 100 of the highest dividend-yielding securities (excluding real estate investment trusts) in the Dow Jones U.S. Total Market Index, an index representative of the total market for United States equity securities. To be included in the Index, the securities must have had a flat to positive dividend-per-share growth rate for each of the last five years; must have an average five-year dividend payout ratio of 60% or less, and must have a minimum three-month average trading volume of 200,000 shares a day. The Index is reconstituted annually. The Fund uses a representative sampling strategy in seeking to track the Index. The Fund�� investment advisor is Barclays Global Fund Advisors.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Dan Caplinger]
So if two single people each earned $200,000, they wouldn't be subject to the Obamacare tax at all. But if they got married, then $150,000 of their total income of $400,000 would get taxed, with an additional tax liability of $1,350. Similar situations with investment income could lead to a much larger marriage penalty, as the investment tax rate is more than quadruple the rate for wages.�Investors in dividend-oriented ETFs Vanguard High Dividend Yield (NYSEMKT: VYM ) , SPDR S&P Dividend (NYSEMKT: SDY ) , and iShares DJ Select Dividend (NYSEMKT: DVY ) should therefore take care to consider tax-favored investment vehicles for their investments.
Top US Stocks To Watch For 2014: Bunge Limited(BG)
Bunge Limited, through its subsidiaries, engages in the agriculture and food businesses worldwide. Its Agribusiness segment is involved in purchasing, storing, transporting, processing, and selling agricultural commodities and commodity products, such as oilseeds and grains, primarily comprising soybeans, rapeseed or canola, sunflower seed, wheat, and corn. This segment serves animal feed manufacturers, wheat and corn millers, third party edible oil processing companies, and other oilseed processors, as well as livestock, poultry, and aquaculture producers. The company?s Sugar and Bioenergy segment produces and sells sugar and ethanol; generates electricity from burning sugarcane bagasse; and trades and merchandises sugar. As of December 31, 2011, this segment had a total installed capacity of approximately 144 megawatts; and sugarcane plantations of approximately 183,000 hectares under cultivation. Its Edible Oil Products segment offers packaged vegetable, including pack aged and bulk oils, shortenings, margarines, mayonnaise, and other products to baked goods companies, snack food producers, restaurant chains, foodservice distributors, and other food manufacturers. The company?s Milling Products segment produces and sells various wheat flours and bakery mixes; corn-based products; corn milling products primarily comprising dry milled corn meals, flours, and grits, as well as soy-fortified corn meal and corn-soy blend; and packaged milled rice. This segment serves industrial, bakery, and foodservice companies; and companies in food processing sector. Its Fertilizer segment produces, blends, and distributes nitrogen, phosphate, and potash formulations used for the cultivation of soybeans, corn, sugarcane, cotton, wheat, and coffee. This segment also produces single super phosphate; and ammonia, urea, and liquid fertilizers for the agriculture industry. Bunge Limited was founded in 1818 and is headquartered in White Plains, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By David Sterman]
He subsequently closed that position with a nice profit, and he should now check out rival Bunge (NYSE: BG), which in my view, holds better value. (I'll have more to say about Bunge in a separate column in coming weeks).
- [By Maxx Chatsko]
Investors will be on the lookout for further, perhaps larger, customer announcements in the coming quarters. Just remember that there is plenty of time between now and mid-2015. Until then, there should be no worries from the guidance and commercialization aid Solazyme will receive from agri-giants Bunge (NYSE: BG ) and Archer Daniels Midland (NYSE: ADM ) .
- [By Rich Duprey]
Now both Bunge (NYSE: BG ) and Cargill, the biggest U.S. grain exporter,�have said they will refuse to accept Syngenta's latest crop of GM corn for export because it will be rejected by China. Although the seeds containing the�Agrisure Duracade trait were approved for planting by the FDA last year, making this year's crop the first containing them, it hasn't been approved by Europe or China. In December, China refused�acceptance of 665,000 metric tons of corn and byproducts because it tested positive for the presence of MIR162, or Agrisure Viptera,�a genetically modified�insecticide not approved for import.
Top US Stocks To Watch For 2014: 3M Company(MMM)
3M Company, together with subsidiaries, operates as a diversified technology company worldwide. The company?s Industrial and Transportation segment offers tapes, coated and non-woven abrasives, adhesives, specialty materials, filtration products, energy control products, closure systems for personal hygiene products, acoustic systems products, and components and products that are used in the manufacture, repair, and maintenance of automotive, marine, aircraft, and specialty vehicles. Its Health Care segment provides medical and surgical supplies, skin health and infection prevention products, inhalation and transdermal drug delivery systems, dental and orthodontic products, health information systems, and food safety products. The company?s Display and Graphics offers optical film solutions for LCD electronic displays; computer screen filters; reflective sheeting for transportation safety; commercial graphics sheeting and systems; and mobile interactive solutions, includin g mobile display technology, visual systems products, and computer privacy filters. The company?s Consumer and Office segment provides office supply products, stationery products, construction and home improvement products, home care products, protective material products, certain consumer retail personal safety products, and consumer health care products. Its Safety, Security and Protection Services segment offers personal protection products, safety and security products, cleaning and protection products for commercial establishments, track and trace solutions, and roofing granules for asphalt shingles. The company?s Electro and Communications segment provides packaging and interconnection devices; fluids that are used in the manufacture of computer chips, and for cooling electronics and lubricating computer hard disk drives; high-temperature and display tapes; insulating materials, including tapes and resins; and related items. The company was founded in 1902 and is based in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By The Small Investor]
My maxim as a small investor is "the future belongs to the youth." That holds true during a recovery or despite a recession. I consult my young adult children to reach mutual investment decisions, or give a little seed money to co-opt their interest as stakeholders. We buy name-brand commodities (such as beverages or drugs), entertainment, new products, and those companies in their supply chains that carve new needs and emerging domestic and global markets. I am not buying so long as the government is shutdown. Innovation is the common thread. I will look for long buying opportunities in innovative companies such as 3-D Systems (DDD), 3-M (MMM), Corning (GLW), GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Google (GOOG), Nike (NKE), Sam Adams (SAM), Viacom (VIA), Samsung.
- [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]
3M provides technology solutions and services to companies participating in a multitude of industries worldwide. The stock is seeing an explosive move higher which has taken it to all-time high prices. Earnings and revenue figures have been increasing over most of the last four quarters, producing mixed feelings among investors. Relative to its peers and sector, 3M has been a year-to-date performance leader. Look for 3M to OUTPERFORM.
- [By Dan Caplinger]
Finally, 3M (NYSE: MMM ) fell another 1%, following through on larger losses yesterday in the wake of its poor forward guidance in its quarterly report. As Fool contributor and 3M-stock specialist Travis Hoium noted earlier today, 3M simply hasn't been able to restart its innovation engines to produce organic growth, and unless that happens, the stock's big advance could easily reverse itself in the near future.
Top US Stocks To Watch For 2014: Texas Rare Earth Resources Corp (TRER.PK)
Texas Rare Earth Resources Corp., formerly Standard Silver Corporation, incorporated on July 29, 1970. a mining company engaged in the business of the acquisition and development of mineral properties. As of August 31, 2012, it held a nineteen year lease to explore and develop a 950 acre rare earth uranium-beryllium prospect located in Hudspeth County, Texas known as Round Top and prospecting permits covering an adjacent 9,345 acres.
The Company�� principal focus will be on developing a metallurgical process to concentrate or otherwise extract the metals from the Round Top rhyolite. In addition to the Round Top Project, the Company also own title to 12 unpatented mining claims, the Macho group, comprising 240 acres covering the Old Dude Mine, located in Sierra County, New Mexico. Another 18 unpatented mining claims and fractional claims, the HA group, consisting 274 acres cover an andesite hosted vein system similar to and some 10 miles to the southwest of the Macho District.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jake Mitchell]
As a speculative play on the industry, I came across Texas Rare Earth Resources (TRER.PK), which is principally focused on its 950 acre Round Top project. A Preliminary Economic Assessment by an independent third party found that there are an estimated over 1 billion metric tonnes of resources containing over 1 billion pounds of rare earth elements. A revised PEA, which was originally projected to have a capital cost of $2.1 billion is now estimated to be between $150 million to $350 million. A key concern in the exploration of these mines is how expensive it is to ultimately extract the rare earths from the ground. If Texas Rare Earth is able to show evidence that cost has been significantly reduced it will be the target of interested parties globally.
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