UMA MEMBERS IN THE NEWS
LITTLE-KNOWN SOUTHERN UTAH FIRM PROVIDES CHEMICAL FOR ATK FUEL
Tuesday, September 7, 2010 Standard Examiner
PROMONTORY -- What went up in smoke in the latest ATK motor test was the product of a little-known Southern Utah company.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010 Standard Examiner
PROMONTORY -- What went up in smoke in the latest ATK motor test was the product of a little-known Southern Utah company.
The billowy burn of 700 tons of solid rocket propellant on Aug. 31 was largely a chemical from American Pacific Corporation of Cedar City.
"Normally, it's about 70 percent by weight," said Dave Thayer, AMPAC Utah general manager, describing the company's portion of the fuel.
The Iron County company claims in its promotional materials it is the only North American producer of ammonium perchlorate (AP), an oxidizer primarily used as a key propellant component.
American Pacific is headquartered in Nevada and has facilities in three states and two other countries, offering aerospace products worldwide.
After the rocket test, some observers were surprised that such a large burn would produce little smell.
"What you do smell is burnt rubber," said Kevin Rees, ATK director of test services and a Logan resident.
The propellant used by ATK is a mix of powdered aluminum, ammonium perchlorate, a polymer called polybutadiene acrylonitrile, epoxy and iron oxide.
"When the ammonium perchlorate decomposes as part of the combustion process, it turns to gas. It does not produce any solid residue," Thayer said.
More than 140 people are employed by the Western Electrochemical Company, the American Pacific operating division that produces the product for ATK and others.
AMPAC's production of aerospace-grade AP began more than 50 years ago in Nevada. The company moved to Utah in 1988, and a train generally moves the AP from one end of the state to the other.
Applications for AP also include fireworks and road flares.
As Congress and the White House debate the future use by NASA of solid propellant rockets, Thayer said he is hopeful for not only his company but one of his largest customers, ATK.
"Hopefully, NASA does decide that this is the route they want to go," Thayer said.
ATK has tentatively planned another test for its motor in late summer of 2011.
Note: Both AMPAC and ATK are UMA members
ATK has tentatively planned another test for its motor in late summer of 2011.
Note: Both AMPAC and ATK are UMA members
ALLEN MAINTENANCE COURSE CUTS OUT THE WASTE
September 8, 2010 – UB Daily
What would you do if a fraction of an inch could throw off your whole production line and cost you money due to product waste, inconsistencies in quality, and safety issues? A global food production company decided to turn that fraction of an inch in costs into a knife alignment training course to reduce unnecessary expenses, speed up ramp up times, and cut product waste. Working together with Allen Communication Learning Services (Allen), the food production company developed online training for their manufacturing and plant employees to ensure production line remained at top efficiency.
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What would you do if a fraction of an inch could throw off your whole production line and cost you money due to product waste, inconsistencies in quality, and safety issues? A global food production company decided to turn that fraction of an inch in costs into a knife alignment training course to reduce unnecessary expenses, speed up ramp up times, and cut product waste. Working together with Allen Communication Learning Services (Allen), the food production company developed online training for their manufacturing and plant employees to ensure production line remained at top efficiency.
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BP: EIGHT FAILURES LED TO DISASTER
September 8, 2010 – Today in Manufacturing.net
Lead BP investigator is saying that eight separate failures had to occur for the company's deepwater well to unleash the largest offshore oil spill in history ... continue
Lead BP investigator is saying that eight separate failures had to occur for the company's deepwater well to unleash the largest offshore oil spill in history ... continue
NO CONFIDENCE
September 8, 2010 – Zions Direct
Consumer And Corporate Anxiety Linked To Sluggish Economic Growth
Note the direction of U.S. economic growth during the past few quarters as identified in the quarterly growth chart—from a solid 5.0% real (after inflation) annual rate late last year, to a still respectable 3.7% pace during the winter, to an anemic 1.6% annual rate in the quarter just ended.
Observe that the revised 1.6% real annual growth pace of the U.S. economy during April-June 2010 comes at a time of the most aggressive combined fiscal (government) stimulus and monetary (the Fed) stimulus on record.
Take one more peek at the direction of the U.S. economy. Economic growth is declining rapidly even as the U.S. government will spend $1.4 trillion more this year than it takes in…just like last year…with a similar deficit forecast for next year…with $1 trillion deficits for...
PEOPLE DON'T BUY IF THEY HAVE UNRESOLVED CONCERNS
September 8, 2010 - Timothy B. Huffaker, President, The Business Performance Group
Some salespeople talk fast. Others never stop talking. Still, there are those who talk fast and never stop talking. There is an ill founded notion that if you talk fast and talk longer, that you will discourage others from asking questions or bringing up issues you would rather not discuss. Then there are those salespeople who will conclude their presentation without asking for questions, believing that if they can avoid the appearance of a concern, then there must not be any.
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Some salespeople talk fast. Others never stop talking. Still, there are those who talk fast and never stop talking. There is an ill founded notion that if you talk fast and talk longer, that you will discourage others from asking questions or bringing up issues you would rather not discuss. Then there are those salespeople who will conclude their presentation without asking for questions, believing that if they can avoid the appearance of a concern, then there must not be any.
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THESE ARE POSSIBLY THE 5 TRUEST SENTENCES YOU'LL EVER READ:
1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity, by legislating the wealth out of prosperity.
2. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.
3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.
4. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work, because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is the beginning of the end of any nation.
5. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.
UTAH HEALTH CARE LEADERS DISCUSS SOLUTIONS TO RISING COSTS
September 8, 2010 – UB Daily
As business owners and employees face increasing health care costs, and the entire country faces the positive and negative aspects of national health care reform, Utah’s health care leaders met at a Utah Business roundtable discussion Tuesday, September 7, 2010, to continue the conversation about what the state is doing and should be doing to create a long-term solution to the health care dilemma. Though the entire nation is in dire circumstances when it comes to the health of its people and the health of its health care system, Utah is faring better than most states, the experts agreed. For example, though Utah’s overweight and obesity numbers are increasing, the state ranks 44th out of the 50 states for childhood obesity.
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As business owners and employees face increasing health care costs, and the entire country faces the positive and negative aspects of national health care reform, Utah’s health care leaders met at a Utah Business roundtable discussion Tuesday, September 7, 2010, to continue the conversation about what the state is doing and should be doing to create a long-term solution to the health care dilemma. Though the entire nation is in dire circumstances when it comes to the health of its people and the health of its health care system, Utah is faring better than most states, the experts agreed. For example, though Utah’s overweight and obesity numbers are increasing, the state ranks 44th out of the 50 states for childhood obesity.
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WE NEED MORE JOBS NOT HIGHER ENERGY TAXES
September 8, 2010 – NAM
Congress returns from its summer recess next week, and high on the agenda will be proposals from President Obama and congressional leadership to raise taxes on America’s energy sector.
These potential tax increases would cause serious damage to the manufacturing sector, job creation and the U.S. economy.
To counter this politically-motivated drive for higher taxes, today, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is launching a multi-state, multi-million-dollar advertising and media initiative.
Television and radio spots will run in Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Maine, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia. We also have a plan in place for earned media, including interviews and newspaper commentaries.
Joining the NAM as sponsors are several state manufacturing associations and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB).
The initiative builds on our “Manufacturing Means Jobs!” campaign, which presses elected officials to consider the big picture – what it will take for manufacturers in the United States to succeed in the global marketplace.
The launch of the new ads could not be more timely. On Monday, President Obama used a speech at a union rally to call for additional infrastructure spending, which White House officials say could be paid for with higher energy taxes. Today in Cleveland, the President will unveil proposals for business tax relief – again matched by higher taxes on business. While the NAM has long advocated for important infrastructure initiatives, a strengthened, permanent R&D tax credit and 100-percent expensing of capital investments, these efforts should not be combined with job-destroying tax increases.
Rather than pitting business against business and industry sector against industry sector as political tactics leading up to Election Day, leaders must recognize that new taxes will only make it more difficult for manufacturers to compete, create jobs and contribute to economic growth.
Our new advertising and media initiative makes this essential competitive point: We need more jobs, not higher energy taxes.
We have provided the link to the ad that will run in Indiana as an example: http://web.nam.org/video/2010/NAM-In.wmv. All ads will be posted at www.nam.org later today.
John Engler
President & CEO
Congress returns from its summer recess next week, and high on the agenda will be proposals from President Obama and congressional leadership to raise taxes on America’s energy sector.
These potential tax increases would cause serious damage to the manufacturing sector, job creation and the U.S. economy.
To counter this politically-motivated drive for higher taxes, today, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is launching a multi-state, multi-million-dollar advertising and media initiative.
Television and radio spots will run in Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Maine, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia. We also have a plan in place for earned media, including interviews and newspaper commentaries.
Joining the NAM as sponsors are several state manufacturing associations and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB).
The initiative builds on our “Manufacturing Means Jobs!” campaign, which presses elected officials to consider the big picture – what it will take for manufacturers in the United States to succeed in the global marketplace.
The launch of the new ads could not be more timely. On Monday, President Obama used a speech at a union rally to call for additional infrastructure spending, which White House officials say could be paid for with higher energy taxes. Today in Cleveland, the President will unveil proposals for business tax relief – again matched by higher taxes on business. While the NAM has long advocated for important infrastructure initiatives, a strengthened, permanent R&D tax credit and 100-percent expensing of capital investments, these efforts should not be combined with job-destroying tax increases.
Rather than pitting business against business and industry sector against industry sector as political tactics leading up to Election Day, leaders must recognize that new taxes will only make it more difficult for manufacturers to compete, create jobs and contribute to economic growth.
Our new advertising and media initiative makes this essential competitive point: We need more jobs, not higher energy taxes.
We have provided the link to the ad that will run in Indiana as an example: http://web.nam.org/video/2010/NAM-In.wmv. All ads will be posted at www.nam.org later today.
John Engler
President & CEO
WHITE HOUSE OFFICIAL DISCUSSES OFFSETS FOR R&D, EXPENSING PROPOSALS
September 8, 2010 – NAM Tax Committee
In a speech this afternoon in Cleveland, President Obama reiterated his opposition to extending the lower individual tax rates for the top two income brackets, while extending the current preferential rates for all other taxpayers. He also discussed several new tax and spending proposals supported by the Administration::
In a speech this afternoon in Cleveland, President Obama reiterated his opposition to extending the lower individual tax rates for the top two income brackets, while extending the current preferential rates for all other taxpayers. He also discussed several new tax and spending proposals supported by the Administration::
* $50 Billion in new infrastructure spendinghttp://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/fact_sheet_infrastructure_9-8-10.pdf> focused on roads, railways and runways;
* A permanent strengthened R&D credithttp://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/fact_sheet_re-credit_9-8-10.pdf>; and
* Temporary 100% expensing for capital investmenthttp://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/fact_sheet_expensing_9-8-10.pdf>.
While the specific details of the incentives and spending proposals were unveiled earlier in the week by the Administration, there has been very little information about possible tax increases to offset the estimated $180 billion cost of the three proposals. In a conference call following the President's speech with the business community, Jason Furman, Deputy Director, National Economic Council at the White House confirmed that the Administration supports using some of the proposed tax increases on the oil and gas industry, e.g., repeal of percentage depletion and the Sec. 199 deduction) included in the President's FY 2011budget proposal<http://www.jct.gov/publications.html?func=startdown&id=3703> to offset the estimated $50 billion cost of the infrastructure spending. Furman also said that the Administration supports using tax increases to offset the estimated $100 billion cost of a permanent, strengthened R&D credit and was open to using any of the proposed tax increases in the President's FY 2011 budget. Noting that expensing provision is a timing issue rather than a permanent tax cut, Furman said the Administration was willing to "do it on an unpaid basis." He added that the decision was up to Congress and that the Administration planned to work with the Congressional tax-writing committees.
In other comments, Furman warned the business community not to assume that the R&D credit and other temporary tax provisions will be automatically extended each year since "pay fors are harder to come by."
This afternoon the NAM issued the following press release on the President's remarks:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
Jeff Ostermayer (202) 637-3090
Jeff Ostermayer (202) 637-3090
Manufacturers: Extension of Tax Cuts Critical for Jobs and Economy
Over 70 Percent of Manufacturers File Income Taxes at Individual Rate
WASHINGTON, D.C., September 8, 2010 - The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) President and CEO John Engler issued a statement today following President Obama's remarks on the economy:
"Allowing taxes to increase in this economic environment will destroy jobs, business expansion and economic growth. According to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) data, 73 percent of manufacturers in this country pay income taxes at the individual rate. Increasing their costs will stifle economic recovery and create even more uncertainty.
Over the past few days, the Administration has put forth positive proposals manufacturers have long supported - a permanent and strengthened research and development (R&D) tax credit and 100-percent expensing to spur investment. However, pairing these pro-growth incentives with tax increases will only neutralize or make these positive proposals even more harmful to our current economic challenges.
Manufacturers desperately need incentives that will allow them to grow, invest, create jobs and compete in the global marketplace - not incentives that pit business against business and industry sector against industry sector with job-destroying tax increases.
We will continue to advocate for the policies laid out in our 'Manufacturing Strategy for Jobs and a Competitive America.' This Strategy provides a clear roadmap for policies that will allow manufacturers to create jobs and compete. To read it, visit www.nam.org/manufacturingstrategy>."
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