May/June 2013 Issue (Volume 46, Number 3)

Business Facilities: May/June 2013

First Word | The Shape Of Things To Come

Snapshots: 60 Seconds | with Eric Borgerding, Executive Vice President, Wisconsin Hospital Association.

Business Report: West Virginia – Marcellus Shale Brings Italy Closer To WV | Find out how the energy bonanza from drilling in the Marcellus Shale formation is bringing manufacturers to West Virginia from near and far.

Cover Story: Advanced Manufacturing  – Creating Jobs In Three Dimensions | Join us as we explore the brave new world of 3D printing, which is moving out of the labs and into the marketplace as fast as you can, well, “print” a finished part from a downloaded design. Get the skinny on the new technology that promises to revolutionize manufacturing worldwide.

Feature Story: Logistics Clusters – Magnets For Growth | Logistics clusters are getting bigger while global supply chains are shrinking. Go figure. Actually, these two trends are related responses to the same dynamic: the need to get product to customer faster than ever.

Business Report: Maryland – Mega Data Hub For Feds | The Social Security Administration has finally broken ground for its new $192-million data center in Urbana, which will replace a 34-year-old facility.

Business Report: Iowa – Doubling Down On Wind Power | MidAmerican Energy is investing $1.9 billion in new capacity, adding 1,050 megawatts by 2015.

Business Report: Minnesota – Fortune 500 Firms Flock | The tally for Fortune 500 firms calling the Land of the Lakes home is now 19, including giants UnitedHealth Group, Target and Best Buy.

Special Report: The Carolinas Are Bringing The Business | A Recession that sent employment below sea level is just a bad memory as the recovery begins to rock in these two coastal cousins.

Business Report: Wisconsin – Partners With Energy To Grow | Wisconsin Wind Works has put together a consortium of 300 vendors and suppliers to the wind energy industry in the Badger State.

Industry Focus: More Than Just Production And Plating | It’s all you can eat as we serve up a hefty portion of the most dynamic food processing locations we can find across the fruited plain.

Special Report: Devens – Secret Weapon In The Battle For Business | A 4,400-acre former military base in the heart of Massachusetts is helping startups and industry leaders succeed and conquer. Join this tour of Devens, a unique place to live and work.

Business Report: Tennessee – Alcoa Expands Auto Sheet Operation In Blount County | The metals giant is counting on a fourfold increase in the amount of aluminum in cars by 2015 to keep its expanding Blount County facility running at full capacity.

Business Report: Arkansas – Dassault Invests $60 Million In Little Rock Expansion | Dassault Falcon Jet is introducing 3D design at its Arkansas production facility, investing $60 million in an expansion that will grow the plant to 1.25 million square feet.

Special Report: Critical Site Location Factors For Automotive Suppliers | Mark Williams, president of Strategic Development Group and a perennial LiveXchange speaker gives the lowdown on the key factors that go into site selection for automotive OEMs and suppliers.

Feature Story: Thailand – Nuanced Nation, One-Stop Shop | When we sent correspondent Bill Trüb to the other side of the planet, we knew he’d return with a fresh look at an exotic, emerging economic power. Sit back and enjoy Bill’s informative, entertaining first person account of his tour.

Inside LiveXchange: LiveXchange Review | Disasters—natural and man-made—were a common theme at this year’s event. Here are highlights from two of the more provocative presentations.

To subscribe to BF, visit this link.