Blue-collar Jobs Lead Employment Decline
According to information released by the National Council for
Advanced Manufacturing – NACFAM – seasonally adjusted manufacturing employment
was reported at 13.4 million by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in September.
NTMA and PMA Join to Strengthen Industry Advocacy
The Precision Metalforming Association, Independence, OH, and
the National Tooling and Machining Association, Fort Washington, MD, are
combining their federal government advocacy programs to promote the U.S.
government to ensure a strong manufacturing sector.
Unemployment Trend by State
According to the Economic Policy Institute, since the
economic downturn began in December 2007, the U.S. has lost more than 600,000
jobs, and the national unemployment rate has risen to a five-year high of 6.1
percent.
Manufacturing Technology Consumption Falls in July
July U.S. manufacturing technology consumption totaled
$303.44 million, according to the American Machine Tool Distributors’
Association and the Association For Manufacturing Technology. This total, as
reported by companies participating in the U.S. Manufacturing Technology
Consumption – USMTC – program, was down 21.5 percent from June but up 5.7
percent from the total of $287 million reported for July 2007.
GE Fanuc Backs MTConnect
GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms, a unit of GE Enterprise
Solutions, Japan, announced its support of MTConnect, a new communication
protocol to link machine tools from varying suppliers around the world.
Flow Executes Definitive Agreement in Omax Merger
Flow International Corp., Kent, WA, a developer and
manufacturer of industrial waterjet machines, executed a definitive agreement to
merge with OMAX Corp., Kent, WA. OMAX was a privately-held provider of waterjet
systems.
Dimension 3D Printing Provides $400,000 in Grants to Schools
The Dimension 3D Printing Group, Minneapolis, a business unit
of Stratasys, Inc., gave more than $400,000 to schools across the nation to
underwrite the purchase of 3D printing systems for the 2008-09 school year.
PennEngineering and Peninsula Components Announce Patent Fight Agreement
The patent infringement suit brought by PennEngineering &
Manufacturing Corp., Danboro, PA, against Peninsula Components, Inc., San
Carlos, CA, was settled.
Shuttle Follow-on Builder Chooses PLM Software
Siemens PLM Software, Plano, TX, announced Space Exploration
Technologies – SpaceX – a privately-held leading space launch vehicle developer
and services provider, standardized on Siemens’ NX and Teamcenter software for
product design, simulation, and product data management.
Lincoln Electric Opens Automation Center
The Lincoln Electric Co., arc welding products manufacturer,
opened its Automation Center of Excellence on October 23, adjacent to its
Cleveland headquarters. The 100,000 ft2 facility showcases the
company’s robotic welding solutions.
Association For Manufacturing Technology Elects New Board of Directors
The Association for Manufacturing Technology – AMT – elected
its 2008-2009 officers and directors at its 2008 Annual Meeting in Austin, TX.
Some Good News in a Sour Economy
There may be at least three silver linings in the dark
cloud of global economic crisis, according to a Fabricators & Manufacturers
Association, Rockford, IL, economic consultant.