Manufacturing & Technology News articles from June 2003

Manufacturing & Technology News archives from June 2003

U.S. manufacturers charge federal government with malfeasance in upholding trade laws with China: Bush accused of favoring Chinese over U.S. interests.
June 3, 2003... In the growing number of trade disputes over cheap imports from China, the U.S. government is favoring Chinese exporters and their agents over American companies, more than a dozen executives from a diverse group of industries charged at a...

Wolf: U.S. companies must be proactive in promoting change in trade enforcement.(Frank Wolf and the House Appropriations subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and State)
June 3, 2003... "I think the Commerce Department was a little stunned" by the testimony presented by the 13 company executives before the House Appropriations subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and State, says subcommittee chairman Frank Wolf (R-Va.). Every one...

OMB opens fed. govt. to outsourcing.(Office of Management and Budget)(Brief Article)
June 3, 2003... The Bush administration expects "big savings" from its proposal to outsource as many as 850,000 federal jobs. The Office of Management and Budget proposal will allow industry to bid on government service contracts with expected savings of an...

Army creates nanotech uniform center.(Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies opened at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.)(Brief Article)
June 3, 2003... The Army has opened its Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Founded by a $50-million grant, the institute's mission is to create a lightweight bulletproof and waterproof uniform no thicker than...

Education Dept. seeks help on roadmap.(United States Department of Education "National Education Technology Plan")(Brief Article)
June 3, 2003... The Department of Education is seeking input into how to craft a "National Education Technology Plan" as required by the No Child Left Behind law. "Individuals and organizations are being asked to identify and communicate to the Department of...

Agriculture regulates wood packaging.(United States Department of Agriculture)(Brief Article)
June 3, 2003... The Department of Agriculture has proposed changes in the regulations for the importation of "unmanufactured" wood articles. The proposed regulations adopt international standards that require wood packaging material to be either heat treated...

Hybrid vehicles to make a market splash.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2003... Hybrid electric vehicle sales are forecast to increase dramatically, says J.D. Power & Associates. This year, an estimated 54,000 hybrids will be sold in the United States, up from 38,000 last year. By 2008, J.D. Power projects sales of 500,000...

Francophobes propose U.S. alternative to Paris Air Show.(defense authorization bill for United States air show)(Brief Article)
June 3, 2003... The House Armed Services Committee has approved a $1 million provision in the defense authorization bill to develop a major air show during the same odd years as the Paris Air Show. "We need a showcase for U.S. aircraft in North America, the...

Defense Acquisition University acts as conduit for DOD's transformation.
June 3, 2003... "Transformation" of the Department of Defense will not be an easy task. But the Pentagon has one highly effective tool to spread a new culture of empowerment and change to its 133,000 acquisition employees working in every service of the...

House strengthens buy America provisions.(Defense Department bill requires defense contractors to use American made materials)
June 3, 2003... The "Buy America" provisions in the Defense Department authorization bill passed by the House have been strengthened due to increasing concerns about the health of the U.S. industrial base. Despite the Pentagon's "transformation" legislative...

House proposes a federal mfg. adjutant.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2003... The House of Representatives will soon be considering a bill that would create a new Under Secretary of Manufacturing in the Department of Commerce. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.) has introduced legislation (HR 2172) aimed at creating a voice...

Senate worries about semi industry.(semiconductor industry)(Brief Article)
June 3, 2003... The Senate has directed the Department of Defense to study the implications of a deteriorating U.S. semiconductor industry and directs the Pentagon to support university R&D in semiconductors. In the 2004 Defense Authorization Bill (S. 1050),...

Trends in international electronics manufacturing have National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative in a state of flux.(interview with Jim McElroy)(Interview)
June 3, 2003... Most industries in the United States have broken down ingrained competitive barriers and have started working cooperatively to develop technology roadmaps, but the granddaddy of all roadmaps is generated by the National Electronics...

Europeans told to rally behind one ITER site.(International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor)(Brief Article)
June 3, 2003... European countries must work together to secure site selection for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), says European Commission research director Philippe Busquin. France and Spain are vying to become the host site in...

Electronics sector remains tumultuous.(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
June 3, 2003... Component orders for electronics were flat in April, "continuing a familiar trend over the last year," says the Electronic Components, Assemblies & Materials Association (ECA). Suppliers gathering at the recent ECA spring meeting expressed...

Industrial bonds could help mfg.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2003... The use of Industrial Development Bonds (IDB) should be expanded to include manufacturing facilities, says Rep. Phil English (R-Penn.). "IDBs are an essential tool for economic development agencies fighting to attract or retain well paying...

Rural counties need a stimulus.(Tom Osborne and Earl Pomeroy introduce New Homestead Act of 2003)(Brief Article)
June 3, 2003... Two members of the House of Representatives from rural states have introduced legislation aimed at stopping the hemorrhage of people migrating out of rural areas. Reps. Tom Osborne (R-Neb.) and Earl Pomeroy (D-N.D.) say the "New Homestead Act...

Fund Brownfields, senators demand.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2003... The Environmental Protection Agency has received more than 1,300 applications from communities throughout the country seeking grants to help clean up abandoned industrial sites. But EPA will be able to fund only 150 to 200 projects, according...

Deflation could exacerbate unemployment rate.
June 3, 2003... The unemployment situation is worse than most people realize, says John Challenger, president of the outplacement firm of Challenger, Gray & Christmas. The official unemployment rate of 6 percent does not include 4.4 million Americans who are...

Science Committee wakes up to mfg.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2003... The House Science Committee's subcommittee on environment, technology and standards is planning a hearing for Thursday, June 5 on the future of manufacturing. "We're going to figure out if there are any technological or research and development...

Textile industry coalesces behind common threat of Chinese imports. (New Manufacturing Trade Group Forms in Washington).
June 17, 2003... Top executives from the nation's largest textile and apparel companies and trade associations met in Washington, D.C., on June 10 at a "summit" to formulate an aggressive public relations and government lobbying campaign against surging imports...

Europeans warn U.S. nanotechnology researchers to slow down or pay the consequences of an outraged public.
June 17, 2003... European researchers and technology policymakers are raising concerns about the potential health and environmental effects of nanotechnology. The rush to develop nanotechnology applications could lead to a backlash against the technology...

Most online buyers don't make immediate purchases, says survey.
June 17, 2003... E-commerce is having a much greater impact on direct sales to consumers than many manufacturers are able to measure, according to a study by Frank Lynn & Associates. In a survey in which 10,000 online buyers participated, the consulting firm...

Manufacturing Extension receives timely endorsement.
June 17, 2003... The federal government's Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program received a glowing endorsement during a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing recently. "I'm not a politician but for the lousy $100 million dollars of the cost of...

Pentagon is told to focus on health of chip industry.(semiconductor industry)
June 17, 2003... The Department of Defense and the federal intelligence community must take action within the next few months to address the potential loss of the U.S. semiconductor industrial base, says Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.), ranking member of the...

Plenty of affordable homes are available in Flint, Mich.
June 17, 2003... The median value of a home in the United States was $119,600, an increase of 18 percent over the 1990 median of $101,100, according to the Census Bureau. Only 0.6 percent of all the houses in the country (313,759) were valued at more than $1...

Plastics industry to challenge Washington policymakers.(Brief Article)
June 17, 2003... The U.S. plastics industry has initiated a drive to convince the federal government to pursue "continuous and aggressive negotiations to promote free and fair trade" and to make China "live up to their obligations under the WTO," says the...

NAM study stresses importance of manufacturing.
June 17, 2003... "If the U.S. manufacturing base continues to shrink at its present rate and the critical mass is lost, the manufacturing innovation process will shift to other global centers," concludes a report commissioned by the National Association of...

NACFAM recommends new commitment to productivity R&D.
June 17, 2003... The United States must create a national strategy that recommits the country to improving the productivity of the U.S. manufacturing sector, says the National Coalition for Advanced Manufacturing (NAGFAM) in a new white paper. The federal...

MEP program to be reviewed.
June 17, 2003... The National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) has initiated a study on the effectiveness of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership program run by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The independent study team will...

Commerce Dept. to hold Mfg. roundtable.
June 17, 2003... The Department of Commerce's Office of Technology Policy is sponsoring a roundtable meeting on June 24 to discuss the plight of American manufacturing. The assembly will include top Commerce Department officials and industry representatives...

Rep. Manzullo emerges as manufacturing champion in U.S. House of representatives.
June 17, 2003... The problem 'with Congress, says Rep. Don Manzullo (R-Ill.), is that only 40 or 50 representatives are from districts where a majority of the economic activity involves manufacturing. Too few members are cognizant of manufacturing's...

Rep. Manzullo's 10 factors working against U.S. Mfg.
June 17, 2003... 1. "Washington" does not understand the importance of manufacturing: * Some of the rhetoric we hear in Washington includes: "Everyone wants a white-collar job" and "Manufacturing is 'only' one small segment of our economy." *...