Latest news with #manufacturing
Fast Company
37 minutes ago
- Business
- Fast Company
It's one of the most valuable companies in the world, and its logo is baffling
Although less familiar than many of its tech rivals, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is kind of a big deal. Its valuation, north of $1 trillion, ranks the chipmaker ninth globally among publicly held companies, and its strategic significance in the silicon arms race led New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof to label it 'the most important company in the world.' So when TSMC's massive new manufacturing plant (or 'fab,' as those in the semiconductor business like to call it) arose recently in the desert north of Phoenix, Arizonans might have expected to see a polished logo adorning the building's facade. Instead, many were likely flummoxed by the TSMC symbol. Was it supposed to be a crossword puzzle? A disco ball? A badminton racquet? A screen door replete with dead houseflies? In fact, the logo, which debuted in 1988, one year after the company's founding, represents 'a stylized semiconductor wafer design,' as a TSMC trademark application puts it. A wafer is a thin, circular slice of silicon which is cut into rectangular 'dies' that are used to make computer chips. The flat section of the wafer, visible at the bottom of the TSMC logo, is called, well, a 'flat' and is used for orientation in the manufacturing process. The black rectangles in the logo seem to represent defective dies as they would appear on a wafer map, a diagram outlining the usable sections of the silicon disc. One might find this an odd design element to include, but it appears to have been a bit of a convention among '80s wafer logos. San Jose semiconductor maker Integrated Device Technology's 1981 logo featured two such defective dies. When it reversed the coloring of its logo in the '90s, did it realize the resulting implication was that an overwhelming majority of its dies were duds? Subscribe to the Design latest innovations in design brought to you every weekday SIGN UP TSMC took the opposite tack, slightly revising its mark in 2001 to reduce the number of those troublesome black rectangles while improving legibility. Otherwise, though, the logo has remained unchanged and, frankly, it doesn't work well in 2025. Not only is the wafer symbolism inscrutable to the modern eye, but by today's standards, its design is overwrought, amateurish, and dated, in keeping with an overall company brand that's as dry as soda crackers. Beyond employing the most obvious graphic design solution of adopting the company's product as a logo, the firm has named itself using the largely-abandoned tactic of simple descriptiveness, which, if still in vogue, might have resulted in Apple being known as the Northern California Computer Company or Amazon going by Seattle Online Bookstore, Inc. Until recently, this may not have been seen as a problem for companies that, like TSMC, were not public-facing. There was a sense that branding elements like names and logos were shiny baubles that served only to catch the eyes of the public, and that were irrelevant within the context of B2B relationships. As economic historian Mira Wilkins put it in a 1992 paper, 'Most industrial organization economists consider the brand name as highly important in sales to the final consumer. They take the view, however, that profit-motivated firms are wiser than individuals, so trade marks are not needed to convey information to producers.' Such thinking is going by the wayside as modern economists let go of long-held assumptions about perfect human rationality, and it would seem time for even the stodgiest B2B companies to start caring more about their brands. TSMC, in particular, has been embroiled in geopolitical intrigue that has put it in an unprecedented spotlight. The face that it presents to the world matters more than it ever has, and it's about time for TSMC to sunset its old wafer. The super-early-rate deadline for Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies Awards is Friday, July 25, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply today.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Navarro Says Bond Market Sees Fed's Powell as a 'Clown'
Peter Navarro, White House senior counsel for trade and manufacturing, criticizes Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and calls him a "political animal" during an interview on "Balance of Power." Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
- Yahoo
MP Materials stock soars after $500 million rare earths deal with Apple
US-based rare earth materials miner MP Materials Corp. (MP) saw its stock soar 20% Tuesday after announcing a deal with Apple (AAPL). Apple on Tuesday said that it had committed to a $500 million multiyear deal with MP Materials to buy its rare earth magnets for the tech giant's products. The iPhone maker said the deal was part of its effort to build out its US supply chain. Apple has committed to spending over $500 billion in the US to help expand its domestic manufacturing capacity. Rare earth magnets are used in everything from consumer electronics to electric vehicles and defense systems. 'Rare earth materials are essential for making advanced technology, and this partnership will help strengthen the supply of these vital materials here in the United States," Apple CEO Tim Cook said Tuesday. 'We couldn't be more excited about the future of American manufacturing, and we will continue to invest in the ingenuity, creativity, and innovative spirit of the American people.' Over the past several months, Apple has come under pressure from President Trump, who has threatened the company with 25% tariffs on its overseas-made iPhones if the company doesn't move production to the US. Apple stock rose marginally. Shares of the company are down more than 16% in 2025, with the stock lagging its "Magnificent Seven" Big Tech peers during a rough start to the year. The iPhone maker has dealt with the fallout from Trump's trade war and a DOJ antitrust probe just as it has fallen behind on AI. Meanwhile, MP Materials, which went public in 2020, has gained around 273% in 2025 and is up just under 100% over the past month alone. Shares of the rare earths producer soared following an investment from the US Department of Defense last week. The company said on July 10 that the Defense Department would purchase $400 million of its preferred shares to become its largest shareholder as the US looks to build out its domestic rare earth magnet supply chain. Laura Bratton is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Bluesky @ Email her at Sign in to access your portfolio
BBC News
2 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Deeside nuclear manufacturing hub brings 200 jobs to north Wales
A new nuclear facility is opening in a north Wales town, bringing more than 200 jobs to the 10,000 sq m (108,000 sq ft) digital nuclear manufacturing site was officially opened in Deeside, Flintshire, on Wednesday is one of the UK's largest supply chain hubs for the nuclear industry, providing infrastructure components for UK nuclear power stations including Hinkley Point C in Somerset and Sizewell C in the French company opening the new site, said it hoped to become "a driving force in the UK's nuclear renaissance". The facility will manufacture components including pipework, supports, tanks and modular development, unveiled by Stuart Crooks, chief executive of Hinkley Point C, and Rebecca Evans MS, Welsh government cabinet secretary for economy, energy and planning, follows the UK government's £17bn nuclear investment announced in its spending review. Boccard said the new hub would create more than 200 permanent jobs, develop local skills, and contribute to the UK's decarbonisation and net zero Boccard, the firm's chairman, said it was a "milestone in our century-long history and part of our broader European expansion"."The UK government's historic support marks a turning point for the nuclear sector, shifting focus to building a world-class supply chain and attracting top talent."Mr Crooks added the Deeside facility was "a prime example of the way nuclear is creating new industrial capacity in Britain", while Evans said it "clearly" signalled that "Wales is strategically placed to play a central role in the future nuclear supply chain".
South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Free trade ‘essential': China's He Lifeng warns Western reshoring threatens supply chains
China's top trade negotiator has criticised Western efforts to de-risk and reshore manufacturing, presenting the world's second-largest economy as a defender of global stability at a high-profile supply chain expo in Beijing Vice-Premier He Lifeng called for a global supply chain system that leverages the comparative advantages of all countries, taking into account their different resource endowments and levels of economic development. 'Some countries are currently intervening in the market in the name of de-risking, using measures such as additional tariffs and restrictions to promote so-called 'manufacturing reshoring',' He said at the opening ceremony of the third China International Supply Chain Expo on Wednesday. 'The redundant development of industrial and supply chains has reduced the overall efficiency of the global economy.' 'Free trade remains an essential requirement for world economic development... There are no winners in tariff wars or trade wars.' Tensions persist between the world's three largest economies – the US, China and the European Union – amid growing uncertainty over the future of global trade.
