Thank you, Mr. President

In his State of the Union address last week, U.S. President Barack Obama said, “Tonight, I want to speak about how we move forward, and lay out a blueprint for an economy that’s built to last -– an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values. Now, this blueprint begins with American manufacturing….we have a huge opportunity, at this moment, to bring manufacturing back.” To most U.S. electronic companies that should be a very encouraging statement, and to industrial sensor and transducer manufacturers it should mean opportunities they haven’t seen in years.

If Congress will cooperate, 2012 could turn out to be the start of a new chapter in industrial sensing and control. In the past few years we’ve seen many new technological developments, such as MEMS, work their way in to consumer goods. At the same time, industrial-grade sensor technologies have bee steadily improving. Under the joint impetuses of reinventing manufacturing for a new era, becoming energy independent through new power source development, and creating an improved national infrastructure, America has the opportunity to follow a new path into the 21st century. Let’s hope we don’t squander the opportunity through internal quibbling.

MEMS Congress in Zurich

To see what’s been happening outside the U.S. in applying MEMS sensors, the MEMS Industry Group will provide an opportunity on March 20 in Zurich. MIG is holding its first European MEMS Congress, with several large European manufacturers in attendance. For more information, contact MIG by phone (412/390-1644) or e-mail (
), or visit www.memscongress.com