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A Floyd County man is charged with multiple counts of felony drug possession after a raid of his home late Sunday by drug task force agents, reports stated.
According to Floyd County Jail records:
James Edward Salmon, 54, of 31 Surrey Trail, is charged with felony possession of marijuana with intent to sell, valium with intent to sell, possession of xanax with intent to sell, possession of hash with intent to sell, possession of an unidentified controlled substance and possession of all the above drugs.
Rome-Floyd Metro Drug Task Force agents allegedly found the equipment to manufacture marijuana as well as amounts of the above listed drugs.
He is also charged with use of a communication facility during a felony for using e-mail to further the distribution of the controlled substances.
Additionally, he is charged with misdemeanor drugs to be kept in original container and possession of drug related objects.
He remained in jail Monday without bail.
http://romenews-tribune.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Report-+Man+found+with+marijuana+manufacturing+equipment%20&id=3728187-Report-+Man+found+with+marijuana+manufacturing+equipment&instance=home_news
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO — California should explore tax incentives and other measures to keep biotechnology companies like Genentech from moving parts of their operations to other states or countries, those in the industry and lawmakers said Monday.
“We need to hear practical solutions,” state Sen. Mark Wyland, R-Carlsbad, said during a hearing of the Assembly Select Committee on Biotechnology. “We are in a fiscal crisis, and so-called tax breaks are difficult to achieve, but we have to find ways” to help the state’s biotech companies.
The hearing came as South San Francisco-based Genentech, which launched the biotech industry three decades ago, builds a new manufacturing plant near Portland, Ore. — its first such enterprise outside California.
Genentech cited income-tax disparity as the reason for bringing that plant and its 200 high-quality jobs to Oregon, according to the office of Assemblyman Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, who chairs the committee.
In a similar move, San Diego-based Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc., having taking advantage of California’s research-and-development tax credits, established a diabetes-treatment manufacturing plant in Ohio because of an eight-year, 75 percent tax break, Hill’s office said.
“Most companies want to stay here,” Andrea Jackson, director of government affairs for Genentech, said during the hearing, which was held at South San Francisco biotech firm Exelixis Inc. “But oftentimes we
can’t afford it. We want to be partners in how we grow our industry. We want to do it responsibly. We want to do it here in California. But we’re feeling a little lonely, to be honest with you.”
Among the ideas from the hearing to keep biotech firms from going out of state is giving them sales-tax breaks on manufacturing equipment, Hill said.
“That’s already done in enterprise zones, but maybe it can be done individually,” he said.
A model that the state could expand on is a business center in San Jose where the layout is ready-made for biotech firms, he said: “It’s all laid out as a complete lab for them to start out without investing in all the equipment.”
The committee is scheduled to conduct other hearings before a bill is possibly introduced by the end of February to encourage biotech firms to stay and grow in California, said Hill, who serves the 19th Assembly District — home to many such companies.
“We want to craft some legislation that could (give incentives) and help an industry that has brought so much to California and to this district,” he said.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/sanmateocountytimes/localnews/ci_13388522
OTTAWA – The Canadian government plans to permanently eliminate all remaining tariffs on imports of machinery and equipment used by manufacturers, offering some relief to businesses pained by a sharp rise in the currency.
A government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that Ottawa would launch public consultations on the planned measure on Friday.
In its January budget, the Conservative government lowered duties on some imported goods used as inputs by manufacturers in sectors such as energy, forestry and food processing. At that time, it said the measures would generate savings of C$440 million ($413 million) for industry over five years.
The government source said the new measures would generate an additional C$250 million to C$300 million in savings, but did not specify over what time period.
Even before the January announcement, almost 90 percent of all such imports entered the country duty-free, according to the government. On Friday, it will commit to dropping the remaining tariffs to zero.
The announcement will come after a key budget vote in Parliament on Friday that is likely to keep the minority Conservative government in power, at least in the near term.
The Conservatives need the support of at least one of the three opposition parties to pass legislation, and the main opposition Liberals have vowed to bring down the government at the first opportunity.
The government may try to fast-track some of its more popular measures to ensure support from the smaller New Democratic Party or the Bloc Quebecois for as long as possible.
The official said the tariff measure is aimed at giving a short-term boost to the beleaguered manufacturing sector, to help them compete globally in the long run.
Exporters have been particularly hurt by the Canadian dollar’s rise of more than 20 percent against the U.S. dollar since hitting a four-year low in March. A strong currency makes their goods less price competitive and reduces gains on foreign exchange.
The Canadian dollar touched an 11-month high of C$1.0591 to the U.S. dollar, or 94.42 U.S. cents, on Thursday.
Exporters have been lobbying the government to soften the blow, either by helping them get credit, offering tax credits for new investments, or other measures.
The Bank of Canada has fretted loudly over the past several weeks that the Canadian dollar’s appreciation could hamper the economic recovery but few believe the bank is ready to formally intervene to prevent the currency from rising further.
Despite the difficult environment, there are signs that manufacturers are slowly regaining their footing after the economic crisis. Factory sales rose 5.5 percent in July, their fastest pace in 11 years, mainly because some auto assembly plants resumed operations after prolonged shutdowns.
http://www.thestar.com/business/article/697348
Italian manufacturers who pursue efficiency through streamlined production processes and energy savings pass value on to customers through lowered costs and timely deliveries.
Forward-looking manufacturers around the world have adopted segments of lean practices. These companies consider an expenditure of resources for any goal other than creation of value for the end user to be wasteful, and thus a target for elimination. From a customer perspective, value is any action or process that a customer would be willing to pay for. Lean attempts to create more value with less work. Efficiency through the optimization of workflow is a theme throughout quality-driven Italian manufacturing facilities.
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According to U.S.-based analyst Julie Fraser of Cambashi Inc., a management and marketing consultancy firm (www.cambashi.com), “Machinery and equipment has two major facets to consider for the customers. First is revenue-generating capacity and capability. Now at this point with the volatile economy, flexibility and quick change-overs are probably more important than pure throughput for some segments. However, machines are valued based on ability to generate revenue, remembering that revenue right now is both products and the information required to meet environmental regulations for the producers. And second is the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) which might be commonly associated with lean—how to get value from something that has little waste. Managing costs is critical in this economy—think lean.”
A philosophy of lean
OMT BIELLA S.r.l. (www.omt-biella.com) pays close attention to its internal production system in order to supply its customers with products that meet the highest standards of quality and delivery.
Since 1963, the family-run business has designed, built and sold machines and systems used in the opening and blending of textile fibers. All the machines can be linked to create specific systems. Complete solutions are developed to design and build complex and very large systems. Customers, spread across five continents, are characterized by the company as seekers of high-quality machinery, generally demanding and never satisfied with run-of-the-mill equipment.
The production philosophy values the lean manufacturing model, characterized by tools aimed at achieving a pull system in production management. (“Pull” in lean production is a response to the pull, or demand, of the customer.) Concurring with the belief that a reduction of waste leads to an increase in profits, OMT BIELLA embraces lean.
Among their methods is an in-house self-governing laser cutting system that operates on a 24/7 capacity. Operation is also for third parties. It allows OMT BIELLA to obtain, in very short time periods, all the carpentry work necessary for machines designed and constructed according to its technical drawings.
Collaboration and harmony among employees (credited to knowledge-sharing), and the effort made by each employee to maintain a clean, efficient workplace, adhering to the 5S method, represents the best way to prevent errors.
The workplace organization method 5S uses a list of five Japanese words which, transliterated and translated into English, start with the letter S—a mnemonic for a methodology often incorrectly characterized as “standardized cleanup.” But it is more than cleanup. 5S is a philosophy and way of organizing and managing workspace to improve efficiency by eliminating waste, improving flow and reducing process unevenness.
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According to the Japanese interpretation, this is a poka-yoke or foolproof approach. The term means fail-safing or mistake-proofing. Poka-yoke is any mechanism in a lean manufacturing process that helps an operator to avoid (yokeru) mistakes (poka). Its purpose is to eliminate defects by preventing, correcting, or drawing attention to human errors.
During the worldwide economic crisis, it is not easy to level the work load of the production cell (Heijunka), but following guidelines of Kaizen (improvement), OMT BIELLA intends to equip its laser-cutting department with a robot to provide new energy to its already-successful Takt Time system (Takt is the German word for the baton that an orchestra conductor uses to regulate the speed, beat or timing at which musicians play).
Italian machine tool technology equates to lower costs
According to UCIMU-SISEMI PER PRODURRE (www.ucimu.it), the Italian Machine Tools, Robots and Automation Manufacturers’ Association, American users are well aware of the high quality of Italian machine tools. The Association reports that from 2003 to 2008, the number of Italian machine tools exported to the U.S. increased by 44 percent.
The question comes to mind: Are manufacturers becoming more aware of the impact that new machinery technology has on the cost of their products?
Fast-growing ILAPAK Group S.p.A. (www.ilapak.com) manufactures industrial wrapping machinery for primary packaging and specializes in high-quality packaging machinery produced in Nova Milanese and Arezzo, Italy, as well as Lugano, Switzerland.
ILAPAK solutions minimize food manufacturers’ cost-per-pack, whatever the style and level of pack presentation. The company’s emphasis on innovative technology and equipment, great service, low energy and material consumption leads to this goal.
Lean manufacturing, more than just a set of guidelines, becomes the workplace lifestyle in outstanding plants. ILAPAK puts energy-saving features into its machines—greater thermal efficiency of sealing jaws and rollers and energy recuperation systems in motor drives.
Reliability is built in through use of high-quality, commercially available electronic components, a user-friendly HMI to minimize operator error, a control platform capable of web connection to allow remote monitoring and software to predict component failures.
“In the business world it’s the results that count,” says Luciano Sottile, CEO of ILAPAK Group. “ILAPAK only has a future if we can add value to our customers and help them to be successful. Our philosophy of lowest cost per pack encompasses a consistent approach that we are taking to our products, services and organization which has one single objective—to improve the bottom line of our customers’ Profit and Loss accounts.”
50 percent more throughput
The new Delta VacMap flow-wrapper from ILAPAK lets manufacturers produce attractive, high-quality flow-wrap packs that provide the same shelf life as thermoformed packs at lower cost. Usable with all bakery and fresh food products, the patented unit has a 3-in-1 packaging solution—flow-wrap, modified atmosphere (MAP) and VacMap—in one efficient machine to substantially reduce production costs.
The high-performance, horizontal, form, fill and seal (HFFS) flow-wrapper puts vacuum and MAP packaging into one machine. In-line vacuum systems extract trapped pockets of oxygen from inside the product, particularly spongy bakery goods, to maintain freshness.
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This results in a comparable shelf-life to thermoforming but it’s more economical and efficient. Features include high throughput, fast product size changes, ease of use, reduced material and labor costs, fully automatic feeding and high-quality pack presentation. Manufacturers easily switch formats; if requirements change from an ambient product to a one requiring greater shelf life, they can quickly meet that demand and maintain full capacity.
Automatic product feeding means reduced labor. Changeovers are so quick that line disruption is minimal. VacMap achieves up to 50 percent greater throughput than typical thermoforming machines and reduces the cost of packaging material. For higher volume manufacturers, there are enormous financial and environmental benefits.
ILAPAK provides ultrasonic sealing technology on form fill and seal packaging machinery. This results in a molecular bond between thermoplastic materials created by mechanically-generated acoustic waves of specific amplitude and frequency.
Tangible benefits in flexible packaging are improved seal quality, lower energy consumption and reduced down-time, as well as a reduction in product waste.
Saving time, eliminating waste, meeting deadlines and streamlining across the enterprise comprises lean philosophy. As supported by Italian manufacturers, lean concepts change the face of modern manufacturing and create successful businesses.
About 2,000 US sporting goods manufacturing companies operate in the US, with combined sales of about $14 billion. Large companies include Callaway Golf Company; Easton-Bell Sports; Russell Corporation; Wilson Sporting Goods (a subsidiary of Finland-based Amer Sports); & Rawlings Sporting Goods (a subsidiary of Jarden Corporation). The industry is fragmented: the 10 largest sporting goods companies account for only about 35 percent of industry revenue.
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY
The primary demand drivers for sporting goods are consumer income & demographic trends. The profitability of individual companies is determined by efficient manufacturing & effective marketing. Large companies enjoy advantages in economies of scale & brand recognition, & often offer a wide range of products. Small companies can compete effectively by offering specialized or unique products that interest enthusiasts. Average annual revenue per employee is about $250,000.
Major products include golf (excluding apparel & shoes), gym & exercise, playground, & fishing tackle & equipment, & other sporting & athletic goods. General sporting & athletic goods include equipment used to play racket sports such as tennis, badminton, & squash; & team sports including baseball, basketball, footy, soccer, & hockey. General sporting & athletic goods & golf equipment each account for about 25 percent of industry revenue; gym & exercise equipment for about 20 percent.
U.K. manufacturing shrank over economists forecast in January & posted the biggest quarterly drop in at least one decades as the recession throttled demand for British goods from cars to machinery.
Factory production dropped 2.9 percent from December, the Office for National Statistics said today in London. Economists predicted 1.4 percent, the median of 18 forecasts in a Bloomberg News survey shows. Manufacturing shrank 6.4 percent in the three months through January, the most since records began in 1968.
The global slump is ravaging British manufacturing, forcing ministers from Gordon Brown’s government to meet carmakers tomorrow to discuss a rescue plan. French industrial production plunged in January by the most in at least 19 years & italian exports fell for a fourth month, separate reports showed today.
“This is unbelievably grim,” Alan Clarke, a London-based economist at BNP Paribas SA, said in an interview. “There’s no sign of the slowdown abating. The Bank of England will probably require to do more.”
Car Slump
British manufacturing has now dropped for 11 months, the worst streak of contraction since 1980, when Margaret Thatcher was prime minister. Factory production accounts for about 15 percent of the economy, compared with about 75 percent for services & 6 percent for construction.
Production of motor vehicles & auto parts drove the slump in the transport category, the data showed.
Out of 13 categories of manufacturing, nine fell & one rose on the month, the statistics office said. Transport equipment, electrical, optical goods, & machinery & equipment led the declines.
French industrial production dropped 13.8 percent in January from a year earlier, the French statistics office said today, the biggest decline since the series began in 1990. italian exports declined 4.4 percent on the month.
Europe car production will probably fall 25 percent & sales are likely to drop 20 percent this year, the European car Manufacturers Association said on March 5.
U.K. Trade Minister Ian Pearson will set out how a 2.3 billion-pound ($3.2 billion) aid package for automakers will work & which companies will be eligible when they meets executives tomorrow. The government is considering separate help for General Motors Corp.’s Vauxhall unit.
“The pace of contraction remains strong,” said Frederique Cerisier, an economist at BNP Paribas in Paris.
Global Workforce
IMI Plc, the world’s biggest maker of pneumatic controls, said last week it reduced its global workforce by 10 percent & plans further reductions in the coming weeks. Weir Group Plc, the world’s biggest maker of pumps for the mining industry, today said that sales at its oil-and-gas unit may drop as much as 30 percent this year compared with the second half of 2008.
Today’s report showed overall industrial production, which includes output of mining, utilities, oil & gas, dropped 2.6 percent in January. From a year earlier, it fell 11.4 percent.
The Bank of England cut its benchmark interest rate last week to 0.5 percent, the lowest ever, & pledged to raise the cash supply as it tries to shore up the economy. Gross domestic product fell 1.5 percent in the fourth quarter, the most since 1980, & officials say business surveys point to a similar pace of decline during the first three months of this year.
“Demand is gone across the board,” said Ross Walker, an economist at Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc in London. “We could see manufacturing fall throughout the year. It’s difficult to see any significant turnaround.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Brian Swint in London at bswint@bloomberg.net.
