April 1, 2013 Held March 19-21, co-located 2013 World of Asphalt Show and Conference and AGG1 Aggregates Academy and Expo had sold-out show floor covering record 123,600 net sq ft of space taken by more than 385 exhibitors. Near-record registered attendance topped 6,000, with registrants coming from all 50 states, 8 Canadian provinces, and 50 other countries. Attendees purchased record 8,400+ tickets for shows' education programs, including AGG1 Academy and People, Plants and Paving Training Program.

April 1, 2013 Supporting 2013 Adhesion Society Outstanding Young Adhesion Scientist Award, ASC presented plaque and $1,000 grant to Edwin Chan, Ph.D., a scientist within National Institute of Standards and Technology Polymer Division in Gaithersburg, MD. Award recognizes emerging research talent that focuses on properties of adhesion. Chan received award for investigation of polymer gels and of the adhesive response of structured soft material surfaces.

April 1, 2013 HART® Communication Foundation's Board of Directors appointed Ted Masters as President and CEO. With origins in process control and instrumentation, Masters worked in leadership roles with both instrumentation and systems companies and served as president with Elcon Instruments. Masters brings executive-level experience in predictive analytics and smart devices. HART's Mark Schumacher complemented Ted's "leadership capability, technology expertise, and commitment to excellence."

April 1, 2013 AFS will convene Corporate Sponsors Open Meeting and Reception at 2013 AFS Spring Conference on May 7 at 5:00 pm in VII White Pelican Bay room at Hilton Minneapolis/St. Paul hotel. Representatives are welcome from AFS Corporate Sponsors and any non-Sponsor guest seeking to learn more about AFS. Two new programs to drive end-users to Corporate Sponsors and added emphasis on air filtration during 2013 will be highlighted along with added emphasis on air filtration and coalescing.

April 1, 2013 According to IPC's North American PCB Statistical Program, total North American PCB shipments were down 10.2% in February 2013 from February 2012, and bookings decreased 9.2% year over year. Year to date, PCB industry shipments were down 5.7% and bookings were down 6.7%. Compared to previous month, PCB shipments in February decreased 6.5%, but bookings increased 1.1%. Book-to-bill ratio for North American PCB industry continued to strengthen in February, reaching 1.06.

April 1, 2013 Key highlights regarding AIA Standards included within Global Vision Standards Update include release of USB3 Vision v1.0 in conjunction with Automate 2013 in January, Camera Link HS™ IP Core committee release of v1.1 update to IP Core Solution, and release of PFNC v1.1 on AIA web site. Other mentions include Spring International Vision Standards Technical Committee Meeting (April 15–19), PlugFest (April 17), and upcoming article highlighting vision standards in Assembly Magazine.

March 29, 2013 Taking place May 6, 2013 in Chicago, IL, Cleaning Products Intermediate Course will provide professionals in cleaning products industry with deeper understanding of ingredient selection and issues related to optimal development of sustainable cleaning products. Attendees will also learn about individual components of formulation and need for ingredients to work in concert. Additionally, course will provide overview of market trends from global perspective.

March 29, 2013 Corporate magician Paul Gertner will present daily, combining illusions with field communications message, at Field Communication Lounge during Hannover Messe 2013, which will take place April 8–12 in Hannover, Germany. Visitors will also be able to view each protocol organization's process and factory automation communication and integration technologies. Additionally, there will be live application demonstrations and chance meet experts from different technology areas.

March 29, 2013 BIO recently endorsed a benefit program to help its member companies reduce energy costs. APPI Energy will provide energy procurement consulting services to BIO members in states with deregulated energy markets, including CT, DC, DE, IL, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, and TX. Unbiased team of energy advisors will assist BIO members with increasing efficiencies, enrolling in Demand Response programs, and achieving energy sales tax-exempt status. 

March 29, 2013 NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons sent letter to President Obama outlining goals for negotiations of trade agreement with the European Union to make U.S. manufacturers more globally competitive and create jobs. Key objectives of negotiations should include removing regulatory, tariff, and other barriers to trade and investment between EU and the U.S. In addition, manufacturers are urging Administration and Congress to work together to renew Trade Promotion Authority for the President.

March 29, 2013 ELFA Monthly Leasing and Finance Index (MLFI-25) showed overall new business volume for February was $4.7 billion, down 6% from February 2012 and 20% from January 2013. For year to date, cumulative new business volume was up 5% compared to 2012. Down from February's index of 58.7, Monthly Confidence Index (MCI-EFI) of 58.0 for March is said to reflect a leveling off in industry participants' optimism after 2 consecutive increases.

March 29, 2013 More than 60 technical papers addressing critical issues in specialized design, packaging, assembly, and surface mount will anchor technical conference at IPC Electronic System Technologies Conference and Exhibition, May 20-23, 2013. Featuring new research from experts around the world, technical conference boasts 13 tracks designed to help entire electronics industry supply chain gain efficiencies and boost quality in all phases of product lifecycle.

March 29, 2013 Conference registration is open for RAPID Conference and Exposition, which will be held in Pittsburgh, PA from June 10–13, 2013. This additive manufacturing event, featuring 3D imaging and 3D printing technologies, attracts buyers, sellers, and end-users of design, prototyping, tooling, and direct digital technologies. This year, there will be 75 conference presentations and 30,000+ ft² of exhibits, keynote presentions, tours, technical briefings, workshops, and networking receptions.

March 29, 2013 Kyle Voosen with National Instruments will serve as AIA ambassador to Europe, while Steve Mott with Components Express will serve as AIA ambassador to South America. AIA ambassador program helps expand AIA's global relationships in line with its mission to educate and support growth of vision and imaging industry. AIA ambassadors meet with industry and association leaders in their assigned region in order to gain feedback on how AIA can assist in growing vision industry in that area.

March 29, 2013 Registration is open for IPC/FED Conference on Embedded Components, which provides forum for designers, manufacturers, suppliers, and end-users of embedded component technologies to discuss latest technological advancements. Taking place in Frankfurt, Germany from June 4–5, event will feature conference sessions on various aspects of embedded component technology. Additionally, tabletop exhibition will showcase leading industry suppliers who will be available to answer questions.

March 28, 2013 During AAMA's 76th Annual Conference, economist Dr. Esmael Adibi discussed continued growth of U.S. housing market, namely the expected 3.5% increase of home prices in 2013. However, he notes overall economic growth will remain weak. NAHB reported nearly 16% increase in new-home sales for January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 437,000 units. In addition, Adibi is forecasting significant increase in housing starts, from 765,000 units in 2012 to 968,000 units in 2013.

March 28, 2013 Adhesive and Sealant Council has announced that it will work closely with the Adhesion Society to seamlessly manage the AS Annual Meeting and to grow their 300+ membership base. ASC’s goal is to make the collaborative partnership a long term value added effort that mutually benefits both organizations. As part of the arrangement, ASC will commit resources to support the meetings and convention needs of the society.

March 28, 2013 On April 8, HANNOVER MESSE 2013 will open with lead theme of "Integrated Industry," signaling strong focus on future of manufacturing. IT-supported production – the next stage in evolution of manufacturing – will take center stage. As Russia is the official Partner Country of this year’s fair, more than 160 Russian companies will showcase technologies and services. HANNOVER MESSE is where manufacturers will find the right technologies and partners to reduce risk exposure and build competitiveness.

March 28, 2013 Energy Department will provide $23.5 million for 5 manufacturing R&D projects, helping to serve as ground floor investment in Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's (EERE) new Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative (CEMI). Selected projects, announced for negotiations, cover R&D in computational modeling and simulation for automation and equipment, steel fabrication processing, steel heat treatment processing, high value petrochemicals, and waste heat minimization manufacturing.

March 28, 2013 The 2013 IPC International Technology Roadmap for Electronic Interconnections marks a shift that is occurring throughout the electronics industry: more cooperation and information sharing. One significant change is a greatly expanded section on printed electronics focusing on more realistic opportunities and challenges of the technology. Another change can be found in the environmental section, transformed and renamed the "stewardship" section.