Manufacturing News
Owner of Boydstun Metalworks in Discussions with Newport Landowners To Build Sustainable Newport Community
When it came time to consider homebuilders for their upcoming Newport community called Wilder, Landwaves, Inc. owners Will Emery and Bonnie Serkin had a lot of options. They were drawn to the youngest of the bunch—a startup called Miranda Homes founded less than a year ago by Oregon native Rob Boydstun. The builder’s knowledge of sustainable production processes and materials such as recycled steel and concrete forms with little waste were big in Will and Bonnie’s book. Landwaves also shared Miranda’s commitment to building enduring, resource-efficient homes at sensible prices.
Eliminating the Downtime in No Time
Entrepreneurial Couple Brings PIRTEK to Portland
(Portland, OR)---Choosing a business partner is a lot like choosing a mate: calculated yet integral to the union’s overall success. Just ask husband and wife team and veteran entrepreneurs Kurt and Katrina Braaten, who will open PIRTEK Parkrose on August 18th at 11931 NE Sumner St.
Oregon State University Leadership Tours ESCO Portland Facilities
Portland, OR – On June 3, 2008, Oregon State University President Ed Ray and College of Engineering Dean Ron Adams met with ESCO officers and managers to discuss the steel manufacturer’s workforce development needs and to tour the company’s N.W. Portland plants and testing lab. The OSU officials donned hard hats and safety goggles to view first-hand how ESCO’s engineered wearparts for mining and construction applications are produced in Portland.
Made in Oregon. Companies find it pays to keep manufacturing local. Take that, China.
By keeping manufacturing local, companies are finding they have more control over raw materials, production and employee training. That allows companies to roll out new products and fill orders faster.They've learned that while outsourcing production sounds like a great idea, hidden costs can eat away at the supposed increased profit margins.
http://www.oregonbusiness.com/.docs/_sid/66bda58e08a5773192ccfa91c90d215...
Business Journal Update: FAA grounds kit plane makers
Oregon's robust kit plane manufacturing industry faces turbulence this summer, as potential changes in federal regulations could halt sales and prompt layoffs.
Executives at Bend's Epic Aircraft and Redmond's Lancair International Inc. say a Federal Aviation Administration decision regarding new product inspections could equate to a $100 million hit on plane makers, suppliers and ancillary businesses.
Read more:
- http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2008/04/14/story3.html?b=1208145600^1618604
Timber industry alive and well in Oregon
Old-time slogans like "Where Timber is King" and "Wood Basket to the U.S." show the importance to Oregon of an industry that has fueled its economy for a century and a half.
The past 30 years have been turbulent for the wood products industry, but its effect on Oregon's finances is still substantial. The industry employed 46,000 Oregonians in 2003, and annual payroll was $1.13 billion. That makes it second only to high tech as an economic engine for the state.
Not your father's wood products industry
National Association of Manufacturers YouTube Video Link
The National Association of Manufacturers has launched a YouTube channel stocked with video clips on manufacturing topics from "America's Business" and "Cool Stuff Being Made." It provides an excellent cross section of manufacturing topics in video format.
Go to www.youtube.com/namvideo
The Gorge Effect
An Oregon Business Magazine article outlining what's happening in the Gorge as a classic example of economic clustering, where a group of companies in the same industry benefit from being located near each other. The proximity lends itself to local partnerships and idea sharing. Prominent Gorge area manufacturers include Hood Technology, Electronics Assemblers, Cloud Cap Technology and Real Carbon, along with Insitu in Bingen, WA.
http://www.oregonbusiness.com/.docs/action/detail/rid/30802/pg/10003
Manufacturing 21 unveils new Web site
The Manufacturing 21 Coalition (MFG 21) rolled out its Web site this week at manufacturing21.com.
Organized in 2004 with a dozen founding members, MFG 21 has grown to an “investor” membership of more than 80 organizations, such as private businesses, labor, education and workforce training providers, as well as local workforce development boards.
A see-food affair
ASTORIA — They say the two things no one wants to watch is the making of sausages and laws. Seafood is neither of these things, but still: Would watching seafood being processed make it less appetizing or more educational?
Andrew Bornstein of Bornstein Seafoods in Astoria is up for the challenge. He’s developing a viewing area at Bornstein’s processing facility that will allow consumers to see how fish becomes food. It’s seeded with a $25,000 loan from the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department.