Manufacturing & Technology News articles from November 2007

Manufacturing & Technology News archives from November 2007

Another U.S. industry gone.
November 16, 2007... The industry that makes luggage with surfaces made out of textile products has disappeared from the United States, reports the International Trade Commission (ITC). The nine companies left in the United States that make suitcases, briefcases,...

Currency reform legislation is still alive.
November 16, 2007... Nearing the end of another year, there is little in Congress to show for concern over China's manipulation of its currency. Bills that were long ago introduced have gone nowhere. Companies and industries adversely impacted by China's currency...

Competitiveness bill creates summits and study groups and approves more money for Mfg. & Tech programs.
November 16, 2007... There are a lot of new programs and policies thrown into the America COMPETES Act, passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bush. The "American Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education and...

Why Korea and not Japan negotiated a Free Trade Agreement with the U.S.
November 16, 2007... Korea and Japan are a lot alike with regards to trade with the United States, but Korea is the country that initiated a Free Trade Agreement with the United States. Why? Because such a deal "would play a critical role in Korea's efforts to open...

UT San Antonio creates Mfg. center.
November 16, 2007... The federal government has awarded almost $1 million in grants to the University of Texas at San Antonio's recently created Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Lean Systems to develop new research laboratories. One $500,000 grant, from the...

Downturn in truck industry forces Stoneridge to move production to China.(Industry overview)
November 16, 2007... A sudden and severe drop in the demand for commercial trucks has led component supplier Stoneridge Inc. of Warren, Ohio, to announce plans to shut down two of its factories, one in Sarasota, Fla., and another in Mitcheldean, England. "The...

U.S. industry holds 1.3 percent share of the high-tech outerwear market.
November 16, 2007... The United States has completely lost the capacity to make high-tech warm and water-resistant clothing for its 303 million citizens, according to the International Trade Commission. The U.S. government is about the only market left in the...

Council on Competitiveness receives Govt. grant to research leadership.
November 16, 2007... The Council on Competitiveness has won a $265,075 grant from the Commerce Department's Economic Development Administration (EDA) to plan the creation of a new National Center for Regional Leadership. The Council on Competitiveness "will...

The green business revolution moves into the supply chain.(Interview)
November 16, 2007... The manufacturing world is on the cusp of a major new trend toward sustainable supply chains that could have a profound impact on how companies source parts, components and products. The trend is being driven by consumers worried about...

Dollar's fall collapses the American empire.
November 16, 2007... The U.S. dollar is still officially the world's reserve currency, but, according to the UK's First Post, it cannot purchase the services of Brazilian super model Gisele Bundchen. Gisele required the $30 million she earned during the first half...

Feds pump $30 billion into University R&D.
November 16, 2007... Federal support for research at U.S. universities rose at a rate lower than inflation in 2006, to $30 billion. "When adjusted for inflation, this represents a 0.1 percent decline from fiscal year 2005," according to the National Science...

Letters to the editor.(Letter to the editor)
November 16, 2007... The allowance of business to use low-wage countries is killing American manufacturing corporations. What is needed is high demand in our corporations for our own apprenticeship programs to allow for entry-level employees to learn a skill. Most...

Letters to the editor.(Letter to the editor)
November 16, 2007... Not only does offshoring hurt the IT industry workers but it also stifles the creative forces of all industries affected by the practice. The real effect of massive offshoring is to limit the knowledge to be obtained from actually doing the...

China puts Canadian manufacturing in trough.
November 16, 2007... The Canadian manufacturing sector is going through a difficult period, with the loss of 87,000 jobs per year for the past two years with no end in sight. "The opening of this century has not been good for manufacturing," according to a report...

The U.S. no longer drives global economic growth.(GENERAL ELECTRIC CEO JEFFREY IMMELT:)(Company overview)
November 30, 2007... A downturn in the U.S. economy shouldn't hurt General Electric because most of the company's growth is in foreign markets, according to GE chairman and CEO Jeffrey Immelt. The United States is no longer the world's primary economic engine. ...

Quebec tries to save manufacturing base.
November 30, 2007... The government of Quebec, Canada, has adopted an expansive and expensive new program aimed at saving its manufacturing sector. "Already in full flux, the manufacturing sector is feeling the effects of rapidly changing economic conditions...

NIST: new investment in biopharmaceutical infrastructure will pay big dividends for U.S.
November 30, 2007... A substantial new investment in the biopharmaceutical industry's infrastructure could have a profound impact on the ability of the industry to develop a new generation of drugs and remain a competitive force in the global economy, according to...

ITAA, GEIA in merger talks.
November 30, 2007... The Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) and the Government Electronics and Information Technology Association (GEIA) have entered into merger talks. The two Washington, D.C., based-organizations could join forces in 2008. ...

U.S.-China Commission tells DOD to assess what it is buying from China.
November 30, 2007... The 12-member, bipartisan United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) unanimously approved its latest report on the troubled and complex relationship between the world's two great powers. The congressionally...

Export control overhaul bill introduced in house.
November 30, 2007... Rep. Don Manzullo (R-Ill.) has introduced legislation aimed at modernizing the federal government's export control policy and "help American companies sell more defense-related goods and services overseas to our allies," he says. The...

U.S. has no strategy to deal with critical materials.
November 30, 2007... The United States industry and military have no system in place to assess their vulnerabilities to many hundreds of critical materials that are produced overseas, according to the National Research Council. "Decision makers in both the public...

Job and income growth for scientists and engineers comes to an end.
November 30, 2007... A 40-year period of constant growth in occupations for scientists and engineers has come to an end, according to the Commission on Professionals in Science and Technology. From 1950 until 2000, occupations in the sciences and engineering grew...

Honeywell moves electronic material division HQ to China.
November 30, 2007... Honeywell has decided to move the headquarters of its Electronic Materials division from Arizona to China, as a means to keep close to its customers. The division says the move should not be viewed symbolically. "This business caters to the...

USTR claims victory in China subsidy case.
November 30, 2007... China's decision to terminate export subsidies that the United States claimed were illegal "represents a victory for U.S. manufacturers and their workers," said United States Trade Representative Susan Schwab on Nov. 29. "The agreement also...

EPA proposes regulations on ocean ships.
November 30, 2007... The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed regulations to reduce emissions from the large diesel marine engines that power container ships, cruise lines, tankers and bulk carriers. The proposal would require the use of new technology and...

Carbon reduction investments will cost $1.1 trillion, out of $77 trillion in total investment.(THE CONFERENCE BOARD)
November 30, 2007... "The United States could reduce projected 2030 emissions of greenhouse gases by between one-third to one-half at manageable costs to the economy and without requiring big changes in consumer lifestyles," says a new report from the Conference...

How to deal with a bankrupt customer under the new bankruptcy code.
November 30, 2007... The number of business bankruptcies continues to rise, with 7,167 businesses declaring bankruptcy in the third quarter of 2007, according to accounts receivable insurer Euler Hermes ACI. Through the third quarter of this year, 20,152 companies...