A new pilot institute for manufacturing innovation will be established in Youngstown, Ohio, and will focus on additive manufacturing, announced the Commerce Department. The institute will form part of the National Network of Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI), announced in March, which will consist of up to 15 manufacturing innovation institutes around the country to be regional hubs of manufacturing excellence.
The November 2012 trade mission to South Africa and Zambia will now include as targeted sectors the water sector (water supply, sanitation, and drainage systems) and architecture, construction and technical assistance services related to development of water sector infrastructure, said the International Trade Administration. Because of this change, the ITA said it is will delay its period for selection decisions until Aug. 24 (the decision-making process was originally set to begin in May).
The International Trade Administration pushed back the dates for the upcoming oil and gas trade mission to Israel to by one day to Oct. 28-Nov. 1 to “accommodate schedules and traditions,” it said in a Federal Register notice set for publication Aug. 14. The ITA changed the agenda accordingly, which now includes visits to the ports of Ashdod and Haifa, among other things.
The International Trade Administration announced a multi-sector trade mission to India and Sri Lanka Feb. 3-9, 2013, to introduce U.S. firms to South India’s and Sri Lanka’s rapidly expanding markets for infrastructure, hospitality, healthcare, and environmental and information technologies. The mission will tour three cities, Chennai, Cochin (Kochi) and Colombo, where participants will receive market briefings and participate in customized meetings with key officials and potential partners, the ITA said. Trade mission participants will also have the option to participate in additional stops in Bangalore and Hyderabad, where Commercial Service offices can arrange meetings with private sector developers/partners and state/local government officials. Recruitment for the mission will begin immediately and conclude no later than Nov. 30. The ITA said it will begin to review applications and make selection decisions beginning in December 2012.
A new Foreign-Trade Zone will be established at PortMiami, said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Import Administration, Paul Piquado. He said the new FTZ will give Florida businesses "a powerful new tool." The PortMiami FTZ stretches north from Southwest Eighth Street to the Broward County line, and will be among the first to operate under new, streamlined processes, officials said.