Global Manufacturing
Damaged Russian Ship Docks With Space Station
April 26, 2013 11:37 am | News | CommentsA Russian cargo spacecraft has docked with the International Space Station, despite the failure of an antenna on its navigation system to deploy. The unmanned Progress cargo ship was launched Wednesday from Russia's main space facility in Baikonur, Kazakhstan.
Methanex Moving 2nd Plant From Chile To Louisiana
April 26, 2013 11:36 am | News | CommentsCanadian methane company Methanex Corp. is moving a second $550 million methane plant from Chile to Louisiana.Gov. Bobby Jindal and Methanex Vice President Gary Rowan announced the plans Thursday in Ascension Parish, saying the move will add 35 jobs to 130 expected when the first plant opens late next year.
Big Brands Rejected Bangladesh Factory Safety Plan
April 26, 2013 8:42 am | by Julhas Alam and Kay Johnson, Associated Press | News | CommentsAs Bangladesh reels from the deaths of hundreds of garment workers in a building collapse, the refusal of global retailers to pay for strict nationwide factory inspections is bringing renewed scrutiny to an industry that has profited from a country notorious for its hazardous workplaces and subsistence level wages.
S. Korea To Withdraw Workers At Factory In N. Korea
April 26, 2013 8:35 am | by Sam Kim, Associated Press | News | CommentsSeoul said it issued a Friday deadline for North Korea to respond to its call for talks because it was worried about its workers not having access to food and medicine. North Korea hasn't allowed supplies or workers to cross the border since early this month.
Syria's Industrialists Join Exodus From Country
April 26, 2013 7:48 am | by Barbara Surk, Associated Press | News | CommentsSyrian merchants and factory owners have rented apartments in the Lebanese capital as well as Dubai and Cairo. Many skyscrapers dotting Lebanon's famed Mediterranean corniche are known to have been rented out to Syrians at exorbitant prices.
China, France Vow To Promote 'Multipolar' World
April 25, 2013 2:00 pm | News | CommentsChina's President Xi Jinping and France's President Francois Hollande pledged to push for a world free of domination by any superpower Thursday as the French leader visited the Chinese capital on a mission to boost trade amid his country's worsening economic woes.
Technology Is Not The Problem — It Is The Solution
April 25, 2013 10:57 am | by Robert Atkinson, President and Founder, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation | Blogs | CommentsTechnological growth has been principally responsible for the development of new industries, products and processes that have created better paying jobs, cheaper goods and a higher standard of living for society. Where would our economy be without information technology, advanced manufacturing and biotechnology?
Bangladesh Collapse Factories Ignored Evacuation
April 25, 2013 10:41 am | by Al-Emrun Garjon and Julhas Alam, Associated Press | News | CommentsMore than 230 people were killed when the eight-story building splintered into a pile of concrete because factories based there ignored the order and kept more than 2,000 people working.Wednesday's disaster in the Dhaka suburb of Savar is the worst ever for Bangladesh's booming and powerful garment industry.
Creating Better Jobs For Manufacturing’s Comeback
April 25, 2013 10:16 am | by Ray Attiyah, Founder and Chief Innovation Officer, Definity Partners | Articles | CommentsA favorite saying of mine is that we hire people not just for their hands, but also for their hearts and minds. When we hire frontline employees, it should not be just for the work they do on the line, but for the creative thoughts in their hearts and minds. What if we paid frontline manufacturing employees just $2 per hour for their labor but $14 per hour to use their minds?
China Signs Deal To Buy 60 Airbus Jetliners
April 25, 2013 9:14 am | News | CommentsChina has signed an agreement to purchase 60 Airbus jetliners during a visit to Beijing by French President Francois Hollande. Airbus said that Thursday's agreement covers the purchase of 42 A320s and 18 A330s. The announcement gave no details of price or when the aircraft would be delivered.
Japan Court Rejects Demand To Evacuate Children
April 25, 2013 9:07 am | by Yuri Kageyama, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsA Japanese court has rejected a demand that a city affected by the fallout of the country's 2011 nuclear disaster evacuate its children. The unusual lawsuit was filed on behalf of the children by their parents and anti-nuclear activists in June 2011. The Sendai High Court handed down its ruling Wednesday.
S. Korea Demands Talks With N. Korea On Closed Factory
April 25, 2013 3:19 am | by Hyung-Jin Kim, Associated Press | News | CommentsSouth Korea on Thursday warned of unspecified "grave measures" if North Korea rejects talks on a jointly run factory park shuttered for nearly a month — setting up the possible end of the last remaining major symbol of inter-Korean cooperation.
SME: Canadian Manufacturers Optimistic About 2013 Business Growth
April 24, 2013 2:37 pm | by Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) | News | CommentsTwo-thirds of manufacturers surveyed by SME are optimistic about business growth over the next 12 to 18 months, with most anticipating a moderate to significant rise. At the same time, they are expecting to face some pressing challenges as they move forward, including a shortage of skilled workers and rising production costs.
Italy: Animal Rights Protests Set Back Research
April 24, 2013 2:05 pm | News | CommentsThe head of pharmacology at Milan's state university says a weekend break-in by animal rights activists who freed about 100 laboratory animals has cost years of research and hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. Prof. Francesco Scaglione said Tuesday the activists also mixed up cages, making it impossible to continue some experiments.
European Recession Hits Major Automakers
April 24, 2013 1:37 pm | by David McHugh, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsGermany's Volkswagen AG said its first-quarter net profit fell 38 percent to 1.95 billion euros ($2.5 billion), while Daimler AG's was down 60 percent at 564 million euros. U.S.-based Ford Motor Co. lost $462 billion in Europe and called the outlook there "uncertain," although the company's global earnings rose 15 percent to $1.6 billion.
FDA Device Will Screen For Fake Medicines Overseas
April 24, 2013 1:20 pm | by Matthew Perrone, AP Health Writer | News | CommentsMore than a third of malaria-fighting pills used in Africa and Asia are either fake or bad quality, according to a study released last year. Rampant drug counterfeiting has undermined efforts to fight the mosquito-borne disease, which causes fever, chills and flu-like illness.
Israel To Make Wings For F-35 Warplanes
April 24, 2013 8:31 am | News | CommentsIsrael Aerospace Industries says it has signed a long-term contract with U.S. defense giant Lockheed Martin to produce wings for the F-35 next-generation fighter jet. The state-owned company said Tuesday the contract is for 10 to 15 years and could generate up to $2.5 billion in sales.
Toyota Top Selling Automaker Despite China Fall
April 24, 2013 8:11 am | by Yuri Kageyama, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsToyota held onto its status as the world's top-selling automaker in the first quarter of this year, although the three-way race with General Motors and Volkswagen is proving tight, as its sales fall in China and Japan. Toyota Motor Corp. reported Wednesday it sold 2.43 million vehicles during the January-March period.
87 Dead In Bangladesh Garment Factory Collapse
April 24, 2013 7:48 am | by Julhas Alam, Associated Press | News | CommentsWorkers in the Rana Plaza building said it had developed such severe cracks the day before that it had been reported on local news channels. They hesitated to enter the building Wednesday morning, said Abdur Rahim, who worked in a garment factory on the fifth floor.
UN Climate Chief: 2015 Talks Won't Fail
April 23, 2013 2:33 pm | by Michael Casey, Associated Press | News | CommentsSpeaking ahead of a climate meeting in Bonn next week, Christiana Figueres told reporters in a teleconference that much had changed, giving her optimism that a global climate pact can be reached in Paris in 2015. Figueres says climate change is worsening and governments have already committed to reaching a deal.
ELFA: New Business Volume Flat YOY in March
April 23, 2013 9:10 am | News | CommentsThe Monthly Leasing and Finance Index (MLFI-25) showed their overall new business volume for March was $6.8 billion, flat compared to volume in March 2012. Month-over-month, new business volume was up 45 percent from February. Year to date, cumulative new business volume was up three percent compared to 2012.
U.S. Immigration Bill Could Slow Indian Outsourcers
April 23, 2013 8:02 am | by Kay Johnson, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe proposed changes are in line with President Barack Obama's vows to make it tougher for U.S. companies to replace American workers with cheaper labor abroad, either by opening factories overseas or subcontracting their work to outsourcing companies.
Survey Shows China Manufacturing Weakening
April 22, 2013 10:32 pm | by Joe McDonald, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsChina reported an unexpected decline in economic growth to 7.7 percent in the first three months of the year from the previous quarter's 7.9 percent. Private sector economists and the World Bank have reduced their outlook for annual growth, though to a still-robust level of about 8 percent.
Israel: Drones To Eventually Replace Aircraft
April 22, 2013 6:49 pm | by Daniel Estrin, Associated Press | News | CommentsA high-ranking Israeli air force officer says Israel aims to develop drones that can execute nearly every battlefield operation performed today by piloted aircraft. The official says Israel's military industry is on the path to developing such technology within 40 to 50 years.
Automakers Target Chinese Buyers At Shanghai Show
April 22, 2013 1:48 pm | by Joe McDonald, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsChina's vehicle sales rose 13 percent in March, blistering growth by Western standards but down from 45 percent in 2009. With sales weak elsewhere, global companies that see China as a key part of their future are pouring money and technology into fighting for market share.
