Manufacturing & Technology News articles from June 2009

Manufacturing & Technology News archives from June 2009

Chinese tire producers hire U.S. government's top trade officials in '421' dumping case.
June 16, 2009... It didn't take long for a handful of the Bush administration's top trade officials to start representing foreign business interests. Eight members of the House of Representatives have asked the Government Accountability Office to investigate...

90,000 small manufacturing companies are at risk of failure.(Company overview)
June 16, 2009... Tens of thousands of small manufacturing companies in the United States have little idea of what it takes to be successful in an increasingly global competitive environment and risk going out of business in the near future, according to the...

Market for small wind turbines grows at a robust clip.
June 16, 2009... Last year was very good for the U.S. small wind turbine industry. Sales by total power generation increased by 78 percent in 2008 to 17.3 megawatts of capacity. Sales of turbines smaller than 100 kilowatts increased by 14 percent to 10,500...

Babcock & Wilcox introduces modular nuclear reactor.
June 16, 2009... Babcock & Wilcox has introduced a new nuclear reactor, called the mPower--for its modular design that can be sold in125-megawatt increments. The reactor has a five-year operating cycle without the need for refueling. The maker of the famed...

U.S. machine tool industry reaches a nadir; monthly sales dip to lowest level ever.
June 16, 2009... The U.S. machine tool industry is in a depression. Sales in April totaled just $97 million, down 41.5 percent from March and a 78 percent drop from the same month in April 2008, when the industry sold $435 million worth of equipment, according...

States facing mounting budget deficits express desire to raise taxes by a record amount.
June 16, 2009... Almost every one of the 50 U.S. states is facing a severe financial crisis that is projected to become far worse as the federal government's stimulus funding runs out, according to the National Governors Association. Moreover, states are...

Obama's pick for ambassador to China.
June 16, 2009... People are policy. The choice of Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. to serve as ambassador to China indicates the Obama Administration's posture towards Beijing. Huntsman will be quite comfortable with Barack Obama's mix of appeasement and contrived...

Catalysts are a trillion-dollar U.S. industry, but the country doesn't seem to care.
June 16, 2009... The use of catalysts in the U.S. economy accounts for about $1 trillion in GDP, and advances in catalysis research are leading to breakthroughs in biomass-to-energy, coal-to-liquid fuels, fuel cells, the treatment of chemical waste streams and...

Gao goes undercover to expose American manufacturers of high-tech equipment.
June 16, 2009... If your company is selling any products that are used in military applications, you better be on your toes. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) set up a fake American company, and found that it was able to purchase sensitive military...

The failure of U.S. manned space flight.
June 16, 2009... The United States government has awarded a $306-million contract to the Russian Federal Space Agency to transport six American crew members to the Space Station and bring back 66 pounds of trash. The contract covers the training, launch,...

Manufacturers of electrical and electronic products must prepare for new environmental regulations.
June 16, 2009... New legislation being considered in the United States Congress could dramatically affect how many electronics and electrical power products are manufactured in the United States. The Environmental Design of Electrical Equipment (EDEE) Act (H.R....

Sens. Schumer and Graham rediscover China currency issue.
June 16, 2009... A new China currency bill has been introduced in the U.S. Senate. Sens. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) have reintroduced a bill that they first floated in Congress two years ago. This one is called the "Currency Rate...

When asked, only 17 percent of all Americans have ever heard of NAM.
June 16, 2009... The National Association of Manufacturers is not well known beyond the Washington beltway. When 2,126 Americans were asked by pollsters working for Harris Interactive if they knew about NAM, only 17 percent said yes. More people have heard of...

Obama's economic fix is putting the U.S. in a fix.
June 16, 2009... Economic news remains focused on banks and housing, while the threat mounts to the U.S. dollar from massive federal budget deficits in fiscal years 2009 and 2010. Earlier this year, the dollar's exchange value rose against currencies such...

Foreign investment in the U.S. is not for new jobs or factories.
June 16, 2009... Most of the foreign direct investment into the United States in 2008 went to purchase existing companies, with very little being used to establish new production facilities or create new jobs. Foreigners spent $243 billion buying existing...

Americans say the U.S. should not favor mfg.
June 16, 2009... Most Americans believe the country needs to move away from manufacturing as a means of generating future wealth and jobs, according to a poll taken by Zogby International. When asked whether the United States should "stick with more traditional...

Another critique of U.S. export control system.
June 16, 2009... The export control divisions within the departments of State, Commerce, Treasury, Energy, Justice, Defense and Homeland Security have not kept pace with the changes in the world, says the Government Accountability Office. Each represent...