Originally published in the BusinessWeek on Apr 14, 2010 by Connie Guglielmo and Katie Hoffmann
Apple Inc. delayed by a month the international debut of its iPad tablet computer after shipping more than 500,000 of the devices in a week and underestimating how quickly they would sell in the U.S. Less than a week after Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs said the company was building iPads “as fast as we can,” Apple said in a statement that demand is “far higher” than it predicted. Apple...
Originally published in the Global SMT & Packaging Magazine on Mar 23, 2010 by Jade Kellard
A good many companies now use the current economic situation for both cost reductions on the shop floor and for improvements of manufactured product quality. For example, Siplace™ equipment will be increasingly employed for the automated placement of relays and connectors in bigger sizes. These components, delivered in stick magazines, have to be supplied into the placement machines through special feeder mechanisms...
Originally published in the Earth911.com on Feb 08, 2010 by Jennifer Berry
In the ever-changing world of consumer products, “bio” is gearing up to be the new buzzword (or prefix – take your pick) of the decade. More and more products are hitting the shelves that are made of bio-based materials and/or are biodegradable. Simultaneously, confusion and questions about what to do with these products are rising at the...
Originally published in the Channel Insider on Jan 08, 2010 by Lawrence Walsh
Cisco Systems is struggling to keep up with demand for core networking products as orders from businesses unexpectedly picked up in the last quarter of 2009 and into 2010. “Similar to what is happening in the industry we are seeing some product lead time extensions stemming from supplier constraints based upon their labor and other...
Originally published in the the CNET News on Dec 29, 2009 by Jon Skillings
The legal back-and-forth between Nokia and Apple over patents, and who might be abusing them, continued Tuesday as Nokia lodged a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission. In its complaint to the USITC, the Finnish company alleges that Apple infringes seven Nokia patents "in virtually all of its mobile phones, portable music...
Originally published in the the New York Times on Nov 14, 2009 by Randall Stross
“SOME of the best-loved technology on the planet” is how Apple describes its products when recruiting new employees. It’s a fair description. But the love that consumers send Apple’s way could flag if the company puts into place new advertising technology it has developed. In an application filed last year and made public last month by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Apple is seeking a patent for technology that displays advertising on almost anything that has...
Originally published in the Purchasing.com on Oct 15, 2009 by Alan R. Earls
In a business as competitive as the coatings industry, controlling costs is always a critical component in purchasing decisions. However, there is a growing recognition that along with controlling costs, purchasing can also play a role in facilitating knowledge transfer between suppliers and new product development. Buyers need to be on the lookout for suppliers that are actively looking to engage in deeper relationships. Michael Dutt, global sourcing manager at Wickliffe, Ohio-based Lubrizol...
Originally published in the Australian Food on Sep 15, 2009 by Daniel Palmer
Scarcity of natural resources will leave the consumer industry exposed to higher and more volatile pricing in little more than a decade. By 2020 it is estimated there will be one billion more consumers worldwide, resulting in a fundamental consumption imbalance with demand for natural resources outstripping supply. “Sustainability for Tomorrow’s Consumer...
Originally published in the Trading Desk on Jun 15, 2009 by Jonathan Ratner
While many believe that growth in consumer spending out of China can do the heavy lifting for the global economy and help ease the pain the U.S. is experiencing, economists at Scotia Capital warns that it could actually hurt the U.S. economy, while providing a boost to Canada. Chinese consumption has been strong in recent years, with consumers accounting for about 38% of GDP in 2008, or US$1.66-trillion in spending. As China’s middle class grows, spending...
Originally published in the Trading Markets on Jun 14, 2009 by Staff
External aid forms about 50% of ADP of Bangladesh, constituting more than 2% of GDP leading to strong presence of donors in the country. Significant portion of aid goes to health, education, infrastructure, and social sectors. The fact remains is that we need further and diversified support that would accelerate growth, since still about half the population...
Originally published in the Wall Street Journal on Jun 11, 2009 by TERENCE POON
China's consumer and factory-gate prices continued to fall in May and the government sounded guarded on when prices might rebound. But economists said deflation pressures are subsiding in China. China's consumer price index fell 1.4% in May from a year earlier, the fourth straight month of drops, National Bureau of Statistics data...
Originally published in the Foreign Policy on Jun 10, 2009 by Robert Koopman, Zhi Wang and Shang-Jin Wei
From shoes to electronics to kitchen appliances, that ubiquitous stamp, "Made in China," has become a symbol of the times. In the last decade, annual U.S. imports from China have grown from about $81 billion to last year's $338 billion. Everything, it seems, comes from the Middle Kingdom. But as it turns out, "Made in China" is a bit of a misnomer...
Originally published in the JoongAngDaily on Jun 08, 2009 by Han Ae-ran
It’s long been accepted wisdom that Korea’s steelmakers, shipbuilders and other infrastructure-related companies would benefit heavily from greater economic growth in China. Indeed, such companies have long been major gainers on the market whenever China has released confidence-boosting positive data. But things are changing, as infrastructure growth slows...
Originally published in the charlotteobserver on May 31, 2009 by Kirsten Valle
Sonoco Products Co. isn't a household name, but its packages are in millions of shoppers' pantries worldwide. The 110-year-old, $4.1 billion packaging giant manufactures everything from Pringles canisters to Febreeze bottles to industrial products, such as paperboard tubes and cable reels. Sonoco has 300 facilities in 35 countries, including about six in the Charlotte area. Despite its size, Sonoco has felt the recession's pinch. The company had 17,500 employees at the end of last year, down from...
Originally published in the Fox News on May 28, 2009 by Jessica L. Weinstein
It was a David and Goliath battle from the beginning: a small American photo paper distributor suing the largest national photosensitive materials manufacturer in China. Only this time, David may come up short. In 2006, California-based Royal Marketing Inc. made a deal to distribute photographic paper made by China Lucky Film Corp. It wasn't long before Royal Marketing's customers started to complain that the paper was junk, and the company's vice president, Farshid Ourian, learned it did not meet U.S. quality standards...
Originally published in the Cattlenetwork on May 22, 2009 by Staff
As part of International Trade Month (and International Trade Week, May 18-22), the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) has been ramping up efforts to educate Congress about the importance of opening new markets and expanding access to existing markets for U.S. beef trade. Trade supports millions of U.S. jobs and is vital to the economic livelihood of U.S. cattle producers. In fact, exporting cuts like liver and short ribs--which are underutilized in the U.S.--can add between $20-25 to the price...
Originally published in the Bloomberg on May 15, 2009 by Eugene Tang
Foreign direct investment in China fell for a seventh month from a year earlier as companies cut spending to weather the world’s worst financial crisis since World War II. Investment dropped 22.5 percent to $5.89 billion in April, the commerce ministry said at a briefing in Beijing today. That compares with a 9.5 percent decline in March. For the first four months...
Originally published in the Tire Business on May 11, 2009 by AKRON
The United Steelworkers’ (USW) trade petition with the U.S. International Trade Commission seeking to limit imports of consumer tires from China is a “Catch 22” situation for independent tire dealers and other purveyors of tires. On the one hand, it seems clear the swell of consumer tires coming from China has contributed to the closing of four U.S. tire plants and the reduction of more than 4,400 jobs in the past five years. Another 2,400 workers will be let go later this year when two more announced plant closings take place...
Originally published in the China View on May 09, 2009 by Lucy-Claire Saunders
In 2006, Forbes magazine named Shi Zhengrong, a little-known Chinese scientist, one of the world's billionaires. Three years later, his company, Suntech Power Holdings Ltd, is worth an estimated 6 billion U.S. dollars and stands as the world's fourth largest producer of solar panels. It is no coincidence that China is home to one of the world's leading solar energy companies. Recent legislation like the country's landmark 2005 Renewable Energy Law has contributed to China's rapid success in emerging renewable energy markets...
Originally published in the Business Mirror on May 07, 2009 by Max V. de Leon
DOMESTIC manufacturers of steel products are asking the government to take proactive measures that will help them survive the foreseen heightening of steel import surge from China, as Beijing started implementing its 13-percent to 17-percent export rebates program for Chinese steel makers. The Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) said the local producers...
Originally published in the Wall Street Journal on May 06, 2009 by IANA DREYER
European Union policy makers will meet their Chinese counterparts on Thursday and Friday for the second round of the talks designed to help revive battered trade negotiations. But these talks, dubbed the "High Level Economic and Trade Dialogue Mechanism," won't deliver much if China and the EU are not prepared to get real and put the emphasis on...
Originally published in the Supply & Demand Chain Executive Magazine on Apr 20, 2009 by Editorial Staff
TBB Global Logistics and One World Sourcing have allied to offer clients expanded global sourcing and supply chain services focused on Asia, combining global supply chain management capabilities with factory management and production capabilities.
Under the alliance, clients of the two companies will be able take advantage of sourcing capabilities in Asian countries...
Originally published in the Converting Magazine on Apr 12, 2009 by Staff
Rate of annual growth falling 29%; customers to purchase 213 billion sq meters of material in 2013, says new Freedonia Group study. World demand for corrugated boxes is forecast to increase 3.4 percent per year to 213 billion square meters in 2013, in line with real (inflation-adjusted) gains in GDP. This compares to an annual growth rate of 4.8 percent in the 2003-2008 time period—a 29-percent decline in the rate of yearly increase....
Originally published in the Daily Collegian on Apr 07, 2009 by Dinah Gorelik
In the midst of a national recession, the United States government has decided to end its contract with an American-based condom manufacturer and switch to a foreign supplier.Though the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) previously had an agreement with Alatech Healthcare Products....
Originally published in the Charleston Post and Courier on Jan 31, 2009 by PRENTISS FINDLAY
More than $1 million in counterfeit merchandise was seized Saturday at the Coastal Carolina Flea Market in Ladson, including 60,000 CDs, 3,000 DVDs and 700 pairs of shoes, officials said Monday. The counterfeit merchandise included handbags, wallets, headbands, belts and various clothing items. Companies misrepresented were Chanel, Coach, Coogi, Disney, Ed Hardy, Gucci, John Deere, Lacoste, Louis Vuitton, the Motion Picture Association of America, NASCAR and the National Basketball Association, according to the office of...
