Manufacturing & Technology News articles from May 2003

Manufacturing & Technology News archives from May 2003

Army to create a 'Sematech'-like consortium to develop U.S. flexible display industry.
May 2, 2003... The U.S. Army will create a new consortium aimed at developing a new generation of flexible flat panel displays. Lightweight, rugged displays made on plastic substrates that can be rolled up for easy storage would provide soldiers, special...

Baldrige winner Wainwright Industries finding it hard to survive, seeks federal assistance.
May 2, 2003... One of the most respected small manufacturing companies in the United States is being rocked by foreign competition and has been approved to receive assistance from the federal government. Wainwright Industries, a Baldrige Award winner whose...

FDI takes a plunge; does it mean the end of globalization?
May 2, 2003... The 20-year trend toward increased globalization of the world economy "may be coming to an end" says Gail Fosler, chief economist at The Conference Board. The slowdown in globalization is reflected in the continued sharp drop in foreign direct...

Letter to the editor.(Letter to the Editor)
May 2, 2003... I write to correct erroneous statements attributed to me in your article, "Should Tool and Die Industry Look to Feds for Help?" which was published in the April 16 edition of Manufacturing & Technology News. I am quoted as being dismissive of a...

Industry, government executives meet to discuss possible DARPA Mfg. program.
May 2, 2003... A group of about 45 defense manufacturing industry and government executives gathered on April 25 to discuss the possibility of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) creating a new thrust area in manufacturing. The event,...

DOE invests heavily in fuel cell firms.(Department of Energy)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Two large fuel cell demonstration projects have been selected to receive $105 million from the Department of Energy. Teams headed by FuelCell Energy of Danbury, Conn., and Acumentrics Corp. of Westwood, Mass., are working in DOE's "Solid State...

Ingersoll Intl. can't survive downturn.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Ingersoll International, a company that produces manufacturing equipment to make stealth aircraft, has filed for bankruptcy protection. The Rockford, 111.-based manufacturer of complex machine tools and equipment for a variety of industries,...

DOD's Transformation bill would allow more foreign purchases of weaponry.
May 2, 2003... The Pentagon has submitted legislation to Congress seeking changes in laws that will allow it to more easily buy defense materials, components and systems from overseas suppliers. The U.S. defense industrial base is healthier than ever and...

National Academy worries about loss of semiconductor industry.
May 2, 2003... The United States "may be on the brink of losing a global battle over where the semiconductor industry of the future is located," says the congressional Northeast-Midwest Coalition in describing the conclusions of a new report to be released by...

Plastics industry to fight California bag tax.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... The plastics industry has created a new "Plastic Bag Coalition" to fight California legislation that would place a tax of two-cents on all plastic bags used by retailers in the state. The proposed legislation, the California Litter and Marine...

U.S. multinationals need to counter anti-U.S. sentiments.
May 2, 2003... U.S. companies operating globally are worried about the backlash in foreign markets due to the war in Iraq, says Conference Board economist Ken Goldstein. In countries whose populations opposed military action, U.S. companies like General...

Science Committee Chairman seeks big rise in science & tech funding.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... House Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.) wants the budget for the National Science Foundation to increase by 20 percent next year. "Over the course of the last month, I have been reviewing the President's fiscal year 2004...

What plagues small manufacturers? Their big corporate customers.
May 2, 2003... The problems confronting the U.S. manufacturing sector are being caused primarily by large corporations moving their production offshore, Eric Anderberg, general manager of Dial Machine Inc., told a congressional committee investigating the...

United Technologies says overseas factories are essential.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Building components overseas is essential for the survival of America's largest corporations, says United Technologies Corp. senior vice president of science and technology John Cassidy. Speaking at the National Academy of Sciences recent...

After 50 years, Toyota remains the paragon of industrial success.
May 2, 2003... More than 20 years ago, Dan Jones and I made an important discovery. On a trip to Japan we concluded that there was really no "Japan, Inc." or standardized way of doing business. Instead there were many companies pursuing a variety of...

Manufacturing downturn is impacting rural communities more than cities.
May 2, 2003... The manufacturing slump is having a far deeper impact on rural communities than urban areas, says Chad Wilkerson an economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. "Rural areas have been hit particularly hard because so much more...

Cold winds blow in Mfg. sector.
May 2, 2003... The slide in manufacturing jobs continued in April with the staggering loss of another 95,000 positions. after a loss of 36,000 manufacturing jobs in March. It is the 33rd consecutive month of declines in manufacturing employment. Since its...

Europeans face similar negative public perceptions of science & technology.
May 2, 2003... Europeans do not look favorably upon careers in fields associated with science and technology, according to a survey of 12,000 European citizens conducted by the European Union. The latest "Eurobarometer" found that a majority of Europeans...

MEP program remains popular on Capitol Hill.
May 2, 2003... The Commerce Department's Manufacturing Extension Partnership program is proving extremely popular among a majority of the members of Congress. A letter to House and Senate appropriations committee chairmen in favor of full funding for the...

Bush team seeks answers to questions.
May 2, 2003... The Bush administration is fully aware of the plight of the U.S. manufacturing sector, says Sam Bodman, the number two person at the Department of Commerce. "There is on doubt that this important sector is hurting and has been for some time,"...

Semiconductor equipment makers continue bouncing along the bottom.
May 2, 2003... Companies making wafer fabrication equipment had a tough year in 2002. The industry recorded a 31.6 percent decline in sales last year, dropping from $24.1 billion in 2001 to $16.5 billion in 2002. It is the second year in a row sales have...

DOD technology Advisory Group says military capability is in doubt due to loss of electronics industry; Pentagon did not authorize release of report).(DOD (Department of Defense) technology Advisory Group says military capability is in doubt due to loss of electronics industry; Pentagon did not authorize release of report)
May 16, 2003... The Department of Defense "faces shrinking advantages across all technology areas" due to the rapid decline of the U.S. electronics sector, warns the Pentagon's Advisory Group on Electron Devices (AGED). "Off-shore movement of intellectual...

Congress's China commission gearing up to tackle security and economic relations issues.
May 16, 2003... The congressional U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission is getting ready to tackle some of the most complex issues relating to the shift of production capacity to China. As part of its $1.8-million congressional appropriation,...

Senate Armed Services Committee bumps up DOD's budget.(Department of Defense)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2003... The Senate Armed Services Committee on May 8 completed its markup of the defense authorization bill for 2004, calling for a 3.2 percent real increase in defense spending to $400.5 billion. The amount is $17.9 billion higher than the amount...

Manufacturers reduce investments overseas.(Industry Overview)
May 16, 2003... U.S. manufacturers have substantially reduced their investments in overseas companies and factories. Foreign direct investment among manufacturing companies plunged last year by 37 percent to $23 billion, down from $36 billion in 2001,...

One less job available for criminals: truck driving.
May 16, 2003... The newly created Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has issued regulations requiring routine background checks for the 3.5 million truck drivers moving hazardous materials, chemicals, gasoline and explosives. The rule, required under...

The driving forces behind the loss of manufacturing jobs.(Industry Overview)
May 16, 2003... Despite business cycle ups and downs, the United States has now lost 10 percent of its manufacturing jobs during the past decade, the worst decade-long decline since 1934. Recent job losses have all come in the past five years, when 14 percent...

House subcommittee seeks solutions to growing trade imbalance with.(trade relations with China)
May 16, 2003... The House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees the budgets for the Commerce Department and the United States Trade Representative has scheduled a hearing for May 22 on the "effects of Chinese imports on U.S companies." Frank Wolfe (R-Va.),...

U.S. semiconductor industry is in trouble, says National Academy of Sciences panel.(Industry Overview)
May 16, 2003... The United States semiconductor industry is facing "unprecedented" challenges from abroad and the U.S. risks losing a good portion of its most important manufacturing industry, a panel assembled from the National Academies of Sciences told...

The Army's aggressive R&D strategy: an interview with the chief scientist.
May 16, 2003... After almost a decade of decline following the end of the Cold War, the U.S Army is finding its feet again, thanks in large part to a renewed focus on transformation (the new buzzword) and technology. Having struggled politically within the...

NAM takes first step to create China policy.(National Association of Manufacturers)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2003... Jerry Jasinowski, president of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), has invited 12 of his board members for a meeting on May 22 to begin initial discussions on how the association should deal with China. "We're looking at what...

Commerce Dept. traverses the country in a quest for manufacturing erudition.
May 16, 2003... The Commerce Department is in full swing in its study to understand the economic "crisis" afflicting the U.S. manufacturing sector. International Trade Administration Secretary Grant Aldonas has hosted two meetings, the latest held on May 12 in...