In his plan, New Energy for America, President Barack Obama recently cited new goals for manufacturers regarding energy. In the section of the plan entitled Convert our Manufacturing Centers into Clean Technology Leaders, the President looks to establish a federal grant program that will “allocate money to the states to identify and support local manufacturers with the most compelling plans for modernizing existing or closed manufacturing facilities to produce new advanced clean technologies.” The goal of the grant program is to “provide the critical up-front capital needed by small and mid-sized manufacturers to produce these new innovative technologies.”

Reprinted with Permission from the Journal of Medical Practice Management, May/June 2008, copyright 2008 Greenbranch Publishing, LLC, (800) 933-3711 www.mpmnetwork.com

As healthcare organizations look for new and improved ways to reduce costs and still offer quality healthcare, many are turning to the Toyota Production System of doing business. Rather than focusing on cutting personnel and assets, “Lean healthcare” looks to improve patient satisfaction through improved actions and processes.

In learning more about Toyota’s achievements in the 1950s as the company struggled to survive, I’ve gained a new appreciation for the fact that we have no excuses in our current period of chaotic markets and falling demand.

When families debate over Grandpa’s semi-antique rocker, it can be uncomfortable, but that’s nothing compared to the warfare that can ensue over ownership of a prospering precision valve business where a son, two nephews and a niece have worked for the past five years. A struggle among relatives for possession of a family business is not uncommon.

The Department of Energy is seeking proposals for an $84-million grant program for research into geothermal energy to heat buildings and generate electricity.