Manufacturing & Technology News articles from March 2008

Manufacturing & Technology News archives from March 2008

Printed circuit boards to become part of DOD's 'trusted' production program.
March 14, 2008... The Department of Defense has developed a strategy to deal with the erosion of the U.S. printed circuit board industry and its growing inability to make parts that can be "trusted" for systems used in national security and military weapons...

Ohio voters don't trust democrats on economic issues.
March 14, 2008... In the recent Ohio Democratic presidential primary race, NAFTA sounded like it was the most important aspect of battle between Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. But it wasn't. When it came time to vote, the over-riding issue became...

On hold for a year: basic measurement infrastructure for quantum computing, nanotechnology & hydrogen fuel cells.
March 14, 2008... The Democratic Congress's last-minute decision in December to reduce 2008 funding for the federal physical science accounts will have a big impact at the National Institute of Standards and Technology this year. In an assessment of its current...

NAM's up-and-comers are out-and-going.
March 14, 2008... The exodus continues at the National Association of Manufacturers. After three years under Michigan Republican Gov. John Engler's presidency, the staff remains unsettled, with a second major organizational restructuring taking place in...

USTR's U.S. production claim riles union boss Leo Gerard.
March 14, 2008... A March 3, 2008, public notice issued by the Office of the United States Trade Representative entitled "NAFTA--Myth Vs. Facts" has riled up Leo Gerard, president of the United Steelworkers. The USTR states: "Myth No. 3: NAFTA has hurt America's...

Federal R&D funding is declining.
March 14, 2008... The federal government is reducing its investment in research and development, according to the National Science Foundation's Science Resource Statistics (SRS) division. In 2007, federal investment in R&D slipped to $116.4 billion, down from...

5,000-year-old metal casting industry leaves U.S. behind.
March 14, 2008... From the perspective of a German company selling high-tech simulation software to metal casting companies, the United States industry is not very advanced. Its supporters claim that the United States leads in technology, but that is not the...

Mfg. productivity improves more overseas.
March 14, 2008... U.S. manufacturing productivity growth wasn't very good in 2006 compared to most foreign competitors, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. South Korea's productivity improved by 11 percent in 2006 followed by Germany and Taiwan at 7...

Why the dollar is so cheap and euro & gold are so dear.(GUEST EDITORIAL)
March 14, 2008... The dollar is trading at all time lows against the euro and gold for good reasons. The Bush administration has flooded the world with greenbacks, and global investors have little confidence in the management of the U.S. economy. During the Bush...

Trade & manufacturing issues play central role in presidential campaign.
March 14, 2008... Trade, trade and more trade. That's what's on the presidential primary agenda over the next couple of months, as the Democratic battle between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton heads into the industrial states of Pennsylvania (April 22),...

Chief of Boeing's labor union chastises DOD tanker deal.(Interview)
March 14, 2008... If the $40-billion EADS/Airbus KC-45 tanker deal with the Air Force impacts one group, it's the 120-year-old International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), headquartered just outside Washington, D.C., in suburban Maryland....

DOD contracting: jobs are not considered.
March 14, 2008... When making the decision to choose the Northrop Grumman--EADS KC-45 tanker (based on the Airbus A-330 jetliner) over the Boeing proposal, the Pentagon did not account for economic issues associated with the program. "Job creation, location of...

NAM and Congress meet head-on in dispute over new lobbying law.
March 31, 2008... The National Association of Manufacturers' legal challenge to the last year's Honest Leadership and Open Government Act, which would require the disclosure of NAM members paying more than $5,000 per quarter to pursue lobbying tasks, is headed...

Defense Science Board recommends that DOD adopt an Energy Strategy.
March 31, 2008... The Department of Defense has no strategy to deal with its growing dependence on fuel, according to the Defense Science Board. In what can be described as a "damning" report on the subject of DOD's energy use, the DSB says troops in the field...

DOD worries that China is faking itself out.
March 31, 2008... China is modernizing every aspect of its military, save perhaps for one important area: its military doctrine, according to the Pentagon in its annual assessment of China's military might. But applying ancient Chinese history to shape modern...

Sovereign Wealth Funds: U.S. not worried about economic security.
March 31, 2008... The United States government does not consider the economic security of the nation when assessing investments being made in the country by foreign governments, says John Veroneau, deputy United States Trade Representative. The U.S. commitment...

DARPA re-orients its portfolio to assist warfighters and injured soldiers in Iraq.
March 31, 2008... The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are having a big impact on the research portfolio of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. DARPA's focus has shifted over the past seven years to serving the needs of the warfighters in the...

'Apollo' program needed for clean coal.
March 31, 2008... The federal government needs to "embark on the equivalent of the Apollo Project to develop the key technology to generate near emissions-free electricity from coal," says Kraig Naasz, president of the National Mining Association. Speaking at a...

Electronics Mfg. initiative seeks industry participation.
March 31, 2008... U.S. and foreign companies are being invited by the International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (iNEMI) to review the roadmaps that are being developed for dozens of emerging technologies. "The roadmap workshops are open to industry and...

Feds to hold competing competitiveness events.(Conference news)
March 31, 2008... The National Summit on American Competitiveness, the latest federally sponsored "big thinker" event similar to others held in previous years, will be held on May 22 in Chicago. The conference is being organized by Commerce Secretary Carlos...

IMF has an opportunity to address currency problem.(GUEST EDITORIAL: MAPI'S ERNEST PREEG)
March 31, 2008... The mid-April International Monetary Fund ministerial meeting will focus on exchange rate policies and the issue of misaligned currencies in particular. The undervalued Chinese yuan will get the most attention, but, unfortunately, discussion...

Quotable.(Quotation)
March 31, 2008... "A review of the consequences of the August 2003 [East Coast electricity] outage is instructive. The outage caused cascading failures of critical infrastructure. Some areas lost drinking water because pumps or treatment systems or both failed....

New chairman of Aerospace Industries Association explains the strategy for offshore outsourcing.(Interview)
March 31, 2008... Many U.S. industrial sectors have been struggling over the past seven years, but the aerospace industry isn't one of them. High demand around the world for both commercial and military aircraft and space systems has led to a U.S. order backlog...

Ohio to borrow $1.7 billion to rebuild its economy.
March 31, 2008... Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland has proposed a $1.7-billion stimulus package for the state intended to create 80,000 new jobs "and lay the foundation for future economic prosperity." The state will issue bonds to fund work in the following areas: ...

Science Board recommends a light-weight vehicle to replace the HUMVEE.
March 31, 2008... The Department of Defense should initiate a program aimed at developing and deploying a replacement for the HUMVEE that is lightweight and more fuel efficient but can protect its occupants from improvised explosive devices, according to the...

Feds to focus on manufacturing research: hydrogen, nanotech & integrated info systems.
March 31, 2008... The federal government's Interagency Working Group on Manufacturing Research and Development has issued its long-awaited report on topics for the federal government's manufacturing research programs. Its "Manufacturing the Future--Federal...

Dell to increase its purchases of Chinese parts & components.
March 31, 2008... Dell Computer, which had revenues last year of $61 billion, purchased $18 billion in parts and components from China last year, "more than any other computer systems company," says Dell in a press release issued in Hong Kong. That number will...