Manufacturing & Technology News articles from February 2009

Manufacturing & Technology News archives from February 2009

Buy American issue raises its thorny head.
February 4, 2009... The first important test as to whether U.S. economic policy will change with a new presidential administration is unfolding in Washington. "Buy American" provisions being included in the massive economic stimulus packages have raised the ire of...

The Obama Inauguration: a revolution won, another begun.(WASHINGTON JOURNAL)
February 4, 2009... There were two different inaugurations for President Obama taking place in Washington, D.C., on January 20. One was watched on jumbotrons by two million people on the Mall; the other was experienced by a very small group of the country's...

New commerce secretary pick has heads spinning.
February 4, 2009... Here is something that could never have been predicted upon the election of liberal Democratic Sen. Barack Obama to the presidency of the United States: The National Association of Manufacturers hailing the appointment of a new Commerce...

Manufacturing workers are hit hardest by mass layoff events.
February 4, 2009... Among all American industries, the manufacturing sector is getting hit hardest by mass layoffs. Although manufacturing workers constitute only 12 percent of the total U.S. workforce, in December manufacturing workers accounted for 49 percent...

Not enough new jobs for those who need them.
February 4, 2009... The job market for the unemployed isn't looking very good. The number of online help wanted ads fell by 506,000 in the month of January to 3.35 million, according to The Conference Board. The January loss, combined with the 507,000 decline in...

United States printed circuit board industry enters survival mode.
February 4, 2009... The U.S. printed circuit board industry is in trouble. A precipitous drop in demand over the past two months "is an event we haven't seen before and it's on top of events we haven't seen before," says Douglas Bartlett, chairman of Bartlett...

Downturn in exports spells trouble for manufacturing.
February 4, 2009... The export boom that has sustained the U.S. economy over the past year has suddenly subsided, and the implications might be grave. U.S. exports in November 2008 declined by $7.6 billion to $97 billion, a month-to-month downturn never...

Republicans worry about DOD budget cut.
February 4, 2009... Republican members of the House Armed Services Committee are circulating a report from Fox News that says the Obama administration has asked the Joint Chiefs of Staff to cut the military budget by more than 10 percent for fiscal year 2010, or...

Troubled Bank backlash impacts aviation industry.
February 4, 2009... A provision in the bill to reauthorize the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) that calls for financial companies receiving a bailout to divest their private jets has raised the ire of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA)....

Showdown looms over Chinese trade surpluses in manufactured goods.
February 4, 2009... The Chinese merchandise trade surplus in November 2008 set a record of $40.1 billion, but far more important was the $56-billion surplus in manufactured goods, up 26 percent from November 2007. During the first nine months of 2008, the soaring...

Export dependence hurts Japan economy.
February 4, 2009... Japan's manufacturing sector has fallen off a cliff. The country's manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index dropped for the 11th straight month in January to 29.6, down from 30.8 in December. It was the lowest level recorded since the index...

Economic stress leads to CEO turnovers.
February 4, 2009... Last year was a tough one to be a CEO. Turnover reached an all-time high with the departure of 1,484 CEOs, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. "That is an average of nearly 124 CEO departures each month or roughly six every business...

'Fair trade' community celebrates rare victory.
February 20, 2009... Proponents of various "Buy American" provisions that passed in the final version of the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (HR-1) have claimed a rare victory. Inclusion of Buy American requirements for iron, steel,...

A stimulus for everyone save domestic manufacturers.(Company overview)
February 20, 2009... In the $787-billion stimulus package passed by Congress and signed by President Obama there was $210 million for firefighter assistance, $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts, $50 million for fixing gravestones, but there was no...

Feds disclose who's gotten what under bank bailout.
February 20, 2009... Do you want to see what a nationalized banking system looks like? At the bottom of this column is the link to a list of all of the banks that the Department of Treasury's Office of Financial Stability has provided with funding through...

Letters to the editor.(Letter to the editor)
February 20, 2009... Do you hear that sound? It is the proverbial fat lady singing. The U.S. is bankrupt thanks to free trade. After reading through the billions of dollars of "stimulus" spending, it is perfectly apparent that the stimulus will stimulate...

Get ready for carbon paperwork.
February 20, 2009... The Environmental Protection Agency has been told to issue a rule by June 26 to create a new mandatory greenhouse gas emissions registry "for all segments of the U.S. economy," according to Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). The rule was a...

The stimulus bill: like driving forward staring in the rear-view mirror.(Commentary)
February 20, 2009... It didn't take long for President Obama to follow in George W. Bush's footsteps. President Bush put his presidency at risk by insisting on a war with Iraq. Barack Obama has put his presidency at risk by insisting on a government spending...

Auto parts suppliers come to Uncle Sam, hat in hand.
February 20, 2009... U.S. auto parts suppliers are asking the U.S. federal government for help. The Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association and the Original Equipment Suppliers Association have submitted a formal request to the U.S. Department of the Treasury...

Rare Senate vote on a trade issue.
February 20, 2009... Minutes after Sen. Byron Dorgan's "Buy American" amendment to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was adopted by voice vote on the evening of Feb. 11, the Senate took up Arizona Sen. John McCain's amendment to strike the language...

Offsets direct foreign government spending to local industries.(Flipside Of 'Buy America')
February 20, 2009... The European Union has led the foreign criticism of "Buy America" provisions in the U.S. economic stimulus package. But the EU does not approach the question of how government spending should be directed to domestic industry with anything like...

DARPA director gets a goodbye salute.
February 20, 2009... The longest serving director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Tony Tether, has announced that he has been asked to leave the agency. "I was informed last week that the [Obama] Administration had decided that I was to leave now...

Detroit gearing up for mfg. summit.
February 20, 2009... The "National Summit--A Gathering To Define America's Future," to be held in Detroit June 15-17, is gathering momentum, according to sponsors. The event intends to develop "a list of Must Do policy actions in technology, energy, environment and...

New certification for supply chain workers.
February 20, 2009... The supply chain logistics world has a new certification system for its workers. The Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC) has introduced a new credentialing system for workers in the supply chain industry, for those working factories,...

Chrysler says an 'Orderly Wind Down' would unleash disorder.
February 20, 2009... Chrysler's "best option" for survival is to be purchased by General Motors, "but they 'took it off the table,'" says Chrysler in its "Restructuring Plan for Long-Term Viability," submitted to the government on Feb. 17. The next best option is...

USBIC on Obama's economic team: orthodox thinkers.
February 20, 2009... The president of the Washington trade association representing domestic manufacturing companies is not impressed with what he has seen so far with President Obama's political appointments. "I don't see any change," says Kevin Kearns, president...

Obama's answer to offshore outsourcing.
February 20, 2009... President Obama doesn't have much of an answer to a basic economic question of what he is going to do to stop manufacturing companies from moving overseas. At a town hall meeting in Elkhart, Ind., where he was trying to sell his economic...

Some spending in the $787-billion stimulus bill: conference report to accompany HR-1, the American recovery and reinvestment act of 2009.
February 20, 2009... Title I Agriculture Rural Development Food and Drug Administration * $24 million for "Agriculture buildings and facilities and rental payments; * $290 million for "Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations"; * $1 billion for...