April US manufacturing technology consumption totaled US$396.92 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 down 21.0% from March but up 74.9% when compared with the total of US$226.99 million reported for April 2010.With a year-to-date total of US$1,595.98 million, 2011 is up 105.3% compared with 2010.These numbers and all data in this report are based on the totals of actual data reported by companies participating in the USMTC program. “It is very encouraging to see year-to-date orders more than double last year’s pace particularly with the price of oil, unrest in the Middle East, and the disasters in Japan,” said Douglas K. Woods, President of AMT.

Toronto – Two recent studies have found that Canadians and Americans have very different palates. The studies, which are from market research firm The NPD Group, are called A Look into the Future of Eating-Canadian Marketplace , and A Look into the Future of Eating-United States Marketplace and were released in late May. What they found was that Canadians are fond of salty or savoury snack foods – like cheese, potato chips and crackers – and their consumption of these foods will outpace population growth over the next decade.

Introducing ILG Approved Bearings From World Leading Bearings Manufacturers The US-UK Industrial Trade Portal ForeignTRADEX increases offerings for bearings, shafts & other motion control products Port St. Lucie, Florida – While the economies in the United States and Western Europe show signs of growth in some some manufacturing segments, ForeignTRADEX is doing its parts to help supply manufacturers and engineers with power transmission equipment. Today, the company introduced its Bearings Marketplace which serves as a meeting place for companies looking to buy and sell motion control equipment.

Automated Systems – Complete Factory Automation Solutions Now From ILG Complete turnkey automated manufacturing machines and industrial robots added to Industrial Leaders Salem, Oregon – In the manufacturing world the technology of engineered factory automation systems is constantly growing as the demands from factories increase, according to Industrial Leaders.

CALGARY: Canada needs to have credible data to defend itself from international criticism of its energy and environmental policy, says a former federal environment minister. Jim Prentice, who left politics last fall, says the country hasn’t presented enough information to get to what he calls “first base” in the game of public opinion.

March US manufacturing technology consumption totaled US$511.15 million according to AMTDA, the American Machine Tool Distributors’ Association and AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology.This total, as reported by companies participating in the USMTC program, was up 57.6% from February and up 99.0% when compared with the total of US$256.88 million reported for March 2010. With a year-to-date total of US$1,203.57 million, 2011 is up 118.6% compared with 2010.”Machine tool sales exceeded expectations again in March and by a large margin; this is a great sign for the US economy,” said Peter Borden, President of AMTDA. “Not only are customers modernizing to become more efficient and to increase capacity as energy and commodity prices rise, but also supplier price increases and reduced inventories seem to be pulling orders sooner in order to use year end depreciation tax advantages.”These numbers and all data in this report are based on the totals of actual data reported by companies participating in the USMTC program.

VANCOUVER: Well, now we know what the US Congress thinks of Canada. Senators and House representatives love our cheap prescription drugs, the secure energy supply and our approach to environmental management, but they’re otherwise negative on free trade and they continue to see our 8,891-kilometre border as a potential gateway for terrorists. The Fraser Institute, a Vancouver-based public policy think tank, makes these and other observations in a new report that analyzed transcripts of congressional debates between 2001 and 2010.

Yuelong Superfine Metal Powders (YSM), a pre-eminent Chinese producer of carbonyl iron (CIP) and stainless steel powders, has appointed United States Metal Powders, Inc. (USMP) as their distributor for the Americas. YSM’S selection was greatly influenced by USMP’s success in marketing and providing technical support for more than 15 years for a Japanese producer of similar powders

Packaging Solutions Holdings has acquired Excel Pac , a Montreal-based leading flexible packaging manufacturer in the food, dairy and pet food markets. The team, assets and know-how of Excel Pac join Jen-Coat and a new greenfield plant and team in Wisconsin to form a Top 20 packaging supplier to the food, dairy and medical markets as a part of Packaging Solutions Holdings. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed

Industrial Springs Directory Adds 50+ Spring Manufacturers With Regulatory Expertise Worldwide Industrial Marketplace (WIM), formerly Worldwide Connections publishes its new Springs & Wire Forms Buying Guide Grand Prairie, Texas – Worldwide Industrial, publisher of the Manufacturing Supply Web Directory for primarily North America and Asia markets introduced Friday morning the launch of its completely revised Industrial Springs Marketplace . The company, founder of the US-Asia Import-Export Trade Portal said the website also focuses on markets in the Middle East, specifically Israel, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates offering a wide range of stock and custom springs such as torsion, industrial, precision, leaf, iron, die, spiral, compression, wave, Belleville and other spring types made from stainless steel, tool steel, alloy steel, brass, copper, titanium, plastic composite and other materials