Manufacturing Business

PV Globalization Works Both Ways.
The growth of the US PV demand will encourage Chinese manufacturing to open production here, just like Japanese auto makers did in the 1990″s.

Analysis The photovoltaic industry is a global one with fungible products that are becoming increasingly commoditized. China has vaulted to the head of PV manufacturing nations. But it is not cheap labor that caused this or will keep them in the lead. Labor is a relatively small portion of the cost of a PV module, especially thin film. Chinese government willingness to finance manufacturers or grow a domestic market is more of a critical factor.

With labor a minimal part of the equation, global siting of manufacturing in or near potentially good markets is critical. Ideally a major player wants production facilities in North America, Europe and Asia. The US is the last part of that puzzle. Even with recession headwinds, the US PV market is on track to at least double last year”s installation total. When energy prices come back on the heels of the improved economy, global shipping costs will again be a major factor, especially as modules get cheaper.more

Recession Hits Valley Manufacturing Hard.
In the Harrisonburg Metropolitan Statistical Area, about 1,000 manufacturing jobs have been lost over the last two years, according to information from the VEC. That represents an 8.8 percent drop in the area, which includes Rockingham County.

In Page and Shenandoah counties, the manufacturing industry shed nearly 11 percent of its workforce between September 2007 and the same month last year. That amounts for 523 jobs, according to the employment commission.

Susan Cross, spokeswoman for Merillat, said the company”s staffing is subject to market demand.

The current economic climate, Cross said, has forced the company to make tough decisions.

‘We take decisions about changes in employment activity very seriously,’ she said. ‘Our decisions are completely dependent on what happens in the marketplace.’

Some Good News?

It”s not all bleak in the manufacturing world, says Ken Jones, existing business coordinator for the Winchester-Frederick County Economic Development Committee.more

Cereplast Announces New Strategic Plan to Accelerate Growth.
In addition, Cereplast will enter into manufacturing supply agreements with large plastics compounders that will dramatically reduce the cost to produce plastic resins and provide sufficient capacity to service substantial new contracts with major customers such as Georgia-Pacific and Dorel.

‘Recent events have allowed us to revise our strategic plan,’ said Frederic Scheer, Chairman and CEO of Cereplast. ‘To accelerate our growth, Cereplast will focus its efforts on the product development and marketing core strengths that have propelled us into a leadership position in proprietary bio-plastics.’

Cereplast bio-plastic resins are specifically formulated for compatibility with existing plastic manufacturing processes. Because of a worldwide excess of plastics compounding capacity, Cereplast will reduce costs by exiting the manufacturing business and contracting with large compounders to produce its bio-based resins.more

VT exits manufacturing on a high.
VT Group today (13 May) reported an increase in sales, profits and the size of its order book as it proceeded to abandon manufacturing after 150 years to make the full transition to a services provider.


Reporting its annual results for the year ending 31 March, VT said it has been an excellent year for its services businesses, with all divisions producing good results as it focused increasingly on that sector. The company”s order book for services had increased by 12% to 4.5 billion at the year end (2008: 4bn). ‘We are in a strong position to take the Group forward to become a pure services business as we prepare to exit the shipbuilding joint venture, BVT Surface Fleet,’ said chief executive Paul Lester (pictured).

Turnover from continuing operations increased by 30% in 2009 to 1,096 million (2008: 845m).more

New Regional Group Launched For Manufacturing Sector.
A new regional organization has been formed to support the manufacturing environment in southwest Indiana. The Tri-State Manufacturers” Alliance will include corporate entities such as Alcoa, Toyota and Wabash Plastics and support groups such as the Southwestern Indiana Small Business Development Center, the Economic Development Coalition of Southwest Indiana, Growth Alliance for Greater Evansville and Purdue University. It will be chaired by Dave Conner, chief financial officer at Anchor Industries.

Source: Inside INdiana Business

Continued Below…

.more

3M CUNO launches filter validation lab.
Filtration and sterilization processes are an extremely important part of the drug manufacture process, so much so that the processes are under close observation by the pharmaceutical companies as well as regulatory authorities. The goal of CUNO Validation Support Services is to make regulatory compliance less cumbersome by providing well designed, properly executed and completely documented test protocols on CUNO filter products in their intended application.

‘We see a huge opportunity for our products and services in India. Filtration is one of the core processes in the manufacture of drugs. The need for filtration in the healthcare industry is estimated at nearly $3 billion worldwide, and filtration markets are currently growing at a rate of 7 to 8 percent annually,’ said Mr.more

Russian press review.
Kommersant reports that the manufacturing industries registered a deepening slump in April. Their production dropped by 25.1 percent as against April 2008 (decline amounted to 20.8 percent in March 2009). The drop in production of minerals amounted to the same figure as in March - 11.8 percent, while production and distribution of power, gas and water increased insignificantly by 0.3 percentage points to 2.6 percent. Some sectors of the food industry, for instance, production of cheese, meat and meat products, showed an insignificant growth in April.

Vremya Novostei writes that following the vertical drop at the end of the autumn and the start of this year, industrial production fluctuates: the economy is in unstable equilibrium. All depends now on oil prices and the state of the banking sector.more

Connecting with seniors has long been a Record staple.
Mrs. Thomas Fennel, of Whites Mountain, we venture to say is one of the smartest women in the county for her age. She is 77 years old and spins 2 skeins of yarn every day on a big wheel.

Dutch Valley - December 8, 1893

On Sunday, 19th of November, Rev. Matthew Smith preached to a large and appreciative audience at Waterford. On the 27th the venerable gentleman left for P.E.I. to spend the winter with friends, and he goes accompanied by the best wishes of his many friends here.

This grand old man is a marvel. He is over 80 years old and he has been vigorously fighting against the wrong for over 40 years, preaching to the people, pointing them to the narrow path, visiting their sick, burying their dead, and marrying their sons and daughters, and, with so many years of hard work, his eye has not grown dim or his natural force abated.more

Berkshire Hathaway Shareholder Meeting Transcript by Philip Durell.
GE manufacturing business is not the problem, GE finance division is. He has done very well with the hand he was dealt, in particular in the credit business which had a $500 billion portfolio and the under funded pension obligations. The operating businesses have been successful given the economy. GE stock price does not reflect the CEO”s performance. Q. (Korea) What is your opinion on investment in Korea? A. Korea is 3 rd largest economy in Asia. We own Posco Steel (we added more in the last 2 months) and think it”s the finest steel company in the world. Both Warren and Charlie admirer Korea. Bought Posco bonds. We are not buying individual equities and are focusing on acquisitions. Not specifically in Korea but at the right price we would be happy to do a deal in Korea. Warren personally owns 1 Korean stock.more

RIA-JMTC celebrates Machinist Apprenticeship Program graduation.
The same was celebrated at the Rock Island Arsenal Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center when 11 people graduated from the Machinist Apprenticeship Program Friday.The Apprentice Program at Rock Island Arsenal can trace its roots to just before World War I. The first class graduated in 1910. Today, the program is partnered with Black Hawk College, a partnership that has helped the program expand and improve.’These machinist graduates will continue a tradition, providing a backbone to a highly-skilled workforce who are all working diligently to supply our nations warfighters with the best equipment possible,’ Rock Island Arsenal Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center Commander Col. Craig S. Cotter said.The current apprenticeship program has been linked with Black Hawk College for three years.’When you partner with education, it betters your relationship with the whole community,’ said Chairman of the Apprenticeship Committee Lon Lukavsky.more