National Association of Manufacturers
Strategy for Competitiveness
NAM’S plan: maintaining U.S. manufacturing’s preeminence.
Home August 2010
Magazine Issue August 2010
Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, International (FMA)
America’s Most Wanted: Skilled Workers
An abundance of well-paying job opportunities exist in the manufacturing sector. Filling such jobs will bolster the U.S. economy. Still, an image adjustment is in order: manufacturers need to communicate that proffered jobs aren’t “dead end” positions and companies complement…
Union Pacific Railroad
Classic Infrastructure, New Technology
Innovation and advanced technology has kept the Union Pacific Railroad at the forefront of the transportation industry. Mike Iden, general director, car and locomotive engineering, explains why.
Volvo Buses Mexico
Wheeling in Innovation
Since it first entered the Mexican market in 1998, Volvo Buses Mexico has steadily worked its way to the top of its industry. Today the company is the leading manufacturer of coach buses in Mexico and is blazing new paths…
Webb Wheel Products Inc.
Rolling with Webb
Alabama-based Webb Wheel Products Inc. is relentless when it comes to satisfying the needs of its trucking industry customers. This diligence translated into financial investments that helped the 60-plus-year-old company evolve. This approach led to development of its innovative Webb…
Whelen Engineering Co., Inc.
Made in the USA
Connecticut-based Whelen Engineering Company Inc., which produces advanced emergency warning equipment, is a domestic manufacturer that still produces all of its products in the United States. In the process, it has raised an alarm about the state of American manufacturing.…
BOS Automotive
Driving Forward
BOS Automotive, the North American branch of Germany-based BOS GmbH & Co. KG, has circumvented major obstacles in its road. despite a down market, the company remained fiscally strong, thanks to its innovative product line (interior components) and its consolidated…
Hyster Company
Pushing the Boundaries of Convention
A major materials handling industry force for more than 80 years, Hyster Company developed a unique concept that allows purchasers to do comprehensive comparative shopping. The innovation benefits both customers and company.
TEAM Industries
The Wheel Keeps Turning
Since 1967, and working beyond the basic wheel concept, TEAM Industries has provided clients with drive chain and chassis components for a wide range of vehicles. Click here to read the complete illustrated article as originally published or scroll down…
The United States Navy
Midwest Naval Engagement
This past July, the United States Navy completed a unique 12-year, $770 million construction project comprising 14 barracks, three drill halls and five administrative and training buildings that make up Recruit Training Command (RTC) at Naval Station Great Lakes, located…
Usina Colombo S/A Acucar e Alcool
Success is Sweet
Although Brazil’s Usina Colombo has been in the sugar cane business since the 1940s, it has hardly become set in its ways. Instead, as Michael Sommers discovers, the family-owned company has thrived by being open to the myriad potential products…
Valtra
Feeding the World
A part of the AGCO Corporation, Valtra is one of the best known names in the production and sale of tractors. Exporting to more than 60 countries, Valtra Brasil offers high-technology solutions to those who sustain the world’s food markets.…
Layne GeoConstruction
From the Mud Below to the Sky Above
As its name implies, Layne GeoConstruction readily and willingly targets the most complex geotechnical problems. Committed to advancing its industry’s most innovative solutions, the Massachusetts-headquartered enterprise established itself as a leader in specialty foundation, Dan Harvey reports.
Ontario Power Generation
Canadian Powerhouse
Toronto-headquartered Ontario Power Generation established itself as an industry leader in clean, renewable energy expertise, production and development. With a robust electricity generating portfolio, the company is one of North America’s largest power generators. The company is not only known…
Peninsular Cylinder Co.
Thriving Under Pressure
While automotive industry woes wreak havoc with domestic manufacturers, Peninsular Cylinder Company continues running on all cylinders. How does the company maintain speed despite a slow economy? Through a strategy of market diversification, high-quality products and people, industry leading turnaround…
Peterson Spring
Springing Forward into the Future
Despite what its name suggests, Peterson Spring offers a broad line of engineered metal products. This product diversification – combined ever-increasing engineering expertise and an expanding geographic footprint – positioned the Michigan-based enterprise for growth, even in a daunting economic…
Richmond Yachts
Bigger is Better
Richmond Yachts builds mega-yachts measuring 100 feet or more in length. However, it charts an unusual course in launching these luxury pleasure vessels. It sells from inventory, as opposed to building crafts under customer contract. Further, the category busting company…
Hoist Liftruck Manufacturing, Inc.
Keep Liftin’ Them Higher
In taking customers’ products “to greater heights” the Illinois-based Hoist Liftruck Manufacturing Inc. elevated itself into the industrial mainstream and the main event. Proffered equipment provides optimal levels of capacity and performance. Dan Harvey reports about this leading material handling…
Iveco
Catching Up in a Hurry
Iveco, the Fiat Group’s subsidiary specializing in commercial trucks, has only been operating in Brazil for 10 years. But as Michael Sommers discovers, while being the new kid on the block has its challenges, it also has its advantages, especially…
Jalles Machado
Organic Growth
Brazilian sugar and alcohol producer Jalles Machado is small in scale but large in ambition: the Goiás-based company successfully combined high-tech production methods and recent trends with social and environmental consciousness. Michael Sommers’ report offers a lesson in sustainability.
Komatsu America Corp.
Haul of Fame
Komatsu America Corp.’s Peoria, Ill.-based division manufactures mining haul trucks for a global market fueled by the international need for iron, copper and other metals and materials.
Lamons Gasket Company
Flagged for Fame
Texas-based Lamons Gasket Company is one of the world’s largest manufacturer/distributor of gaskets, heat exchangers and bolts. In the United States, it’s the leading gasket supplier, and its Houston plant is the world’s biggest metallic gasket production facility. The company…
Evacon Equipamentos
Taking the Heat Off Industry
Evacon specializes in cooling equipment, transportation machinery and pressure vessels for a wide range of market sectors. With technology developed in house, the company is a pioneer in Brazil and prides itself on relieving the pressures of production for its…
Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico (GAP)
Flying Forward
After getting its start in 1998, Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico, S.A.B. de C.V., a company that operates 12 airports in the pacific region of Mexico, has made significant improvements and investments in its airports. Today the company manages five of…
GEA PHE Systems NA, Inc.
Hot Processor
GEA PHE Systems North America manufactures high efficiency heat transfer solutions employing a full range of gasketed, fully welded and brazed plate heat exchangers, built in the only facility of its kind. David Soyka looks at how this subsidiary of…
Grupo Mascarello
Driven by Technology
Grupo Mascarello has been a driving force in Brazil’s industrial development since the 1950s, and shows no signs of slowing down. Already a reference in agricultural equipment, the latest addition to the group, Mascarello Carrocerias e Ônibus, has sped into…
Grupo Ojeda
A Cool Business
With its headquarters in Mexico City, Grupo Ojeda, a group of companies that manufacture commercial refrigeration equipment, is starting to make waves in the global market. Rachel Hartman takes an inside look at the firm and its knack to secure…
American Industries
New Heights
American Industries soars ever higher. Established more than 30 years ago to facilitate multinational corporate expansion into Mexico, the company is spreading its wings with the aerospace industry. Dan Harvey reports on a trend impacting both a nation and a…
BMW Manufacturing
Racing Ahead
It’s hard to keep up with BMW Manufacturing Co. as the company outdistances competitors, observers find it hard to wrap their heads around the enterprise’s accomplishments. Dan Harvey tries to make some sense of it all. But the South Carolina-based…
Braun Industries, Inc.
Handcrafted Ambulances
Since 1972, Braun Industries, Inc. has designed and built ambulances both reliable and innovative. Today, fire and rescue departments throughout the United States deploy the company’s wide range of vehicles. Rachel Hartman reports on a family-run business dedicated to customizing…
DHB Componentes Automotivos S/A
Steering in the Right Direction
DHB is not only one of the leading manufacturers of steering system components in Latin America, it is also the only Latin American company amidst a sea of multinationals. As Michael Sommers discovers, this proximity to – and understanding of…
Takata Petri
Rapid Expansion
Already established as Brazil’s biggest maker of airbag modules, Takata Petri now has a once-in-a-lifetime business opportunity: recent changes in its country’s vehicle safety rules will enable the company to make a giant leap in production capacity to meet demand,…