The Cutting Edge^™ August 2005

Read the August issue of The Cutting Edge online, OR print the attached PDF and take it with you.
To read every article in this month's issue of The Cutting Edge on one HTML page, click here To PRINT the entire issue, click here, and then hit PRINT in your web browser. Or you can email jconey@fernley.com for a PDF of the newsletter.

Business Briefing

The Chinese Revalue,
By Art Raymond, araymond@raymondnet.com
On 1 January 1994 the Chinese devalued the yuan by 33% and pegged its currency to the U.S. dollar in a so-called "controlled floating rate system". Since then Chinese exports of furniture to the U.S. grew from $500 million to $8.6 billion annually, hundreds of U.S. furniture plants were shuttered, and over 60,000 workers were idled...

Public Policy

Coming Attractions - A Uniform Simplified State Sales and Use Tax System,
By John Satagaj, email@jsatlaw.com
While Congress and the President have focused on tax relief rather than tax reform, the states have taken the opposite path with respect to sales and use taxes. Over the last several years, the states have embarked on a journey to create a uniform, simplified sales and use tax system. If everything goes according to plan, the new system will be up and running on October 1, 2005...

International Business Development

WMMA Offers Free Workshop on Ex-Im Bank's Export Insurance Programs, October 12, Philadelphia
Purchase terms are a major stumbling block for many of our members. Too often we let deals slip through our fingers because we cannot extend terms to the client or are unwilling to do so because of the risks and unknowns. The Ex-Im Bank's family of credit insurance programs is designed to give you the flexibility of offering extended purchase terms to your buyer without tying up his or your credit lines or using cumbersome and costly letters of credit...

ANSI O1.1 - 2004 Standard

Free ANSI Compliance Workshop, October 12, Philadelphia
As the Secretariat of the ASC O1.1 Committee, WMMA strongly encourages all members to read, understand, and incorporate the ANSI O1.1-2004 Standard into your business. Protect yourself! The New Standard significantly expands the responsibilities and obligations for the builder, distributor, rebuilder, user, and customer versus what was previously articulated...

Manufacturing Strategies

Value Stream Mapping Workshop - September 15 & 16, Grand Rapids
WMMA members are invited to attend this is a hands-on, two-day course that teaches how to document and quantify material and information flow within your organization, using a reliable method known as "Value Stream Mapping." It is hosted within the WMMA member plants of Carter Products and Alexander Dodds...

Product Liability Prevention & Defense

PLP&D Fall Workshop - September 29-30, 2005 Lansdowne Conference Resort - Leesburg, Virginia
By Popular Demand ~ A Focus On Warnings and Instructions...

AWFS® Fair Recap

Born in the U.S.A. - A Review of the Products Highlighted on the WMMA Press Tour,
By Kevin Cole, Contributing Editor, Wood Digest
While the show floor was crowded Tuesday afternoon of the AWFS(R) Fair with exhibitors getting their booths ready for the show, the Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America was hosting a booth tour of for the industry press, where some of the latest and greatest products were revealed. While it's not possible to cover all of the great equipment displayed at the featured booths, the one thing they all had in common was that they were proudly American made...

Association News

How to Make Your Web Site a Lead-Generation Machine,
By Bob DeStefano, info@svmsolutions.com
Sure your Web site looks great, but are you turning enough Web visitors into leads that your sales force can target? Your answer can be the difference between a site that is a moneymaker and one that is nothing more than a glorified brochure. Your Web site can offer your company many opportunities to generate leads and cultivate new business. Here's how...

Notice Regarding Your NAM Membership through WMMA,
From The Nam Membership Team
Dear WMMA Member: We just wanted to let you know that in 2004 your Association, WMMA, provided your company with a complimentary membership to the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). WMMA hopes that your NAM membership has been informative and that you've taken advantage of their issue information and member-value programs, including the Freight Alliance Program (FAP) where NAM members are saving THOUSANDS of dollars each year through FedEx, Yellow Freight and Emery...

WMMA® Staff Information Peter Perez President Jim Laster Vice President Tom Onsrud Treasurer Kenneth R. Hutton Executive Vice President Bill Norton Director of Marketing & Information Jean Coney Director of Committees & Editor, The Cutting Edge Karen Boyle Administrative Director Harold Zassenhaus Export Director G.A. Taylor Fernley Management Liaison John Satagaj Legislative Counsel 1100 H Street, NW Suite 540 Washington, DC 20005 (202) 639-8888 Joseph Mc Hale Legal Counsel © 2005 by Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America, Philadelphia, PA. All rights reserved. This publication or any parts of it may not be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. For permission to reprint articles or to send correspondence, write to: WMMA®, 100 North 20th Street, 4th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103-1443, Phone: (215) 564-3484. Fax: (215) 963-9785. E-mail: wmma@fernley.com. The opinion expressed in any articles by outside consultants are their own views and not necessarily those of the WMMA®.