The European Union Competitiveness Council of 28 May 2009 recognised in its conclusions, the key role that manufacturing industry plays as a driver of Europe’s economy, both through the direct jobs that companies provide and indirectly throughout their supply chains, including not least the services industry.

The Council highlighted the central role that the manufacturing industry, including the mechanical, electrical and electronic industries, will play in Europe. These are the industri… Continue

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Best-in-class manufacturers typically reduce their energy consumption by 24% compared to laggard companies that increase their energy use by 6%. This is according to new benchmarking research from Aberdeen Group.

Other findings reveal that best-in-class companies also reduce their emissions… Continue

A gradual, but modest, recovery is expected in 2010 for the European engineering industry after the most severe contraction in 2009 since the 1970s. The volume of production is expected to fall by as much as 20% in 2009. Since financial markets are not yet functioning properly and capacity utilisation is at a record low, demand for investment goods, which represent 80% of the output of Orgalime industries will remain low. The volume of production at the level of EU 27 is therefore forecast to… Continue

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Manufacturers and utilities that emit sulfur dioxide (SO2) may soon fall under tighter regulation. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed new rules that set hourly requirements on emissions, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Currently, emissions standards are based… Continue

Long-awaited growth is finally poised to return to the U.S. economy, albeit at a far more modest rate than the typical recovery from previous recessions, according to a new report.

The Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI (www.mapi.net) Quarterly Economic Forecast predicts that inflation-adjusted gross domestic product (GDP) will decline 2.5 percent in 2009, before rebounding to 2.4 percent growth in 2010, and by 3.5 percent in 2011. The GDP forecast for all three years… Continue

The following is an analysis from Cliff Waldman, Economist for the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI, regarding the industrial production report for October 2009:

“Although total industrial production grew by 0.1 percent during October, manufacturing output, which slipped by 0.1 percent, was sluggish,” said Cliff Waldman, Economist for the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI. “This squares with other data in suggesting that the early quarters of the economic and manufacturing recovery will be constrai… Continue

Last week the OSHA Combustible Dust ANPRM stakeholder meeting was published in the Federal Register. Yet many stakeholders are not aware of these meetings to be held Monday, December 14, 2009, 9:00am - 4:00pm at the Washington Marriott at Metro Center,775 12th Street NW, Washington, DC. This proposed regulation will have an economic impact throughout the manufacturing sector. Are you awa… Continue

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Productivity has more than doubled in manufacturing in last 20 years, which is a boon for competitiveness, wages and the rest of the economy, says Jeremy Leonard, economist with the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI. He spoke during the Manufactu… Continue

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The world will have to spend an extra $500 billion to cut carbon emissions for each year it delays implementing a major assault on global warming, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Every year's delay beyond 2010 would add another $500 billion to the extra investment of $1… Continue

Enterprise Minnesota president Bob Kill says that manufacturers are taking steps to prepare for the next round of growth.

Enterprise Minnesota CEO Bob Kill this week predicted that Minnesota's manufacturers have weathered the worst of the economy and are ready for the next round of growth.

He made his remarks while moderating a panel of manufacturers on behalf of the Regional Economic Development (RED) Group. He said he is "cautiously optimistic" about conditions improving for th… Continue