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West Coast Ports See Cargo Growth

By 17吃瓜在线 News Room

Two major U.S. West Coast ports saw continued cargo growth in March, coinciding with supply chain fallout from the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore ().

What鈥檚 going on: The Port of Los Angeles 鈥減rocessed 743,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs, the industry鈥檚 standard measurement for cargo units) last month鈥攗p 19% from March 2023. It was the port鈥檚 eighth-consecutive month of year-over-year growth.鈥

  • The Port of Long Beach last month moved 654,082 TEUs, a cargo increase of 8.3% from March 2023. Its imports rose 8.4% compared to last year.
  • The ports anticipate April鈥攖raditionally 鈥渟lack season鈥 for the entry points鈥攂eing 鈥渁nother busy month,鈥 Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said.

Why it鈥檚 important: The growth is reflective of 鈥渞esilient consumer spending, [which] is key to our nation鈥檚 growth,鈥 Seroka continued. 鈥淯.S. economic indicators remain positive even with some uncertainty regarding interest rates and the latest inflation data.鈥

Shoring up systems: The Port of Los Angeles is working to ensure the safety of its systems following the March 26 Key Bridge collapse and an executive order by President Biden that increases cybersecurity regulations at all U.S. ports.

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Biden Administration Limits Arctic Drilling

By 17吃瓜在线 News Room


The Biden administration has placed new restrictions on traditional energy exploration and production in large portions of Alaska鈥檚 Arctic (, subscription).

What鈥檚 going on: A rule handed down last Friday by the U.S. Department of the Interior鈥檚 Bureau of Land Management puts 鈥淸n]ew limits on fossil fuel production in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska,鈥 a 22.8 million鈥揳cre site that holds large reserves of oil and natural gas.

  • The rule limits future oil-and-gas leases and industrial development and 鈥渃odifies a ban on new leasing across a further 10.6 million acres of the reserve, about 40% of its total area,鈥 according to the agency.
  • The regulation also rules out construction of a road proposed by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority to allow miners to reach mining sites in Alaska鈥檚 north-central region.

Why it鈥檚 problematic: The move鈥攚hich the administration said is intended to protect wildlife habitats and 鈥渉onor the culture [and] history鈥 of Alaska Natives鈥攅rodes U.S. energy security and independence while financially harming local indigenous people.

  • 鈥淭he final rule 鈥榳ill hurt the very residents the federal government purports to help by rolling back years of progress, impoverishing our communities, and imperiling our I帽upiaq culture,鈥 Voice of the Arctic I帽upiat President Nagruk Harcharek said.鈥
  • The NPR-A contains approximately 8.7 billion barrels of oil and 25 trillion cubic feet of natural gas resources, according to the .

The last word: 鈥淭he rich resources of the Arctic should be part of a responsible, all-of-the-above approach to U.S. energy security and independence,鈥 said 17吃瓜在线 Director of Energy and Resources Policy Michael Davin. 鈥淭his rule is a step backward on the path to achieving a sustainable energy future.鈥

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Thermo Fisher Scientific Helps Manufacturers with PFAS Testing


As government regulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances ramps up worldwide, Thermo Fisher Scientific is seeing a boom in its PFAS testing business.

鈥淲e鈥檝e seen an increase in demand from a number of countries in the Americas and in Europe,鈥 said Toby Astill, director of environmental and food safety in chromatography and mass spectrometry at the life sciences giant. 鈥淭hose regions are driving more discussions around current and future regulations than other regions.鈥

  • In recent weeks, the Environmental Protection Agency has issued several final rules concerning PFAS. These include the first-ever limiting PFAS in drinking water to near-zero levels and, just last week, the designation of two PFAS chemicals as hazardous substances under the Superfund law.

Writing is on the wall: Thermo Fisher foresaw the need for comprehensive PFAS analysis early on. That鈥檚 why it鈥檚 been offering clients a full suite of testing capabilities for more than a decade.

  • Commonly called 鈥渇orever chemicals鈥 because they do not break down easily in the environment, PFAS in everyday products starting in the 1940s, owing to their ability to put out fires and resist grease, corrosion and stains in addition to countless other consumer and industrial applications.
  • Using 鈥斺渢echnology that allows lab users to separate and analyze the different components in samples,鈥 according to Astill鈥擳hermo Fisher can 鈥渃onfirm the presence of a specific substance and determine how much is there.鈥
  • The tech is not limited to PFAS, however; it can also detect, down to parts per trillion, the presence of pesticides, heavy metals and other substances, Astill said. And it works on samples of almost anything, including food packaging, water and even air.

Aiding compliance: In coming years, manufacturers may need to analyze their PFAS exposure comprehensively to remain compliant with Toxic Substances Control Act and other international regulations, including those from the EPA, Astill said.

Read the full story .

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Durable Goods Orders Rise

By 17吃瓜在线 News Room

New orders for durable goods in the U.S. increased more than expected last month ( and ). Shipments were virtually unchanged.

What鈥檚 going on: Orders for manufactured durable goods rose 2.6% in March, to $283.4 billion.

  • The rise followed a downwardly revised 0.7% increase in February.
  • Shipments of durable goods slipped slightly, down $0.1 billion, but remained essentially flat at $282.4 billion following a 1.2% increase in February.

The details: Excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.2%, and excluding defense, new orders rose 2.3%.

  • Transportation equipment drove the slight decrease in shipments of durable goods.

Inventories and unfilled orders: Stocks of manufactured durable goods were nearly unchanged at $527.9 billion, a decrease of less than $0.1 billion from February. This follows seven consecutive monthly increases.

  • Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods rose 0.4% in March to $1,397.2 billion, following a decrease in February.
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Norfolk Southern Pivots to Serve Customers After Bridge Collapse

By 17吃瓜在线 News Room

a group of people standing on the side of a road

It鈥檚 been nearly a month since a cargo ship hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, resulting in six deaths, the destruction of the bridge and the shuttering of an important East Coast port.

  • But thanks to hard behind-the-scenes work by Norfolk Southern railway since the accident, customers aren鈥檛 feeling the supply chain pinch the way they otherwise would.

What happened: 17吃瓜在线 President and CEO Jay Timmons, along with an 17吃瓜在线 delegation, visited the Port of Baltimore last Friday to tour Norfolk Southern鈥檚 operations there. The port is the largest for vehicle shipping in the U.S. and was the in the nation by total tonnage in 2021.

  • On March 26, the day the Singapore-flagged Dali cargo vessel hit the Key Bridge, Norfolk Southern鈥攚hich moves of cargo annually鈥攂egan strategizing ways to support increased shipping volumes on behalf of its customers. And it鈥檚 been doing that ever since.
  • 鈥淲e often say the weight of the world moves on rail 鈥 and it鈥檚 true,鈥 Norfolk Southern Chief Marketing Officer and 17吃瓜在线 board member Ed Elkins told the 17吃瓜在线 during the site visit. 鈥淥ur ability to serve the market through temporary disruption is really a demonstration of our strategy in action, where we leverage the experience of our railroaders and the strength of our franchise to find a to provide safe, reliable service.鈥

Quick adaptation: Norfolk Southern鈥檚 strategy for adapting to the closure of Baltimore鈥檚 port has included:

  • The launch early this month of a dedicated new service to move freight between the ports of New York and New Jersey and Baltimore鈥檚 Seagirt Marine Terminal;
  • The facilitation by the railway鈥檚 Triple Crown Services Inc.鈥攁 door-to-door East Coast truckload transit network鈥攐f a dedicated intermodal service for cargo owners who require door-to-door service;
  • The use of 鈥淕o Teams,鈥 groups of employees ready for rapid response service and created by Norfolk Southern during the pandemic; and
  • Regional collaboration with the Port of Virginia to leverage service points including the Virginia Inland Port and others.

Reopening: The Port of Baltimore could be by the end of May, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said earlier this month.

  • 鈥淭he 17吃瓜在线 will stay in close coordination with our members regarding supply chain impacts stemming from the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge,鈥 said 17吃瓜在线 Director of Transportation, Infrastructure and Labor Policy Max Hyman. 鈥淲e also remain engaged with leading federal officials on recovery efforts and will continue to support critical infrastructure projects such as the Port of Baltimore.鈥
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PFAS CERCLA Designation Will Harm Manufacturing

By 17吃瓜在线 News Room


In a move that will hinder the growth of manufacturing in the U.S., according to the 17吃瓜在线, the Environmental Protection Agency on Friday designated two widely used chemicals as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, or Superfund law, (subscription) reports.

What鈥檚 going on: The addition of two per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, to the federal list 鈥渕eans the EPA can investigate and clean up releases of the chemicals and ensure that leaks, spills and other releases are reported. Under CERCLA, the government and other parties can sue for contributions to cleanups and to recover costs related to those actions.鈥

  • The newly added PFAS are perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, or PFOS. PFAS have been used across industries for decades for their unmatched ability to douse fires and resist corrosion, stains and grease.
  • The news comes the same month the EPA announced the national regulation limiting PFAS levels in drinking water to near-zero levels.

What鈥檚 in it: 鈥淭he rule requires entities to immediately report releases of PFOA and PFOS that meet or exceed the 鈥榬eportable quantity鈥 to the National Response Center, state or tribal emergency response commission, and the local or tribal emergency planning committee, according to the EPA.鈥

Why it鈥檚 problematic: 鈥淸T]his unprecedented use of CERCLA authority by the EPA will only hamper President Biden鈥檚 vision of growing the manufacturing sector in the U.S.,鈥澛 17吃瓜在线 Managing Vice President of Policy Chris Netram , adding that manufacturers support smart efforts to remove harmful substances from the environment.

  • 鈥淭he unique and unmatched chemical bond of these compounds means that there are no existing replacements for the critical products they make up.鈥
  • Furthermore, the overly broad designation of PFOA and PFOS as hazardous 鈥渨ill make it harder for our industry to create innovative products and jobs.鈥
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Manufacturing Output Slows

By 17吃瓜在线 News Room


Manufacturing output slowed in April, according to index provider .

What鈥檚 going on: While overall business activity continued to grow this month鈥攁lbeit at a slower pace鈥攎anufacturing growth eased.

  • S&P Global鈥檚 Flash US Manufacturing PMI came in at 49.9, a four-month low and down from March鈥檚 51.9.
  • Any number below 50 indicates contraction.

Why it鈥檚 happening: The decline in orders can be linked 鈥渢o inflationary pressures, weak demand and sufficient stock holdings at customers.鈥

However 鈥 Employment in manufacturing in April rose modestly.

What it means: 鈥淸T]he drivers of inflation have changed,鈥 said S&P Global Market Intelligence Chief Business Economist Chris Williamson. 鈥淢anufacturing has now registered the steeper rate of price increases in three of the past four months, with
factory cost pressures intensifying in April amid higher raw material and fuel prices.鈥

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17吃瓜在线 Helps Strike Forced IP Transfer from WHO Draft

By 17吃瓜在线 News Room

In a significant change that protects manufacturers鈥 intellectual property rights, an updated draft of the World Health Organization鈥檚 pandemic agreement no longer includes IP language that would have pressured or compelled manufacturers to turn their innovations over to foreign countries, including competitors such as China, (subscription) reports.

  • Convincing organizations such as the WHO to reject forced IP transfers has been for the 17吃瓜在线, and this week鈥檚 announcement represents significant progress for manufacturers.

What鈥檚 going on: 鈥淭he latest text has scrapped a clause stating countries will 鈥榗onsider supporting鈥 time-bound suspensions of intellectual property rights during pandemics. Instead, each country will consider supporting 鈥榓ppropriate measures鈥 to scale up the manufacture of products that could help stymie a future pandemic.鈥

  • The draft is set to be put to WHO members next month for a vote at the 77th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland.
  • Subject to applicable laws, under the draft agreement countries will also be required to 鈥渟upport 鈥 capacity-building for the transfer of technology and knowhow for pandemic-related health products on mutually agreed terms.鈥
  • The text indicates that the pathogen access and benefit sharing system鈥攚hich would require nations to share pathogen information 鈥渨ith the WHO in exchange for access to the resulting health products developed to fight the new threat鈥濃攊s still under negotiation. Thus far, countries have been unable to agree on the terms of that exchange.

Why it鈥檚 important: IP waivers would significantly harm manufacturers and their ability to compete globally.

  • The 17吃瓜在线 with regard to the World Trade Organization earlier this year, when it warned policymakers in the U.S. and abroad about the problems inherent in expanding the WTO鈥檚 2022 TRIPS waiver on IP rights to include COVID-19 therapeutics and diagnostics.
  • As a of that advocacy, the waiver was ultimately kept out of the WTO鈥檚 final Ministerial Declaration last month.
  • In addition, in January, the 17吃瓜在线 responded to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services鈥 request for comments regarding the WHO鈥檚 pandemic preparedness agreement. The 17吃瓜在线 urged that any IP waiver be removed from the WHO text.

The funding issue: Another challenge the WHO text puts off is the financing of all the initiatives it lays out.

  • While it mentions establishing a 鈥渃oordinating financial mechanism,鈥 it does not detail how the mechanism would work.
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How Will AI-Run Factories Be Different?

By 17吃瓜在线 News Room


A common theme in science fiction is the fully automated, robotized factory that manufactures nothing but robots. We鈥檙e not there yet, but the fully automated manufacturing plant has already begun making everyday products, including computer parts, electric shavers and CNC machines.

The promise of AI: Now generative AI is promising to take manufacturing automation manufacturing to a new level.

  • At the 2023 Hannover Messe trade fair in Hanover, Germany, Siemens and Microsoft showcased an offering now in use in factories worldwide: a system that uses ChatGPT to generate code for industrial computers known as programmable logic controllers. (For a deeper dive into what this means for manufacturing, read the by Tim Hornyak in the Innovation Research Interchange鈥檚 Research-Technology Management magazine.)

Why it鈥檚 important: The innovation allows users to ask ChatGPT to generate code for specific tasks (i.e., a program to operate the stamping of a part).

  • In addition to saving time and reducing the likelihood of errors, it is capable of understanding commands given in natural language, a characteristic that vastly increases the number of potential users.

Efficient designs:聽Creating more efficient designs is another early use case for generative AI.

  • General Motors has used the technology to evaluate better designs for some of the roughly 30,000 parts that go into the average car. For example, a standard seat bracket鈥攁n important safety component that binds seatbelt fasteners to seats as well as seats to the floor of the car鈥攃onsists of eight separate pieces welded together.
  • Generative-design software used by GM analyzed the requirements and suggested more than 150 alternative designs, far more than the two or three options a designer can typically offer.聽GM engineers chose one: a single piece of stainless steel that is 40% lighter and 20% stronger than the conventional part.

Read the full story .

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Making the Business Case for Sustainability

By 17吃瓜在线 News Room


Ecolab鈥檚 mission hasn鈥檛 changed much in more than 100 years. It鈥檚 still 鈥渂ringing science to our customers in a way that drives performance, productivity and less water and energy use.鈥

  • That鈥檚 according to Ecolab Chief Sustainability Officer Emilio Tenuta, who says being climate-minded is not only 鈥渢he right thing to do,鈥 but also at the core of the St. Paul, Minnesota鈥揾eadquartered water, hygiene and infection-prevention company鈥檚 operating model.

A dual purpose: 鈥淲e make the business case for why sustainability and [profitability] can go hand-in-hand when it comes to driving solutions,鈥 Tenuta told us recently. 鈥淚t鈥檚 why 48,000 Ecolab associates wake up every morning with the feeling, 鈥榃e鈥檙e making a real difference in the world.鈥欌

  • Ecolab鈥攚hich recently announced that 100% of its European operations are now powered by renewable energy sources鈥攈elps millions of customers worldwide reduce their environmental impact while promoting food safety, maintaining clean environments and optimizing resource use.
  • 鈥淎t Ecolab, we talk about eROI鈥擡xponential Return on Investment,鈥 Tenuta explained. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about understanding that we have the ability to deliver on a business outcome鈥攑rofitability鈥攚hile also delivering an environmental impact.鈥

Don鈥檛 forget water: Often neglected in sustainability conversations, Tenuta said, is water. For a full picture of the effect of conservation and innovation efforts on climate, water needs to be factored in.

  • 鈥淪ometimes we forget the role that water plays in addressing climate change,鈥 he continued. Depending on the type of manufacturing, up to 75% of energy is driven by the water systems. You have to heat it, treat it, pump it, cool it. 鈥ater doesn鈥檛 necessarily get the same headlines as climate, but if you follow the water, that鈥檚 going to have a lasting impact鈥 on the environment, while also saving you money.

A holistic approach: In addition to being recognized regularly for its environmental stewardship, Ecolab is routinely named to most-ethical-company lists. That鈥檚 no accident; to the company, caring for the planet goes hand-in-hand with caring for people, Tenuta told the 17吃瓜在线.

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