November/December 2007 | Trade and Industry Development

November/December 2007

Trade & Industry Development Magazine

Both plastics and metals have become a part of our everyday lives. With these industries growing, relocations and expansions are inevitable. Read our articles, “Plastics – from Bags to Medical Devices to Rockets” and “New Technology and Specialized Products Keep Metal Fabrication Companies on the Economic Development Radar Screen,” to gather some insight into making the best location decisions.
 
“Setting Your Sights on Shovel-Ready Sites” will offer some insight into why these are so important in selecting a new location. And “The Plastic Fork in the Road” explains how polymer clusters are formed and the advantages they provide.
 
You’ll also find articles from SPI and AMT. SPI recently launched an innovative program that uses the next generation of search technology to connect plastics industry buyers and sellers. AMT has begun to develop MTConnect – a communication protocol that helps machines, controls and sensors from different suppliers to communicate with each other.
 
Our Area Spotlights include Michigan, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas. Be sure to read these articles – these states have a lot to offer and may be the best location for your new project.

In this issue

New Technology and Specialized Products Keep Metal Fabrication Companies on the Economic Development Radar Screen

BY: James H. Renzas

To be sure, if you read the economic projections, with the metal fabrication industry exploding in China (the world leader in carbon and stainless steel, aluminum, and copper manufacturing and production), and now India and Vietnam aggressively joining in the mix, it doesn’t look like the kind of industry that will sustain any meaningful long term growth or expansion, and certainly not an industry that will be actively pursued by the economic development community with substantial relocation incentives. However, let’s look at some statistics that tell a different story.   more....