More than $5 million to help provide technical assistance to manufacturers with changes to markets, new technologies and competition, was awarded Thursday to Pennsylvania’s Industrial Resource Centers (IRC), according to officials.

The nation’s low unemployment rates will contribute to a continued skilled labor shortage for employers, according to panelists at Lehigh Valley Business’ Outlook 2020. Outlook 2020, held Dec. 11 at Blue Grillhouse in Bethlehem Township, brought together leaders from multiple industries to speak on the forecast for business for the upcoming year.

In fewer than 30 days, the revised federal excise tax rate for more than 350 small and independent brewers in Pennsylvania will expire. If that occurs, it would mean higher taxes for brewers across the state and potentially, higher prices for consumers.

A ribbon cutting celebration at Tyber Medical Inc. and a tour of its newly expanded manufacturing facility on Monday helped highlight the growing orthopedic device company’s efforts to establish a significant presence as a major Lehigh Valley employer.

Sanofi Pasteur of Swiftwater, the vaccines global business unit of Sanofi, said it has been awarded a $226 million contract from the U.S. government to expand pandemic influenza preparedness.

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board approved $1.2 million in grants Dec. 4, aiming to enhance the Pennsylvania beer industry.  According to Gov. Tom Wolf, the grants are meant to increase the production of Pennsylvania-made malt and brewed beverages and aid in their promotion and marketing.

Having been in business since 1934, one local meat manufacturer and distributor had been shipping its products for many years within a 250-mile radius of its home in Easton.

A Dec. 9 ribbon cutting is planned for a major expansion effort at Tyber Medical LLC in the Lehigh Valley Industrial Park IV in Hanover Township, Northampton County.

Cumberland County-based manufacturer Harsco Corp. sold its boiler manufacturing business in Monroe County this month as it continues to divest its industrial segment.

Radius, the Kutztown-based specialty toothbrush and toothpaste company, has announced it will focus on sustainable products for the future, with a goal of making 100 percent recyclable products by 2020.