Reshoring allows companies to take advantage of tax incentives, employ skilled workers and innovate while protecting their intellectual property. For some, the ability to operate facilities using inexpensive natural gas now makes U.S. locations far more cost-effective than ones abroad where electricity and coal are considerably more expensive. Eliminating import duties and reducing transportation costs can also improve profitability, enabling manufacturers to lower product prices and finance new R&D. In short, manufacturers are looking at the total cost of off-versus-re-shoring and seeing

PLAST, held in Milan every three years, is one of the most important exhibitions for plastics and rubber industry worldwide. The whole range of products is represented in PLAST exhibits areas: Injection moulding, extrusion, blow moulding, thermoforming and welding machines, Machines for foam, reactive and reinforced resins, Molds and dies, laboratory control and test equipment, ancillary equipment for plastics and rubber processing, Machines for secondary processing, finishing, decorating, marking and plastics packaging, as downstream equipment, Machines and equipment for the plastics and

From October 5 to 10, 2015, Italy hosted the 2015 edition of EMO ( http://www.emo-milano.com/en/home/), the international exhibition of metalworking machines, tools, robots and automation. It is promoted by CECIMO (the European Association Of Machine Industries And Metalworking Technologies, www.cecimo.eu/site) and takes place every 3 years, in Hannover, Germany and in Milan, Italy. EMO Milano 2015’s slogan was "We build the future" and zoomed in on the most advanced metalworking technologies available on the market. With over 1,400 participating exhibitors and 150,000 visitors from various

The Italian Trade Agency Office in Mexico City hands out the Italian Plastic Technology Award and the Italian Packaging Technology Award. The project aims to create a link between graduates and undergraduates in engineering programs at leading Mexican universities, and to increase their awareness of leading technology and solutions available in Italian plastics and packaging machinery. Each award had been organized alongside its respective Italian industry association: ASSOCOMAPLAST (the Italian Plastics and Rubber Processing Machinery and Moulds Manufacturers’ Association, www.assocomaplast

Assocomaplast, the Italian plastics and rubber processing machinery and moulds manufacturers’ association, and Machines Italia Mexico will be organizing an Italian pavilion at the upcoming PLASTIMAGEN MEXICO – Latin America’s largest plastic industry trade show that is taking place in Mexico City, from March 8 to 11, 2016. For additional information on the Italian company exhibiting at the show please contact please contact mexico [at] machinesitalia.org

The Italian Technology Award program includes the Italian Packaging Technology Award (IPTA), specific to the packaging technology sector. The IPTA program asks students to write an analysis of innovations in packaging technologies for a chance to win a trip to Italy to visit leading packaging machinery manufacturers. Italy is one of the world’s main suppliers of machinery and materials for the packaging sector. The IPTA program is coordinated and organized by the Italian Trade Agency’s Chicago Office, and co-sponsored in Italy by UCIMA (Italian Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Association

The Italian Machine Tool Technology Award (IMTTA) program asks senior students attending premier North American universities to write theses on contemporary innovations and issues taking place in mechanical engineering-related industries. The aim of the program is to enrich the engineering education advancing knowledge on significant technological issues within the industry for the next generation of engineering professionals. Recent winners of the IMTTA won a two-week trip to Italy and have taken part in certification programs such as those offered by the Polytechnic University of Milan. The

Six Canadian end users and distributors of Italian agricultural technology and machines were invited on a four day trip to Italy to visit Expo Milano 2015 ( www.expo2015.org/en/index.html?packedargs=op=changeLang) world fair taking place in Milan from May 1st to October 31, 2015. The focus of Expo Milano was “Feeding the World” and the trip was geared toward illustrating the contribution of Italian companies to the global agricultural industry. The program of the initiative which was sponsored by the Italian Trade Commission and FEDERUNACOMA ( www.federunacoma.it/en), the Italian Agricultural

EXPO MANUFACTURA is Mexico’s most important international trade show for the manufacturing industry featuring technology and equipment ranging from forming technologies, alloys, laser machines, micro and nano-technologies, robotics, mechatronics, control and instrumentation, quality control systems, precision engineering systems, sustainable manufacturing systems and additive manufacturing. The show will take place in Monterrey, NL, from February 2 to 4, 2016.

Since 1939, Cibus Tec, taking place in Parma, Italy from October 25 to 28, 2016, has been a benchmark for technological innovation in the food Industry and a showcase of the best solutions available on the market – from the ingredients to the processing technologies, from packaging to logistics – for all types of products: fruit & vegetables, milk & dairy products, meat & seafood, bakery and cereals by products and more. This year’s Cibus Tec program includes networking events, workshops, seminars and special initiatives such as the Start-up district and the Future Food Technologists