May 4, 2009 - McLean, VA. . . . AMT - The Association For Manufacturing Technology’s Board of Directors has announced that it has elected Douglas K. Woods as AMT President.

Do you want to find new customers? Do you have interesting news about your company or products? AMT members can submit company news articles to AMT to be published on AMTonline. It’s free and easy. You can post news about your staff, products, and other activities and insert images and logos with your text.

Includes the Executive Compensation, Financial Performance, Operating Metrics, Professional Employee Benefits & Compensation, and Plant Employee Benefits & Compensation surveys. Deadline to submit your data and receive your free report is May 15, 2009.

Consists of tables detailing 3 years of monthly data on natural gas and oil production, shipments and trade.

May 5, 2009 - The latest trade opportunities are for:

1) a RFQ for 45 machines representing various technology types for use in an aerospace project in Russia.  This is the second update to an opportunity released on April 22, 2009.

2) a RFQ from Mexico for an automotive measurement system.

At $43.4 million for first quarter 2009, shipments of workholding equipment were down 31.7 percent from first quarter 2008 according to the Advanced Workholding Technology (AWT) Group of AMT - The Association For Manufacturing Technology.  Workholding equipment shipments within the United States by the 34 companies participating in the AWT statistical report totaled $38.4 million while exports amounted to $4.9 million.

February U.S. manufacturing technology consumption totaled $129.65 million, according to AMT - The Association For Manufacturing Technology and AMTDA, the American Machine Tool Distributors’ Association.  This total, as reported by companies participating in the USMTC program, was up 28.5% from January but down 62.4% from the total of $345.04 million reported for February 2008.  With a year-to-date total of  $230.53 million, 2009 is down 66.2% compared with 2008.

This edition of the Business Owner includes articles on cost reduction, low-cost ways to improve your business, bankruptcy law, e-mail etiquette... Plus more timely and valuable information that can be applied to your business.

May 18 - 23, 2009, Brazil - 12th International Machine Tools and Integrated Manufacturing Systems Trade Fair

The economic stimulus package created a temporary subsidy of health care continuation coverage ("COBRA") premiums for terminated workers and their families. These individuals also have special enrollment rights under COBRA. Employers are required to notify eligible individuals of their COBRA rights. The Department of Labor has created a series of model notices that employers may use for this purpose.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) provides for premium reductions and additional election opportunities for health benefits under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, commonly called COBRA. Eligible individuals pay only 35 percent of their COBRA premiums and the remaining 65 percent is reimbursed to the coverage provider through a tax credit (on the revised Form 941). The premium reduction applies to periods of health coverage beginning on or after February 17, 2009 and lasts for up to nine months for those eligible for COBRA during the period beginning September 1, 2008 and ending December 31, 2009 due to an involuntary termination of employment that occurred during that period. The TAA Health Coverage Improvement Act of 2009, enacted as part of ARRA, also made changes with regard to COBRA continuation coverage.  COBRA Fact Sheet

March 19, 2009 - To draw attention to the severe crisis the machine tool industry faces as a result of the credit crisis, AMT Chairman of the Board of Directors Ron Schildge wrote a letter to the editor that was distributed to major newspapers and magazines across the nation.
Related stories:
For the Want of a Nail Automotive Design and Production
Manufacturers Need Help: Now! Manufacturing & Technology eJournal
U.S. Machine Tool Industry Is On The Brink: How Does An Industry Survive Without Any Orders? Manufacturing & Technology News

March 16, 2009 - AMT Board Chairman Ron Schildge, President, Eitel Pressses, Inc., has written every member of Congress urging action to help small manufacturers survive the current credit crisis. In his letter, Mr. Schildge shared results of a recent AMT member survey on credit availability and included comments from members across the country detailing the struggles these companies face.