WASHINGTON—U.S. worker productivity grew a modest 0.5 percent rate from January through March after having declined in the previous quarter. Weak productivity growth could boost hiring if consumers and businesses spend more.
MILWAUKEE—U.S. employers reported a boost in confidence as the percent of employers planning to add staff, 22 percent, has reached a four-year high, according to the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.
WASHINGTON—For 2013 as a whole, manufacturing production should increase 3.1 percent from 2012, according to the Manufacturing Alliance for Productivity and Innovation. Manufacturing is predicted to grow 3.6 percent in 2014, 0.8 percentage points faster than the overall economy.
MORRISTOWN, TN—Medical device manufacturer Team Technologies Inc. is investing $11 million in its assembly plant here to rehore production. The company is expected to add 200 new jobs.
AUGUSTA, ME—The Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership helped a medical device manufacturer here reduce product introduction time, achieve $500,000 in retained sales, and save more than $250,000.
ROCKY HILL, CT—Henkel Corp. has unveiled the Interactive Loctite Medical Device Adhesive Selector Guide, an online resource providing direct links between 48 medical device adhesives and supporting technical documents such as materials safety data sheets and technical data sheets.
MIAMI, FL—U.S. manufacturers are targeting an aggressive 1.5 percent reduction in cost of goods sold for 2013 in an effort to drive margin growth, according to a new study from The Hackett Group Inc.