Manufacturing news
March 2006
US + China + India > 50% economic growth
By 2020, the combined forces of the United States, China and India will account for more than 50 percent of all new economic growth, according to a just-issued Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) report.
31 Mar 2006 22:50
US, EU square off against China trade
"We do not think this is something aggressive but appropriate...The issue has become ripe." So said US Trade Representative Rob Portman, when the US and European Union challenged China before the World Trade Organization, charging illegal trade barriers against imported car parts.
31 Mar 2006 22:43
US, EU square off against China trade
"We do not think this is something aggressive but appropriate...The issue has become ripe." So said US Trade Representative Rob Portman, when the US and European Union challenged China before the World Trade Organization, charging illegal trade barriers against imported car parts.
31 Mar 2006 22:39
24 mpg rule for SUVs, trucks, Hummers – how likely?
The Bush administration is ordering that SUVs and vans weighing more than 8.500 lbs including GM products Hummer and Chevy Suburban, and all light trucks, must have an average mileage of 24 miles per gallon or higher, by model year 2011.
29 Mar 2006 22:21
Commerce Secretary praises manufacturers
As Secretary of the US Department of Commerce, Carlos M. Gutierrez is heralded as the voice of business in government. In his keynote speech at the 2006 National Manufacturing Week in Rosemont, IL this week he stressed the key role manufacturing plays in helping maintain US economic leadership.
23 Mar 2006 20:41
Dell embraces Alien
Dell has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire high performance PC manufacturer Alienware, “to further satisfy the growing number of consumers and businesses seeking the highest-performance PC products, including those used for gaming and multimedia digital content management.”
23 Mar 2006 21:15
Ecomagination: GE takes its own advice
GE is planning to reduce annual lighting energy costs by up to 50 percent at each of 148 GE Industrial manufacturing plants and warehouses around the world, saving $12.8 million in the process.
20 Mar 2006 21:27
Webb weaves Mentor acquisition into its portfolio
Material handling specialist Jervis B. Webb Company today announced the acquisition of Mentor AGVS, a supplier of automatic guided vehicle (AGV) systems based in Warrensville Heights, OH. Mentor was previously owned by Formtek Metal Forming, Inc., a subsidiary of Mestek. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
20 Mar 2006 22:58
Acquisitions: Justice Department to Whirlpool, “Maybe you’re big enough already.”
The U.S. Justice Department is weighing a challenge to home appliance maker Whirlpool Corp. in it’s proposed $1.68 billion acquisition of Maytag Corp.
17 Mar 2006 14:05
Automotive: US company launches B2B hub for China auto industry
US-based GXS, and China Entercom, are launching China e-Auto Hub, a B2B e-commerce solution for more than 8,000 companies in China’s rapidly expanding automotive sector.
15 Mar 2006 14:53
International Paper ASURYS now offering RFID Gen 2 Testing
ASURYS, the automatic ID wing of International Paper, now offers technology assessments of EPCGlobal Generation 2 or “Gen 2” hardware for radio frequency identification (RFID).
15 Mar 2006 23:03
Automotive: Kia plant contest ends, Georgia outguns Mississippi
West Point, Georgia has won out over Columbus, Mississipi, for a new Kia Motors plant.
13 Mar 2006 21:14
Import/Export: China vows crackdown on piracy
China has pledged to do better, regarding piracy, but has blamed the victims of piracy for being pushovers.
10 Mar 2006 20:47
Import/export: Trade gap at record high
The US’s trade deficit set a record in January, jumping 5.3% over December 2005. This according to the Commerce Department, and detailed in the Wall Street Journal.
09 Mar 2006 14:13
Import/Export: US racing clock for free trade with Malaysia, South Korea
The US and Malaysia will negotiate a free-trade agreement to eliminate trade barriers between the two nations.
08 Mar 2006 17:11
Medpharm: Complex monitoring may allow MS drug back on market
Demonstrating that medpharm is one of the more complex verticals – a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel recommends allowing Biogen Idec's multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri to return to market, with a stipulation: Biogen must create a mandatory patient registry to both track side effects and impose controls.
08 Mar 2006 17:46
Aerospace: Foreign trade strong in 2005
Aerospace foreign trade in 2005 showed a strong positive trade balance and a new record for exports.
06 Mar 2006 19:10
Automotive: GM’s holds multibillion yard sale of Suzuki, GMAC
General Motors (GM) will sell a 17 percent stake in Suzuki Motor Corp. back to Suzuki, helping GM raise $1.96 billion. This is a shot in the arm for the troubled automaker, which has suffered five consecutive quarterly losses, and lost $8.55 billion in 2005.
06 Mar 2006 14:51
Automotive: Japanese brands shut out US, Europeans in top ten
It’s a knockout - Asian automakers produce nine of the 10 most reliable vehicles, and all 10 of Consumer Reports’ Top Picks. This according to the March issue of Consumer Reports, its annual Automotive Issue. This is the first time in nine years that all of the top picks are made by Japanese automakers.
03 Mar 2006 15:28
Regulation: US companies jumping snap-to because of SarbOx
American companies busily issued restatements of financial results in 2005, owing to the Sarbanes-Oxley corporate governance act. This according to the Wall Street Journal, citing a report by research firm Glass Lewis & Co.
03 Mar 2006 16:09
RFID: encoding goes wireless & portable
At the RFID World conference in Dallas, ADASA, Inc., provider of recyclable RFID tags, introduced PAD3500, which ADASA it bills as the “world’s first Gen2 mobile wireless RFID device.”
03 Mar 2006 14:59
Factories busy - business surges in Q1 2006
The National Association of Business Economics (NABE) surveyed 53 economists, and describe the US business economy as “roaring back in early 2006.” This following a flaccid Q4 2005 of 1.1% growth.
01 Mar 2006 19:51
The Carlyle Group acquires US steel pipe maker
Global private equity firm The Carlyle Group has signed a $500 million agreement to acquire John Maneely Company (JMC), makers of steel pipe and tubular products, and plumbing and electrical fittings.
01 Mar 2006 19:37