Manufacturing & Technology News articles from February 2007

Manufacturing & Technology News archives from February 2007

Economists in denial: blind to offshoring's adverse impact.(COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS)
February 6, 2007... At a Washington, D.C., press conference last November, Harvard University economics professor Michael Porter claimed that globalism was bringing benefits to Americans (Manufacturing & Technology News, Nov. 30, 2006). Porter was introducing the...

New Mfg. advocacy group is up and running in Washington, D.C.(THE ALLIANCE FOR AMERICAN MANUFACTURING)
February 6, 2007... The United States steel industry and its labor union have created a new organization in Washington, D.C., to fight on behalf of all U.S. manufacturing, Manufacturing & Technology News has learned. The Alliance for American Manufacturing is...

Defense sector must prepare for downturn in business.
February 6, 2007... The military budget is going to be under intense pressure in coming years and it is likely that major weapons systems will be delayed or cancelled, according to Dan Heinemeier, president of the Government Electronics and Information Technology...

Another year, another shot taken at China's currency.
February 6, 2007... The small-and medium-sized U.S. manufacturing community is gearing up for another year of battle to pass legislation to force China to stop manipulating its currency. The "Hunter-Ryan" bill, which last year gathered the support of 178...

3D Systems moves one step closer to rapid (additive) manufacturing.
February 6, 2007... 3D Systems Corp., the pioneer in rapid prototyping of parts, is on the threshold of sustained growth, according to independent institutional financial analyst Cliff Ransom. The company's newly introduced "V-Flash" desktop 3-D printer should be...

Another tough year for unions.
February 6, 2007... Union membership took a hit in 2006, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The number of people belonging to a union fell by 326,000 in 2006 to 15.4 million. Union members constitute 12 percent of employed wage and salary workers, down...

Britain creates a national skills training infrastructure.
February 6, 2007... The British government has created a new National Skills Academy aimed at training up to 40,000 students a year by 2012 in advanced manufacturing technologies. The new $28-million academy in West Midlands intends to improve manufacturing skills...

PTO favors quality over quantity.
February 6, 2007... The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has decided to stop releasing its annual list of the top 10 organizations receiving the most U.S. patents. "In ceasing publication of the top 10 list, the USPTO is emphasizing quality over quantity by...

Science & tech. get rare increase in 2007 budget.
February 6, 2007... The federal budget for 2007 is getting closer to being finished, and those who were actively lobbying for increases in research and development have had some success. Most programs outside of defense will receive the same amount of funding as...

2008 budget request: lots more for DOD; some more for R&D; disappointment for MEP.
February 6, 2007... President Bush is proposing massive increases in budgets next year for defense, veterans affairs and homeland security, while some domestic programs get the ax. In its annual budget submission to Congress on Feb. 5, the Bush team proposes a 17...

Council on Competitiveness: patents are not a good measure of a company's ability to innovate.
February 6, 2007... Receiving a lot of patents does not translate into being an innovative company, according to the Council on Competitiveness. Many of the companies that receive the most U.S. patents are not even considered to be among the world's most...

Letter to the editor.(Letter to the editor)
February 6, 2007... The article in the December 15, 2006, issue of Mfg. & Tech. News, "Manufacturing Czar Takes Leave Before Facing A Congressional Storm," correctly stated that I am resigning my position as Assistant Secretary of Manufacturing and Services on...

Bush administration pulls trigger on China.
February 6, 2007... The federal government is getting tough with China over export subsidies that "unfairly impact U.S. manufacturers and their workers," says the Office of the United States Trade Representative. On Feb. 2, the USTR filed a "dispute settlement...

Lots of power behind wind power.
February 6, 2007... The wind power generating industry is growing gangbusters in the United States. Wind power capacity in the United States increased by 2,454 megawatts of capacity in 2006, a 27 percent increase over 2005, and is forecast to increase by another...

Aerospace industry is flying high.
February 6, 2007... The U.S. aerospace industry had a very good year in 2006. Revenues for the sector increased by $14 billion--or 8.4 percent--to $184.4 billion, a record level for the third year in a row, according to the Aerospace Industries Association. The...

Mining industry digs deeper holes.
February 6, 2007... The U.S. mining industry should continue to grow robustly, according to the National Mining Association. For the third consecutive year, coal production should set a new record in 2007. Global demand for copper and gold from U.S. mines should...

Steel imports reach record high.
February 6, 2007... Steel imports set an all-time record in 2006, even though the U.S. industry was operating at an average capacity utilization rate of only 75 percent, says the American Iron and Steel Institute. Imports reached 45.3 million net tons in 2006, up...

Huge growth in finance Ind.
February 6, 2007... The investment banking and securities industry is booming, according to the Census Bureau. Revenue for the sector increased from $127 billion in 2004 to $159 billion in 2005, a 25 percent increase in one year. Securities brokerage revenue rose...

Contraction in textile industry.
February 6, 2007... The U.S. textile industry had a down year in 2006. Shipments fell 2 percent due to increasing competition that ensued after removal of global quotas in 2005, according to the National Council of Textile Organizations. Some sectors of the...

Telecom industry back on track.
February 6, 2007... The U.S. telecommunications industry grew by a healthy 9.3 percent during 2006, to total $923 billion in revenue, the fastest growth rate since 2000, according to the Telecommunications Industry Association. The worldwide telecommunications...

Record year for semiconductors.
February 6, 2007... Last year as a very good one for the global semiconductor industry. Spurred by the sale of one billion cell phones, the industry increased sales by 9 percent to a new record of $248 billion, up from $227 billion in 2005, according to the...

Nationwide system of Mfg. extension centers is put on notice: they will compete with each other for limited funds.
February 23, 2007... The director of the National Institute of Science and Technology dropped a bombshell on the network of Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) centers during a Feb. 15 House subcommittee hearing on the agency's budget. William Jeffrey...

Ardent foes of trade authority begin to make their case with Congress.
February 23, 2007... A coalition of farmers, unions and environmental organizations coalescing to mount a fight in Congress against extending Trade Promotion Authority possesses a potent weapon: passion. Take Leo Gerard, president of the United Steelworkers union....

Offshore outsourcing is leading to demise of aircraft industry.
February 23, 2007... The three large commercial airplane makers--Boeing, Airbus and Bombardier--are outsourcing most aspects of manufacturing to foreign companies and are morphing into firms that specialize in sales and marketing. It is a business strategy that is...

Executive director needed at Northeast-Midwest Institute.
February 23, 2007... The Northeast-Midwest Institute is looking for a new executive director, since its long-time leader, Dick Munson, has announced his departure. The Washington, D.C.-based non-profit, non-partisan research group with $3.5 million in annual...

Canada's House of Commons proposes an 'urgent' strategy to revive manufacturing sector.
February 23, 2007... Canada's government must take "urgent" action in order to stop the steady decline of the country's manufacturing sector, according to a new report from the Canadian House of Commons. "The Government of Canada should make the preservation of...

The root cause of our Iraq dilemma.(GUEST EDITORIAL)
February 23, 2007... The American populace has been deluged with analyses recently as to why the most powerful nation in the world faces defeat in Iraq: faulty intelligence, too few ground forces, hasty dismantling of the Iraqi Army, the unplanned involvement of...

NIST director gets caught in a debate that won't go away: industrial policy.
February 23, 2007... The National Institute of Standards and Technology continues to be at the center of a decades-long debate over the proper role of the federal government in industrial development and technology commercialization. The measurement agency is in...

Ohio's manufacturing woes worsen in 2006.
February 23, 2007... Ohio suffered the greatest amount of manufacturing job losses in 2006 due to shifting production overseas than during any of the past 12 years, according to Policy Matters Ohio. "International trade is responsible for a significant number of...

Montana manufacturer can't compete with cheap imports, and rigged currencies.
February 23, 2007... The U.S. furniture industry cannot compete with Asia, and that fact is putting a lot of niche manufacturers quickly out of business. One such company is Golden Ratio Woodworks, based in Emigrant, Mont. The company made portable massage tables....

Small business boosts U.S. economy.
February 23, 2007... A high small-business birth rate has the greatest positive impact on gross state product, state personal income and total state employment "than any other factor examined," says a new report from the Small Business Administration's Office of...

Bioscience industry fuels economic growth throughout the country.
February 23, 2007... The biosciences industry, which includes the making of pharmaceuticals; medical devices and equipment as well as research, testing and medical laboratories, is a growing and vibrant sector of the United States economy, according to Battelle. It...

Inside the collapse of U.S. manufacturing: Moosehead Furniture succumbs to cheap imports.(Interview)
February 23, 2007... All is not well in the United States furniture industry, and the surge of cheap foreign imports is taking a toll. A recent casualty among many is Moosehead Furniture, the largest privately owned furniture company in New England. The 60-year-old...

The polymer group inc.(Factories Are Closing, And Factories Are Opening)
February 23, 2007... The Polymer Group Inc. has announced plans to close its Rogers, Ark., and Gainesville, Ga., plants. Charlotte, N.C.-based PGI purchased the Rogers plant in 1992 from Scott Paper and will lay off 120 workers. Its production of thermal and...

M&S manufacturing Co.(Factories Are Closing, And Factories Are Opening)
February 23, 2007... M&S Manufacturing Co., one of the world's largest privately held makers of high-precision machined parts, has closed up shop. The Hudson, Mich.-based company, founded in 1941 has hired Hilco Industrial to hold a five-day auction starting March...

Sparton Corp.(Factories Are Closing, And Factories Are Opening)
February 23, 2007... Sparton Corp. has announced plans to close its cable wire harness manufacturing and assembly plant in Deming, N.M., by March 31. "Based upon the current business climate, the pressure of offshore pricing and demand within the market, Sparton...

Weyerhaeuser.(Factories Are Closing, And Factories Are Opening)
February 23, 2007... Weyerhaeuser has announced plans to close two plants in Oregon, one in Springfield, impacting 86 people, and another in Coburg, impacting 42.

Culp Inc.(Factories Are Closing, And Factories Are Opening)
February 23, 2007... Culp Inc., a manufacturer of textile fabrics used in furniture, mattresses and upholstery, has announced plans to close two plants in North Carolina--a weaving plant in Graham and a yarn plant in Lincolnon. Production will shift to plants in...

Modine manufacturing Co.(Factories Are Closing, And Factories Are Opening)
February 23, 2007... Modine Manufacturing Co. has announced that it will close its Toledo, Ohio, manufacturing plant. The facility makes heating and cooling systems for the automotive industry. "We sincerely thank the employees at the plant for their service and...

Littelfuse manufacturing.(Factories Are Closing, And Factories Are Opening)
February 23, 2007... Littelfuse Manufacturing has announced plans to transfer its semiconductor wafer manufacturing capacity from Irving, Texas, to Wuzi, China, and lay off 180 workers. "We are committed to making this transition as seamless as possible for our...

American axle.(Factories Are Closing, And Factories Are Opening)
February 23, 2007... American Axle's East Delavan Ave. plant in Buffalo might soon be closing, according to a report in Automotive News. The facility, which is an "anchor" for Buffalo's East Side and was built in 1923, is the city's largest manufacturing facility...

Eli Lilly.(Factories Are Closing, And Factories Are Opening)
February 23, 2007... Eli Lilly has decided to stop construction of a new insulin manufacturing plant in Manassas, Va., due to a slowdown in demand. The company says it will be able to meet expected growth in insulin demand with capacity that is being added in...

Standard register.(Factories Are Closing, And Factories Are Opening)
February 23, 2007... Standard Register has decided to close its Middlebury, Vt., factory, and lay off 112 workers. It will put the 115,000-square-foot plant up for sale and move the equipment to plants in Murfreesboro, Tenn., York, Penn., and Frayetteville, Ark.

Goodyear.(Factories Are Closing, And Factories Are Opening)
February 23, 2007... Goodyear has announced plans to stop tire production at its Valleyfield, Quebec, facility. The decision "shocked the community," according to reports in the Canadian press. The company will lay off 800 of its 1,000 workers at the plant, which...

Whirlpool Corp.(Factories Are Closing, And Factories Are Opening)
February 23, 2007... Whirlpool Corp. has announced plans to close its Cleveland, Tenn., cooking products manufacturing plant, laying off 370 people, and shifting production to Tulsa, Okla., "and a yet-to-be determined location in Mexico," says the company. "These...

Pfizer.(Factories Are Closing, And Factories Are Opening)
February 23, 2007... Pfizer has announced plans to reduce its global workforce by 10 percent, or 10,000 workers. As part of that initiative, the company will close manufacturing facilities in Brooklyn, N.Y., Omaha, Neb., and Feucht, Germany. From 2003 to 2008, the...

Chrysler Feb.(Factories Are Closing, And Factories Are Opening)
February 23, 2007... Chrysler's Feb. 15 announcement to eliminate 13,000 workers will result in the loss of 2,000 white-collar jobs and 11,000 production jobs mainly at eight factories. The biggest impact will be in southeastern Mich., where 5,300 people will be...

Tecumseh products Co.(Factories Are Closing, And Factories Are Opening)
February 23, 2007... Tecumseh Products Co. has announced plans to close its engine component manufacturing plant in New Holstein, Wisc., and lay off the 320 remaining workers there. The company will move operations to "low cost countries," including India, Brazil...

Hershey.(Factories Are Closing, And Factories Are Opening)
February 23, 2007... Hershey announced plans on Feb. 15 to eliminate 1,500 jobs, close down more than one-third of its production, outsource production of low value-added items, and build a new factory in Monterrey, Mexico. "Increased access to borderless sourcing...

Pulaski furniture Co.(Factories Are Closing, And Factories Are Opening)
February 23, 2007... Pulaski Furniture Co., based in Pulaski, Va., announced on Feb. 16, that it was closing its last U.S. factory in Pulaski and laying off 260 employees. The closure will "level a significant blow to Pulaski's economy," reports the Roanoke Times....

Visteon Corp.(NEW PLANTS OPENING IN THE UNITED STATES)
February 23, 2007... Visteon Corp. has announced plans to build a $35-million plant in Highland Park, Mich. The facility will create 175 new jobs and will manufacture interior components for the automotive industry in Michigan and the Midwest. The Michigan Economic...

Toyota motor Corp.(NEW PLANTS OPENING IN THE UNITED STATES)
February 23, 2007... Toyota Motor Corp. will soon be naming a site in the southern United States to be the location for its eighth North American assembly plant. It has narrowed its search to locations in Chattanooga, Tenn., Marion, Ark., a site near Alamo, Tenn.,...

UGN Inc.(NEW PLANTS OPENING IN THE UNITED STATES)
February 23, 2007... UGN Inc., a Tinley Park, Ill.-based producer of automotive acoustic, interior trim and thermal management products, is expanding its production facility in Somerset, Ky. The expansion will boost annual production of the company's light-weight...

Holcim Ltd.(NEW PLANTS OPENING IN THE UNITED STATES)
February 23, 2007... Holcim Ltd. of Switzerland is building what is considered to be the world's largest cement plant on 3,900 acres along the Mississippi River in Ste. Genevieve County, Mo. The greenfield plant will feature the largest single clinker production...

Tempur-Pedic international.(NEW PLANTS OPENING IN THE UNITED STATES)
February 23, 2007... Tempur-Pedic International, a Lexington, Ky.-based manufacturer of mattresses and pillows, has opened a new manufacturing facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The 800,000-square-foot, $95-million plant is the world's largest mattress factory...

Nanosolar Inc.(NEW PLANTS OPENING IN THE UNITED STATES)
February 23, 2007... Nanosolar Inc., a Palo Alto, Calif.-based maker of "roll-print" photovoltaic cells has selected a former Cisco plant in San Jose as a new manufacturing facility in the United States. The company received incentives from PG&E and the city of San...

Procter & gamble Co.(NEW PLANTS OPENING IN THE UNITED STATES)
February 23, 2007... Procter & Gamble Co. has announced plans to invest between $35 and $50 million in its South Boston manufacturing center. The 33-acre site will house research and development, engineering, manufacturing, marketing and business support related to...

Purafilter 2000.(NEW PLANTS OPENING IN THE UNITED STATES)
February 23, 2007... Purafilter 2000, a Las Vegas, Nev.-based manufacturer of residential and industrial air filters, will build a new manufacturing plant in Greer, S.C. The facility will employ 70 workers. "After an extensive search across the eastern seaboard our...

Bioking.(NEW PLANTS OPENING IN THE UNITED STATES)
February 23, 2007... Bioking has announced plans to build a second biodiesel equipment production plant in Lethbridge, Canada. The Dutch company will hire 50 employees to produce between 20 to 25 biodiesel processing units per week. The company says it hopes to...

Kysor panel systems.(NEW PLANTS OPENING IN THE UNITED STATES)
February 23, 2007... Kysor Panel Systems, a maker of insulated panel systems for the food retail, hospitality, healthcare and environmental industries, is building a new 182,482-square foot manufacturing and warehouse facility in Forth Worth, Texas.

L&M radiator.(NEW PLANTS OPENING IN THE UNITED STATES)
February 23, 2007... L&M Radiator of Hibbing, Minn., has announced plans to build a new plant in Yankton, S.D., creating 80 new jobs within three years. The $55-million manufacturer and distributor of industrial radiators and heat exchangers, selected the southeast...

Carolina nonwovens Corp.(NEW PLANTS OPENING IN THE UNITED STATES)
February 23, 2007... Carolina Nonwovens Corp. has announced plans to build a new 33,000-square-foot, $4.2-million plant in Lincolnton N.C. The company expects to hire 15 employees.

Showa Denko K.K. (SDK).(NEW PLANTS OPENING OVERSEAS)
February 23, 2007... Showa Denko K.K. (SDK) has opened a new $508-million hard disk media plant in Singapore, the company's second plant in that nation and its fourth hard disk media plant in the world. SDK says it is positioning itself for substantial growth in...

Tata Refractories.(NEW PLANTS OPENING OVERSEAS)
February 23, 2007... Tata Refractories has opened a new factory in China to manufacture magnesia carbon refractories. "The company has located the plant in Bayunguan, China, "to leverage the proximity to raw material sources and to avail itself of the...

Brady Corp.(NEW PLANTS OPENING OVERSEAS)
February 23, 2007... Brady Corp., a maker of identification products for the manufacturing industry, said it is expanding its manufacturing operations near Bangkok, Thailand, and in Penang, Malaysia. The company has also opened a new manufacturing center in...

Samsung India electronics Pvt. Ltd.(NEW PLANTS OPENING OVERSEAS)
February 23, 2007... Samsung India Electronics Pvt. Ltd. has started construction of a new color television manufacturing plant in Sriperumbudur near Chennai, India, with a production capacity of 1.5-million TV sets per year. The facility, spread over 80 acres,...

APEC.(NEW PLANTS OPENING OVERSEAS)
February 23, 2007... APEC, the Baldwin Park, Calif.-based maker of medical devices, has announced plans to open a new factory in China to make mid-to high-volume medical moldings. The company says it is building the 35,000-square-foot plant in Shenzhen because it...