News Archive

Manufacturing news

September 2006

DaimlerChrysler close to deal with Chinese auto maker?

DaimlerChrysler, the world's fifth-largest car maker, is negotiating with China's Chery Automobile to manufacture small cars for sale in the US and elsewhere and may be close to finalizing a deal, sources told Reuters on Friday.
29 Sep 2006 17:22

Logistics: APL CEO receives award, calls for stronger security

Ron Widdows, CEO of global container carrier APL, has received the National Transportation Award last night from the National Defense Transportation Association (NDTA). He was hailed for his leadership in the shipping industry and his foresight in sustaining the U.S. economy.
28 Sep 2006 12:28

NAM establishes new China Business Committee on currency

In other NAM news, the Board of Directors on September 28, gathering for their annual fall meeting in Washington, D.C., focused on the problem of China’s slow movement toward currency flexibility and directed NAM President John Engler to immediately establish a new task force to work with Treasury Secretary Paulson on the issue. In addition, the task force will initiate an effort to make trade remedies more available to smaller firms.
28 Sep 2006 21:11

NAM welcomes PPG CEO Chuck Bunch as chairman of 2007-2008 term

On September 28, The National Association of Manufacturers Board of Directors unanimously approved the nomination of Charles E. (Chuck) Bunch, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Pittsburgh-based PPG Industries, Inc., to become NAM Chairman for the 2007-2008 term commencing January 1, 2007.
28 Sep 2006 21:06

Samsung TOTAL claims production increase with Pavilion Technologies

Pavilion Technologies, the model-based software, has announced that Samsung TOTAL Petrochemicals has realized significant benefits from the deployment of Pavilion's Model Predictive Control (MPC) polymer solution to optimize production on its A-Train polypropylene line at the company's Daesan, Korea facility.
28 Sep 2006 15:08

Study says US companies face increasing cost gap

A report released September 27th shows that high taxes and rising energy and healthcare costs caused US manufacturers to drop farther behind foreign firms in economic competitiveness, according to Reuters.
28 Sep 2006 17:28

Epicor stands fast, delivers SOA goods

Earlier this month and at the International Manufacturing Technology Show, Epicor, released Version 8.03 of Epicor Vantage, the 100-percent service-oriented architecture (SOA) global manufacturing solution for midsized enterprises. What’s remarkable about that?
27 Sep 2006 20:40

Lean Learning Center partner honored by Crain's

Frequent Manufacturer interviewee and Lean guru Jamie Flinchbaugh has received kudos from Crain's Detroit Business.
27 Sep 2006 14:28

UGS, P&G knowledge-management software now broadly available

UGS Corp., the global provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) software and services, has announced its plans to deliver what it calls "the industry’s first PLM software product to effectively capture and share important laboratory research knowledge for extended enterprises in the process industries."
27 Sep 2006 12:51

US workers believe avian flu outbreak "likely"

US workers are worried about avian flu, finds a Kimberly-Clark Professional survey, and their workplaces are unprepared.
27 Sep 2006 13:26

Consumer electronics growth market for Wi-Fi

Good news for electronics manufacturers: Wi-Fi networking is expected to become a key enabler for delivery and redistribution of this content in the home, particularly for retail consumer electronics hardware.
26 Sep 2006 17:32

Health-care premiums up 7.7 percent

A Wall Street Journal report indicates that health-care burdens of both employers and their workers jumped twice as fast as wages and inflation in 2006.
26 Sep 2006 17:26

Intellectual property assemblies gather, attempt to broaden global scope

WIPO ASSEMBLIES OPEN The meetings of the Assemblies of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), which bring together WIPO’s 183 member states, opened on Monday with emphasis by the Director General, Dr. Kamil Idris, on the Organization’s commitment to inclusion and excellence in the provision of intellectual property services.
26 Sep 2006 17:53

Intellectual property assemblies open, attempt broader scope

The meetings of the Assemblies of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), which bring together WIPO’s 183 member states, opened on Monday with emphasis by the Director General, Dr. Kamil Idris, on the Organization’s commitment to inclusion and excellence in the provision of intellectual property services.
26 Sep 2006 17:54

IT (and marketing): SAP pushes SME image

At SAPPHIRE '06, enterprise IT giant SAP pushed the message hard that it was the solution for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
26 Sep 2006 17:46

Walls industries implements tradecard for costs, vendor relations

Walls Industries of workwear and hunting gear has gong live on the TradeCard global trade platform (from TradeCard Inc.) to automate financial processes in its sourcing operations.
26 Sep 2006 17:50

The Forbes 400: Whither the wealthy manufacturers?

Forbes Magazine has released it’s list of the 400 richest Americans.
22 Sep 2006 21:25

Manufacturing Indicators Suggest No Growth

The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia today released September’s grim Business Outlook Survey. According to the Wall Street Journal, the results have "rattled" the manufacturing market.
21 Sep 2006 22:59

NAM and MAPI: Structural costs rise sharply

A new study shows that structural costs for U.S. manufacturers are headed in the wrong direction.
21 Sep 2006 23:40

Pavilion Technologies Launches Pavilion8 Version 2.0

Pavilion Technologies has released version 2.0 of its Pavilion8 software platform. Leveraging a modeling engine at its core, Pavilion8 is the foundation for Pavilion's industry-specific solutions.
21 Sep 2006 22:03

Proposed U.S. act likely to result in pharma RFID e-Pedigree recommendations

As industry organization AIMGlobal reports, the e-pedigree sections of U.S. HR 4769 "Prescription Drug Abuse Elimination Act of 2006" will likely call for medpharm manufacturers to implement RFID.
21 Sep 2006 23:11

The sporting life 1: ATVs targeted to niche (female) demographics

All-terrain vehicle (ATV) maker Polaris will produce a pink ATV, aimed at its female demographic.
21 Sep 2006 23:23

The sporting life, 2: 3D CAD key to the perfect snowboard

Also in the youthful-fun vertical - Deuce Snowboards has come up with a more perfect product, and did so with 3D modeling.
21 Sep 2006 23:30

Automotives: "Chevy Mustang" seems unlikely

The analyst community is downplaying the importance of Ford/GM talks.
19 Sep 2006 17:49

BP delays Thunder Horse drilling

Down-on-its-luck BP has delayed drilling on its Thunder Horse oil field in the Gulf of Mexico, from 2007 to 2008.
19 Sep 2006 15:57

China slows exporters

China is slamming on the "tax brakes," supposedly to slow an export deficit. Likely, this is as much a PR move as it is an economic one.
19 Sep 2006 19:55

CPG: Hot or cold Christmas?

The National Retail Foundation (NRF) predicts slower-than-usual growth in Holiday sales. But their own data reveals that those consumers may be spending their money in the Fall instead.
19 Sep 2006 15:51

Intel, UC Santa Barbara collaborate on silicon laser chip

The silicon chip will go wireless, using light instead of wire to transmit data. That according to a team of researchers from Intel and UC Santa Barbara, underscoring the power of cooperation between industry and academia.
19 Sep 2006 21:39

Motorola to Acquire Symbol

Motorola has announced that it will purchase auto-ID provider Symbol Technologies for about $3.9 billion.
19 Sep 2006 15:39

Mumbai, India port offers incentives

The Port of Mumbai, India, is offering concessions in rates, aimed at attracting more cargo into the port.
19 Sep 2006 15:44

Patagonia ramps up apparel-focused PLM

PLM provider PTC has announced that its customer, Patagonia, has expanded its use of FlexPLM, PTC’s Retail, Footwear and Apparel solution, to optimize the design and manufacturing of its apparel lines.
19 Sep 2006 16:03

Signicast: continuous flow wins Volvo "World Class" rating

Hartford, Wis.-based Signicast Corporation has earned a rating that is “nothing short of outstanding” from Volvo representatives during an audit of the Hartford facilities.
19 Sep 2006 17:17

Stolle Machinery: unity through ERP

"Instead of acting like five $40 million companies, we wanted to start acting like a single $200 million company," says Stolle Machinery ERP Project Manager Michael Kalkman.
19 Sep 2006 17:34

Ford to announce job, benefits cuts

According to the online version of The Wall Street Journal, Ford Motor Company today will announce a massive corporate restructuring plan that will reduce white-collar costs by about 30 percent but will include cuts in jobs and benefits.
13 Sep 2006 16:22

Makers of action sports apparel think green

Companies that manufacture surf gear are increasingly turning to more environmentally friendly materials as concern over beach pollution and coastal damage spreads into the world of surfer fashion.
13 Sep 2006 17:08

Paulson: China needs market reform for control

China should quickly adopt a more market-based economy and flexible currency exchange rates or it may lose the ability to control its economy, US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said today.
13 Sep 2006 18:35

US asks India for fair play for cola makers

A letter urging fair treatment for Coca-Cola and PepsiCo has been sent to the Indian government by Undersecretary for International Trade Franklin Lavin after a health scare prompted bans in several of the country's states, according to embassy spokesman David Kennedy.
13 Sep 2006 17:43

5% Manufacturing Production Growth Forecast for '06; 2.5% for '07

US manufacturing production will grow a modest 5% this year, then slow markedly to a 2.5% advance in 2007, suggests the most recent quarterly economic forecast from Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI, an Arlington, VA-based business and public policy research group.
07 Sep 2006 21:02

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