January 22, 2008 In Review of Canadian Economy, 2007-2008, Jeremy A. Leonard, MAPI economic consultant, writes that Canadian economy is growing at or above potential, but manufacturing is suffering from rapidly strengthening Canadian dollar and slower-than-expected growth in U.S. According to forecast, report indicates that nonresidential investment is expected to grow by 6.1% and imports will increase by 6%, while pretax corporate profits and real disposable income will each grow by 4.4%.

January 21, 2008 Partnering with Knovel Corporation, ISA will provide content to subscribers of Knovel's online technical reference collection. Addition of ISA's books and technical references will help subscribers find valuable information about automation and control systems. Through Knovel's search technology, design engineers can access appropriate resources for system development.

January 21, 2008 At Defense Maintenance Conference, NCMS was granted Defense Manufacturing Excellence Award by NCAT, which recognizes outstanding cooperative efforts on technology development between government, industry, and academia. NCMS managed cross-industry collaborative team that developed kinetic spray technology promoted by Delphi Research Laboratory. Technology will impact Department of Defense by minimizing corrosion related maintenance across all military services.

January 21, 2008 ISA organized and hosted a summit entitled "Building and Preserving Association Relevancy into the Future," in Research Triangle Park, NC. Senior leaders from more than a dozen organizations, representing more than 750,000 members, met to discuss common challenges, best practices, and future collaborations. ISA Executive Director and CEO Patrick Gouhin will present a report of the summit at a midwinter meeting of over 100 scientific and engineering organizations.

January 21, 2008 "Each year, ISA's Standards and Practices Department reviews the overall participation of over 3,000 individuals involved in ISA standards activities to identify and honor those who have provided exceptional service to the Department and the automation profession through their work on ISA standards development committees."

January 21, 2008 Addressing cyber security for industrial automation and control systems, ANSI/ISA-99.00.01-2007 Standard focuses on key concepts, terminology, and models. Technical report, ANSI/ISA-TR99.00.01-2007, provides assessment of cyber security tools, mitigation countermeasures, and technologies. In addition to recommendations and guidance, report offers pros and cons of using products in IACS environments relative to expected threats and known cyber vulnerabilities.

January 18, 2008 With The Don't Get Mad, Get Even campaign, buyers of counterfeit software are encouraged to get even with seller by reporting them to SIIA. Campaign will run from Dec 13, 2007 to Jan 30, 2008. First 100 individuals that inadvertently purchase counterfeit software on an auction site can complete application and submit it to SIIA. If they satisfy eligibility requirements, they can receive up to $500 from SIIA to purchase legitimate replacements.

January 18, 2008 The NACD has announced its committee chairmen for 2008. Chairmen who have just begun their 2-year term include David B. Binder of the Responsible Distribution Process^SM Committee, Tanner Industries, Inc.; Stephen J. Cornwall of the Supplier Advisory Panel, ICL Performance Products LP; and Michael Shepherd of the Operations Seminar Committee, Deeks & Company, Inc. Other volunteering chairmen are Bruce H. Schechinger, James Boldt, William "Chip" Welch, Andrew K. Skipp, and Anthony M. Ridnell.

January 18, 2008 J. Michael Coates, Vice President of Operations at LCI, Ltd. and President of the National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD) Southern Region, was named the 2007 Distributor of the Year by the NACD. The award was presented at NACD's 36th Annual Meeting in Las Croabas, Puerto Rico in honor of his 17 years of volunteer service to NACD. Coates served as Chairman of the NACD Operations Seminar Committee in 2004-2005 and has served on the Operations Seminar Committee since 1993.

January 18, 2008 IPC - Association Connecting Electronics Industries® has announced the release of IPC DRM-18H, Component Identification Training & Reference Guide. Revision H contains updated information on SSOP, TSOP, QFP, LQFP, PQFP, LCC, QFN, and BGA-related packages and new components include DFN, QFN, PoP, CSP, COB, bare die, and flip chip. In addition, a new section has been added that stresses the dangers of cross contamination when using lead-free components and assemblies.

January 18, 2008 IPC - Association Connecting Electronics Industries® has released the 2006-2007 Industry Analysis and Forecast for Flexible Circuits in North America, which shows a decline in flex circuit production in North America but growth of companies in the region due to worldwide sales. Also announced were the 2006-2007 Industry Analysis and Forecast for Rigid PCBs and Laminates in North America and Technology Trends for Printed Circuit Boards for the Year 2006.

January 18, 2008 Part of SIIA's Corporate Anti-Piracy program, suit against Whittiker Legal Publishing Corp, Inc. resulted in agreement to $500,000 settlement, which includes cash payment, destruction of unlicensed software, purchase of replacement software, adoption and implementation of software management policies, and attendance by employees at software asset management educational seminar. SIIA will use settlement to fund further anti-piracy education efforts and enforcement work.

January 17, 2008 Governor Steve Beshear has been confirmed as the keynote speaker at the ProsperousKentucky 2008 Manufacturing Summit in Frankfort on Monday, February 11. Kentucky's Economic Development Cabinet Secretary, John Hindman, will also address manufacturers, education, and government leaders at the 2nd annual summit and trade show. Other speakers include Sandra Wilson, Jeff McKenzie, Dr. Ken Troske, Mitch Skaggs, Carl Wicklund, and Randy Waldman.

January 17, 2008 According to the SPI Committee on Equipment Statistics, U.S. manufacturers and importers of primary plastics machinery and equipment shipped $228 million worth of machinery in Q3 2007. Other sales data include $84.3 million for auxiliary equipment and $21.2 for blow molding machinery. High cost of resins and energy as well as demand hindered by declines in residential construction and domestic auto production has led to a decline in investments, according to economist Bill Wood.

January 16, 2008 Addressing Damage Prevention Conference, Mark V. Rosenker, NTSB Chairman, applauded effectiveness of 811 National Call-Before-You-Dig Number and called for its continued promotion to encourage widespread use. Rosenker highlighted importance of pipeline damage reporting best practices that advise excavators to immediately notify pipeline operator if their work damages pipeline, and to notify authorities if damage results in release of natural gas or other hazardous substance.

January 16, 2008 Aimed at easing configuration for users, specifications for family of CIP Networks include updates for EtherNet/IP(TM), DeviceNet(TM), CompoNet(TM), and ControlNet(TM). Update of EtherNet/IP Specification includes specifications for industrially hardened cables and provides active interface design requirements for industrial interfaces. Media for CompoNet includes 4-conductor round cable for use in IP67 environments, simplifying CompoNet network power supply wiring.

January 16, 2008 Developed by NMMA and NMDA, Marine Data Exchange (MDX) automates trade of purchase orders, acknowledgements, shipment notifications, and invoices between parties on MDX value added network. Medart Marine, headquartered in St. Louis, MO, has been actively trading on network as of Dec 1, 2007. MDX e-commerce solution offers affordable alternative to other trading networks, which charge monthly fees and add costs to every transaction.

January 16, 2008 Signed by UL and Saudi Arabian Standards Organization, agreement will promote use of UL Standards for Safety in ongoing development of national safety standards in Saudi Arabia via formalized consulting, communication, and information exchange protocols. As national standards body in Saudi Arabia, SASO officials are demonstrating foresight in promulgating trusted and widely recognized set of safety standards across their markets and infrastructure.

January 16, 2008 The Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST) is launching a new website, www.CAST-safety.org, to spread information about efforts to make commercial air travel safer. Geared toward the international aviation community, interested media, government agencies, and the general public, the website details safety enhancements, procedures, and the global strategy that has resulted in the CAST track record of increasing safety and reducing commercial aviation accidents.

January 16, 2008 Addressing the 2007 Bombardier Safety Standdown Seminar, NTSB Chairman Mark V. Rosenker said that corporate jet and turboprop airplanes flown by professional crews under part 91 have accident rates that are comparable to scheduled air carriers. In his speech, Rosenker touched on flight crew and mechanic training, preflight preparation, human fatigue, and maintenance issues. He also recounting 3 accidents in which flight crews failed to perform their duties acceptably.