June 25, 2008 At 2008 BIO International Convention, attendees came from 70 countries and 48 states, and included 20,108 industry leaders, a 36% increase from 2001 convention in San Diego. Four-day program featured 175 breakout sessions, 21 educational tracks, more than 1,000 speakers, 3 keynote sessions, 6 Super Sessions, and 3 CEO Forum sessions. With more than 2,100 companies and more than 208,000 sq ft of exhibition space, convention was largest gathering of biotech exhibitors in history.

June 25, 2008 According to June 2008 Business Conditions Report, metalforming companies do not anticipate improvement in business conditions in next 3 months and expect little change in incoming orders. Forty-one percent of participants report that shipping levels are below levels of 3 months ago, while 40% report no change. Number of metalforming companies with portion of workforce on short time or layoff remained virtually the same in June at 23%.

June 24, 2008 According to annual talent shortage survey by Manpower, Inc., engineers, machinists, and skilled trade workers were the 3 positions most challenging to fill in 2008. Apprenticeship and internship expose young people to opportunities in manufacturing while companies have chance to recruit, evaluate, and hire needed employees. Since education priorities rarely position manufacturing as preferred career choice, reaching prospective interns and apprentices is half the battle.

June 24, 2008 After successful run in San Diego, BIO announced convention will head to Atlanta in 2009. Convention attracts approximately 20,000 industry leaders and features more than 200,000 sq ft of exhibitions showcasing latest advancements in biotechnology alongside array of potential partners, service providers, and state and international delegations. Organizers project that event will continue to grow year-over-year, reflecting dynamism of international biotechnology sector.

June 24, 2008 At 2008 Annual Meeting, ASHRAE recognized 86 members for contributions to ASHRAE and HVAC/R industry. Presidential Member James E. Hill, Ph.D. received Louise and Bill Holladay Distinguished Fellow Award, which honors ASHRAE Fellow for continuous preeminence in engineering or research work. Presidential Member Donald G. Rich received Andrew T. Boggs Service Award, which recognizes past Distinguished Service Award recipient for continuing, unselfish, dedicated, and distinguished service.

June 24, 2008 On June 16, the BIO Board of Directors approved the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws for the Excellence Through Stewardship^SM (ETS) program. Launched in July 2007, ETS was developed to meet product stewardship objectives and to provide a quality management program for the life cycle of biotech plants and plant products. It is comprised of Objectives, Principles, and Management Practices for ETS, guides for agricultural biotechnology companies, and a 3rd party Stewardship Audit Program.

June 23, 2008 The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) and the Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises (ABLE) will hold Bio® India, a 2-day annual biotechnology partnering meeting, in Hyderabad, India. The event will include private, one-on-one meetings between investors, venture capitalists, large pharmaceutical companies, and emerging companies. It will enable biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies from the U.S., Europe, and Asia to explore potential partnerships and collaborations.

June 23, 2008 At the Leadership Summit on Biofuels and Cleantech, held in conjunction with the BIO International Convention, California-based industrial biotechnology companies discussed the technology in development to improve manufacturing of chemicals and advanced biofuels from sustainable biomass feedstocks. Roundtable sessions included Sustainable Biofuels: Where Do We Go From Here and The Biotech-Cleantech Nexxus, featuring executives from leading companies and analysts from investment firms.

June 23, 2008 After the FERC briefing on the rising costs associated with existing and new power generation infrastructure, EPSA President and CEO John E. Shelk said that rising infrastructure costs underscore the importance of maintaining and increasing capacity from existing power plants, as well as building new capacity. Also, the economic realities discussed make it imperative to allow the Reliability Pricing Model in PJM and the Forward Capacity Market in New England to function as intended.

June 23, 2008 The AEM announced the winners in its annual "Measures of Success" marketing awards program. The AEM-PICA awards recognize excellence in off-road equipment industry marketing communications and honor outstanding industry efforts as an educational example of best practices. The program is open to off-road equipment manufacturers and industry service providers, with awards for magazine ads, product literature, direct mail, and press kits, broken down by over/under $50 million sales divisions.

June 20, 2008 Scheduled for Sept 21-25, 2008 at Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center, Schaumburg, Ill, IPC Midwest Conference and Exhibition will bring together best of global electronics industry. Event will feature state-of-the-art exhibition, technical conference sessions, professional development courses, standards development meetings, as well as special events such as free forums, free keynote address on secrets of future of Indy cars, and free "On the Fast Track" show floor reception.

June 20, 2008 After conclusion of U.S.-China Strategic Economic Dialogue talks, NAM President, John Engler stated that dialogue had positive effect on factors affecting bilateral trade and economic relationship. Announcement that negotiations will begin on Bilateral Investment Treaty with China is welcome. It is important that high quality investment treaty levels playing field and allows U.S. firms to have greater ability to operate in China.

June 20, 2008 Speaking for NAM, Charles Wetherington, President of BTE Technologies, Inc. told House Committee on Small Business that with help from Washington, small manufacturers can provide dramatic boost to U.S. exports, help reduce trade deficit, and foster job creation. Wetherington said his company is an example of how small domestic manufacturers can grow by expanding exports. Since 2002, company's exports have grown 10 times from 3% of revenues to 35%.

June 20, 2008 Following reassessment of country's civil aviation authority, FAA announced that Bulgaria complies with international safety standards set by ICAO. With IASA Category 1 rating, Bulgarian air carriers can apply to operate their own aircraft to U.S. Countries with air carriers that fly to U.S. must adhere to safety standards of ICAO, the U.N.'s technical agency that establishes international standards and recommended practices for aircraft operations and maintenance.

June 20, 2008 Praising President Bush for urging Congress to lift legislative ban on offshore drilling on Outer Continental Shelf, NAM said his call to utilize oil shale, open ANWR to exploration, and expand refinery capacity is right on target. NAM also advocates expanding nuclear power generation, streamlining siting and permitting of new and expanded domestic refineries, and strengthening and renewing expired R&D Tax Credit to expedite domestic development of energy and fuel technologies.

June 20, 2008 John Hartner, executive VP, Dover Technologies was elected as IPC SMEMA Council Steering Committee chairman and Leo van de Vall, president and CEO, Assembléon America, Inc., was chosen as vice chairman. Council is made up of suppliers to electronics assembly industry, particularly equipment manufacturers. It initiates and drives technical, managerial, and financial programs to improve supply chain efficiencies and enhance working relationships and equipment compatibility.

June 20, 2008 According to survey released by NAM, The Manufacturing Institute, Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, and Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, 44% of North American manufacturers say they intend to expand production in U.S. over next 3 years. Nearly 80% identified tax cuts for manufacturers as key factor promoting innovation and research and development. Contrary to widely held perceptions, North American manufacturers paint positive picture of experiences with NAFTA after almost 15 years.

June 20, 2008 Testifying before House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, ATA denounced DOT congestion pricing and slot auction proposals that would limit capacity. James C. May, ATA President and CEO stressed need for sense of urgency that DOT implement and enforce 77 capacity enhancements identified by New York Aviation Rulemaking Committee. Urgency is heightened not only by worsening congestion, but also by need to remove unnecessary costs and regulatory burdens from airline industry.

June 19, 2008 Testifying before Senate Committee, ATA addressed crisis facing airline industry resulting from record-high jet fuel prices. Association called on Congress to impose common-sense measures to ensure transparency and reel back overwhelming odds favoring index speculators and institutional investors. ATA President and CEO, James C. May explained link between nation's economy and air transportation system and noted that if airlines continue to spiral downward, so too will nation's economy.

June 19, 2008 According to NTSB, FAA should emphasize to principal operations inspectors importance of conducting timely post-accident drug and alcohol testing. FAA should address need for initial training on rationale for and criticality of conducting landing distance assessments before landing on contaminated runways. NTSB also recommends that FAA issue CertAlert to all 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 139 certificated airports that describes circumstances of accident.