U.S., Vietnam Agreement Good For Manufacturing
Forty years ago, a bilateral market access agreement between the U.S. and Vietnam, then at war, would have been unthinkable. It's now about to be a reality, one that will benefit U.S. manufacturers and pave the way for Vietnam to join the 149-member World Trade Organization (WTO). The U.S. and Vietnam reached an agreement in principle during the past weekend. Read more


China's Largest Retailer Expands RFID Pilot Program
Working in conjunction with VeriSign, Inc. (Mountain View, Calif.), Bailian Group Ltd. (Shanghai) has developed plans for the second phase of a pilot project to expand usage of Electronic Product Codes (EPCs) and RFID. Bailian Group is using the EPCglobal Network to track merchandise as it moves through the company's global supply chain. Read more


OSHA's New Chromium Standard Does Not Quiet Critics
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration's new standard for hexavalent chromium sets the time-weighted average for the amount of chromium that a worker can be exposed to during an 8-hour period at 5 micrograms per cubic meter of air. That limit was lowered from 52 micrograms of chromium per cubic meter in the previous standard. Read more


International Paper Announces $200 Million Expansion Of South Carolina Manufacturing Facility
International Paper could invest as much as $200 million in its manufacturing operation located on U.S. Highway 17 in Georgetown, S.C., as part of IP’s global plan to focus on uncoated paper and packaging products. The capital investment in new building and equipment is expected to occur over the next five years. Read more

IndustryWeek Web Forum

Join the discussion in the IndustryWeek Forums -- covering the latest in manufacturing. The forum is open!

Why China is eating our Manufacturing Lunch
"Your statement that the Chinese Dragon will awaken has already happened; there are American companies that already pay double the basic income at their factories in China. But the results in your post are premature."
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Mike Evans' Economic Outlook -- A Higher Minimum Wage?
"One of the Democratic strategies to get out the vote in November is to put "popular" minimum wage increases on the ballot. How much difference does it make?"
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Women As Plant Managers
"I think its a larger question is that is the pool of people, man and women, for that job so small as they have it, that the plants would run better by not having a role that is so demanding so it would be attractive to more people?"
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John Brandt On Leadership -- America's Auto Industry is doing great -- if you live outside Detroit!
"Are we worried about American automotive jobs or American automotive company ownership?"
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