Archive for June 25th, 2009
June 25th, 2009
A study has just been completed, called the Next Generation Manufacturing Study, to understand how today’s manufacturers are positioning themselves for the anticipated recovery. The study, funded in part by IMEC was part of a national survey being sponsored by the American Small Manufacturers Coalition as a first step in a long-term effort to help Illinois and all U.S. manufacturers to weather today’s recession and improve manufacturing competitiveness over the next decade.
Manufacturers were surveyed on 6 areas crititcal to creating world class organizations - customer-focused innovation; advanced talent management; systemic continuous improvement; extended enterprise management; sustainable product and process development; and global engagement.
Manufacturers responded to how important these areas were to them, how many resources they were committing to these areas and what business results they were obtaining in each of the areas. I’ll cover results from each of the areas in separate articles.
Source: IMEC
For Further Information, Contact:
Mary Hallock
Manufacturing Specialist
815-721-4474 Office
815-753-8729 Fax
mhallock@imec.org
June 25th, 2009
The National Association of Manufacturers will consider House Members’ vote on contentious climate change legislation to be a “key vote” when the group rates lawmakers’ performance for the year, NAM announced on Thursday. The bill, which NAM opposes, is expected to hit the House floor on Friday. “While we support a number of the provisions of the legislation, after careful review, our concerns remain fundamentally unchanged from the initial draft,” NAM Executive Vice President Jay Timmons wrote. The legislation “will regulate and add cost to every one of our members, which already bear the burden of local, state and federal compliance cost through the Clean Air Act. Moreover, it allows Congress to select winners and losers through the distribution of allocations to industries.”
“Overall, the NAM official principles support the development and deployment of competitive clean energy technologies and robust energy efficiency improvements; however, our members do not support mandates on the use of specific, economically uncompetitive technologies,” Timmons continued. “The NAM supports policies that recognize the robust voluntary actions of industry to reduce energy intensity and improve efficiency to promote emissions reductions throughout the economy.”
NAM’s decision to consider Friday’s expected climate change vote as a “key vote” in its ratings of lawmakers comes amid apparent pressure by Rep. Melissa Bean (D-Ill.) and other pro-business Democrats on the group’s management to sit this round out. Earlier this year, NAM sided with Democratic leadership when it decided to “key vote” the stimulus package, a decision that caused considerable consternation for Senate Republicans.
“Manufacturers are committed to working with Congress to establish sensible and responsible federal climate change policies that reduce [greenhouse gas] emissions, but these policies must maintain a competitive playing field for American companies,” Timmons wrote.
The House on Friday is expected to vote on a cap-and-trade bill that will set pollution levels and create a private marketplace for the sale of offsets.
The vote is a result of a recent deal struck by Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), which would put the new commodity under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and not the Environmental Protection Agency.
The National Federation of Independent Business and the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors decided on Wednesday to “key-vote” it as well.
June 25, 2009, 3:50 p.m.
By Matthew Murray
Roll Call Staff
June 25th, 2009
Congressman Don Manzullo (R-IL) will try this week to strip an onerous provision from the cap and tax bill that would give companies in China and India the green light to keep polluting while making U.S. manufacturers pay for their emissions. The House is scheduled to vote on the bill Friday.
Manzullo will offer an amendment to eliminate the International Climate Change Adaptation Program, which would give up to 4 percent of all carbon emissions allowed under the bill each year to “developing nations,” including China and India as well as Brazil, Russia, South Africa, Mexico, South Korea, Indonesia, and others. U.S. manufacturers would thus have to pay more for their energy emissions to make up for the credits given to China and India, their primary competitors.
“This is a double whammy for American workers,” Manzullo said. “At its outset, cap and tax will surge energy prices for U.S. manufacturers and make them even less competitive with foreign countries. And to add insult to injury, American manufacturers will now have to pay for their competitors’ pollution. This bill will stick a dagger into the heart of U.S. manufacturing and put millions more Americans on the unemployment lines at a time they are struggling to hang on in this difficult economy. It’s mind-boggling what this government is doing to its people.”
Manzullo supports alternative legislation to cap and tax that promotes innovation, conservation, and responsible production of energy as a way to achieve America’s energy independence and a cleaner, healthier planet.
The American Energy Innovation Act represents a fiscally responsible approach to reducing our dependence on foreign energy, providing a cleaner environment, and putting Americans to work by:
- Encouraging innovation within the energy market to create the renewable fuel options and energy careers of tomorrow.
- Promoting greater conservation and efficiency by providing incentives for easing energy demand and creating a cleaner, more sustainable environment.
- Increasing the production of American energy by responsibly utilizing all available resources and technologies and streamlining burdensome regulations.
