Manufacturing & Technology News articles from July 2005

Manufacturing & Technology News archives from July 2005

Lack of manufacturing imperils U.S. lead in nanotechnology.
July 8, 2005... Nanotechnology, often touted as a key to maintaining the United States' global lead in industrial productivity, is far from a sure thing for the U.S., according to the warnings of experts who last week offered lawmakers varying assessments of...

SBIR program slowly orients itself toward manufacturing.
July 8, 2005... The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, which provides thousands of companies with more than $1.7 billion a year in research funds, is getting a manufacturing facelift. But some observers question whether the federal government...

U.S. Navy removes life support for shipbuilding industry.
July 8, 2005... The United States shipbuilding industry is on the verge of losing most of its component suppliers due to severe cuts in naval shipbuilding budgets and Department of Defense procurement rules that encourage acquisition managers to buy products...

A view from China: the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, a congressionally funded organization, occasionally translates articles from Chinese scholars into English. Yue Jianyong wrote the article that is excerpted below in the journal Chinese Political Science. The article was entitled "The United States and China in the Age of Globalization.".
July 8, 2005... "Since the 1990s, American military containment and strategic encirclement against China has never stopped. In addition to stationing 80,000 troops in Japan and South Korea, the United States has strengthened its military strike capability in...

Senate comes to defense of Advanced Tech. Program.
July 8, 2005... The Senate Appropriations Committee has provided hope for the survival of the Advanced Technology Program (ATP) by including $140 million in funding--of which $60 million is to go to new grants--in its version of the Fiscal Year 2006...

Venture capitalists shy away from nanotech.
July 8, 2005... The U.S. is known for its abundance of risk capital. According to one estimate, over half of venture investment worldwide comes from the United States. But venture capitalists have left nanotechnology-based startups largely in the cold,...

Private sector encourages enlightened government action to ensure U.S. benefits from nanotech R&D.
July 8, 2005... Seeing venture capitalists hanging back at home and competitors ramping up abroad, U.S. corporate officials and industry analysts are calling on the public and private sectors alike to assume a more commanding role in strengthening efforts in...

Manzullo scolds business community for its duplicity.
July 8, 2005... Rep. Don Manzullo (R-Ill.) is charging U.S. manufacturers with wanting "to have it both ways" as they ask the federal government for help with everything from incentives to exchange rates but simultaneously move research and development...

Government is required to define manufacturing.
July 8, 2005... One of the difficult aspects of determining if a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant can be categorized as being a "manufacturing" award is coming up with a definition of "manufacturing." According to a "Notice of Proposed...

U.K. leads; U.S. lags.(GUEST EDITORIAL)
July 8, 2005... Faced with China's challenge to domestic manufacturers, the responses of the United States and United Kingdom contrast starkly. The U.K. is seeking a position of leadership in post-industrial manufacturing. Rather than abandoning the sector or...

Reports & resources.
July 8, 2005... TOWARDS A EUROPEAN STRATEGY FOR NANOTECHNOLOGY, an "action plan" for European funding for research and development, says "Europe needs knowledge" in order for it to stay competitive in global markets. The plan will "boost support for...

China and India are poised to 'leapfrog' U.S. in innovation.
July 25, 2005... The idea that innovation will ensure continued U.S. economic well-being is open to challenge as scientific and technological skills build in countries such as China and India, according to Harvard economist Richard Freeman. Large increases in...

Federal technology policy shop falls off Washington radar screen.
July 25, 2005... The Fiscal Year 2006 appropriation for the Technology Administration (TA) seems destined to be decided by a House-Senate conference. But with desks at the Commerce Department bureau emptying out rapidly, there's a question how much will be left...

GE attracted to India.
July 25, 2005... General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt says it is "the right time to invest in India and we will be bold in the market." The political situation is stable, the middle class is growing and "the dynamics of Indian companies are changing," he says....

Renewables get ExIm boost.
July 25, 2005... The Export-Import Bank is sweetening the pot for U.S. alternative energy producers. The bank is providing export financing repayment terms of 15 years for U.S. exports of renewable energy projects. Wind, solar, geothermal, ocean thermal, tidal,...

Congress creates a China caucus.
July 25, 2005... The U.S. House of Representatives has a new caucus focusing on China. The Congressional China Caucus, created this month by Reps. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) and Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) intends to take a critical look at China's growing impact on U.S....

Science establishment alarmed over proposed federal paranoia regs.
July 25, 2005... Proposed federal government rules changes making it more burdensome for foreigners to be involved in conducting basic research at American universities have raised the ire of the research community. The notice of proposed rulemaking on...

Pentagon assesses China's military might.
July 25, 2005... China's military capabilities have increased at a substantial rate over the last year, and the People's Liberation Army has learned how to posture itself against the U.S. due to its study of the American military experience in Iraq, says the...

Solar industry growth begins to limit supply of silicon to semiconductor industry.
July 25, 2005... The growth of the world solar photovoltaics industry could have a negative impact on the semiconductor industry's shift to 300 mm fabrication plants. Rapidly rising demand for polysilicon from the fast-growing solar industry has forced...

Manufacturing employment drops to lowest level in 55 years.
July 25, 2005... Manufacturing employment in June--at 14,270,000--fell to the lowest level since July, 1950, when the number of people working in the manufacturing sector stood at 14,072,000. Manufacturing job losses in June totaled 26,000, the fifth...

Bush memo indicates another lean year for S&T budget.
July 25, 2005... The Bush administration's Research and Development Budget Priorities for Fiscal Year 2007 went out to the heads of executive departments and agencies earlier this month under the signatures of John Marburger, director of the Office of Science...

Stanford research: lotion fragrances harm life.
July 25, 2005... The scents added to soaps and shampoos are causing long-term damage to aquatic wildlife downstream, says a report from Stanford University. Synthetic musks--chemical compounds used to enhance the smells of shampoos, detergents, cosmetics and...

Congressional Budget Office analyzes motives of those buying U.S. debt.
July 25, 2005... Asian governments have replaced private financial investors in funding the fast-growing U.S. debt, and whether they continue to do so will have a big impact on the world economy in coming years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The...

MAPI analyst: U.S. is not preparing adequately for China's emergence as a technology 'superstate'.
July 25, 2005... China is quickly developing into being an advanced technology "superstate," according to a new book from the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI and the Hudson Institute, written by economist Ernest Preeg. China is committing large amounts of resources...

Manufacturers greet China's currency decision with hope and skepticism.
July 25, 2005... China's decision to un-peg its currency from the U.S. dollar drew a sigh or relief and praise from those representing manufacturers in the political process, but an even greater level of skepticism. The decision by China to allow its...

House hearing exposes rising current of Sinophobia.
July 25, 2005... The takeover attempt of Unocal by the Chinese National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) has exposed an ugly national security rift that is forming between the United States and China. The proposed acquisition, which will be decided upon by Unocal...