Articles
GM Considers Bid from KKR
March 15, 2006 2:18 am | by Andrea Lyn Van Benschoten | CommentsGeneral Motors is considering a bid of $12.5 billion to $13 billion led by New York private-equity firm Kohlberg, Kravis & Robers for the financing division, General Motors Acceptance Corp. (GMAC) according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.
UAW and Delphi Not Close in Wage Negotiations
March 15, 2006 2:12 am | by Len Vermillion | CommentsThe United Auto Workers president says negotiations on buyouts and wage cuts between Delphi and the union are still far apart as the March 30 deadline appraches.
Steel Business Briefing Reports China's Steel Trade Surplus Likely to Continue
March 14, 2006 2:46 am | by Andrea Lyn Van Benschoten | CommentsAccording to the Steel Business Briefing, China's trade surplus in steel and steel products in 2005 should continue.
EU Threatens Sanctions on U.S. Goods
March 14, 2006 2:32 am | by Andrea Lyn Van Benschoten | CommentsThe European Union (EU) has advised the World Trade Organization (WTO) today that it would reintroduce trade sanctions against the U.S. unless it complies with a ruling condemning tax breaks for domestic companies operating overseas.
Rebate Program Spurs Solar in California
March 13, 2006 3:37 am | by Rick Carter | CommentsCalifornia's new $3.2 billion solar-power rebate package is starting to have an effect.
Kia Motors To Set Up U.S. Plant in West Point, Georgia
March 13, 2006 3:11 am | by Nancy Syverson | CommentsKia Motors and Georgia state officials announced that the South Korean automaker will build a $1.2 billion prodution facility in West Point, Georgia.
Subaru Maker Teams with Toyota to Increase U.S. Plant Production
March 13, 2006 2:23 am | by Len Vermillion | CommentsFuji Heavy Industries and Toyota Motor Corp. announced plans to produce approximately 100,000 Toyota Camry models at Fuji's Indiana plant. The two companies will also team up on hybrid technology.
Skilled Worker Shortage a Big Problem for U.S. Organizations
March 13, 2006 2:22 am | by Anita LaFond | CommentsNew survey reports that employers are hiring foreign nationals to alleviate U.S. skill shortages
Supply Chain Improvement: Take It from the Top
March 10, 2006 3:05 am | by By: Colin Snow, Vice President and Research Director, Ventana Research | CommentsEven though the Supply Chain Reference model (SCOR) is widely used as tool to benchmark “best-in-class” management practices and standard metrics, it falls short of providing a performance management framework a company can use to link supply chain improvements to its strategic goals.
International Warehouse Logistics Association and OSHA Renew Alliance
March 10, 2006 2:29 am | by Rich Stevancsecz | CommentsOSHA and the International Warehouse Logistics Association (IWLA) have renewed their alliance for another two years to help improve worker safety and health. These improvements will focus on the areas of forklift operations, materials handling, and hazard communications and chemical safety.
EPA, Industry Launch Initiative to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
March 10, 2006 2:18 am | by Kevin Cronin | CommentsA public-private partnership will help reduce emissions that deplete the ozone layer and contribute to climate change. EPA and the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute announced an initiative that promotes the environmentally responsible use of fluorocarbon refrigerants in the annual manufacture of more than 8 million residential and commercial air conditioning units and refrigeration systems.
NAM Releases Statement on Tech Exports and Industry Trade Deficit
March 10, 2006 2:14 am | by Andrea Lyn Van Benschoten | CommentsVice President for International Economic Affairs for the National Association of Manufactures, Frank Vargo, commented that "our manufacturers goods trade deficit also rose to an all-time high of $44 billion, up 11% from $39.5 billion in January 2005" upon the release of the overall trade deficit numbers by the U.S. Commerce Department.
Product Quality Benchmark Report: Achieving Quality across the Global Manufacturing Network
March 9, 2006 7:00 pm | by Jim Brown, Vice President and Service Director, Global Product Innovation and Engineering, Aberdeen Group | CommentsPressure from customers, regulatory agencies, and shareholders is driving manufacturers to produce higher quality products as they continue to strive for additional cost reductions.
Meeting the Employment Needs of Today’s Manufacturers: Why Aren’t We Up to the Job?
March 9, 2006 7:00 pm | by Jeffrey Owens, President, Advanced Technology Services, Inc. | CommentsThere aren’t enough candidates to fill America’s manufacturing jobs and the situation only promises to get worse. In fact, a recent study conducted by the Accelerator Group determined that the state of Michigan alone will experience a shortage of 334,000 skilled workers by 2012.
Measuring a Lean Front-End
March 9, 2006 7:00 pm | by Godard Abel, CEO, Co-Founder, BigMachines, Inc. | CommentsLean manufacturing became an industry standard several years ago as a result of the successful implementation at Toyota and other Japanese manufacturers.
Why Small Businesses Shouldn't Settle for Small IT Solutions
March 9, 2006 7:00 pm | by Dan Kraus, Vice President, SAP Business One, SAP America, Inc. | CommentsMany small and midsize enterprises (SMEs) mistakenly believe that the scale and power of their IT solutions should be in direct proportion to the size of their companies.
Growth Fails to Soothe China Fears
March 9, 2006 2:16 am | by Kevin Cronin | CommentsFor top number-cruncher Qiu Xiaohua, China's biggest economic achievement last year was not its 9.9 percent growth rate but the 9.7 million jobs it created, according to a Reuters report.
Asia Airplane Market Worth $770 Billion
March 8, 2006 3:10 am | by Rich Stevancsecz | CommentsBoeing has reported that the Asia-Pacific region will need approximately 7,200 new commercial airplanes over the next 20 years. Valued at $770 billion, it will become the largest market outside North America.
Manufacturers Overwhelmingly Support Health Care Reform
March 8, 2006 2:36 am | by Anita LaFond | CommentsNew NAM taskforce will focus on reducing health care costs
U.S. Seeks Free Trade Deal with South Korea
March 7, 2006 3:06 am | by Rich Stevancsecz | CommentsThe chief U.S. negotiator in free trade talks with South Korea, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Wendy Cutler, said she was under orders to conclude an agreement by the end of 2006 good enough for lawmakers in Washington to accept.
