Cobalt supply is tight, boosting prices
Spot cobalt prices increased to a $52/lb in the U.S. market in March, reflecting the projected 10-20% increase in global demand and virtually no growth in output.  Read more>>

NAND prices drop
NAND flash memory prices are falling due to oversupply caused by the transition to 12-inch wafers and sluggish demand from cell phone handset, digital camera, and USB flash drive manufacturers.  Read more>>


Battery factory fire results in shortage
A fire last month at a LG Chem battery factory has caused a shortage of lithium-ion batteries used in laptop computers resulted in higher battery pack prices. 
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Ethylene suppliers seek 7¢/lb increase in contracts
Contract proposals for key feedstock chemical ethylene are around 59¢/lb this week because producers have been tightening supply by operational cutbacks. Spot prices aren’t that high yet.  Read more>>

Methanol price decline expected to continue
U.S. methanol market participants continue to see supply outpacing sluggish demand, writes David Barry at petrochemicals subscription news service at ICISpricing.com, creating a slide in U.S. spot prices.  Read more>>

New factory orders continue sliding
U.S. factory orders fell a worse-than-expected 1.3% in February, the second straight month of decline.  Read more>>

Pulp mills boost prices $30/metric ton
Marubeni Pulp & Paper North America told customers it will increase northern bleached hardwood kraft (NBHK) pulp prices by $30/metric ton above the $305 price last month.
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Construction spending slips overall
Construction spending slipped 0.3% in February to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.12 billion, the Census Bureau reports. The drop was the fifth straight monthly decline.
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MONDAY MIDDAY BUSINESS REPORT 
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Aerospace companies team up to drive LEAN principles into their supply base Cessna Aircraft is looking to achieve competitive advantage through superior supply base management. In this Leaders in Procurement videocast, Don Beverlin, Cessna’s VP of Supply Management discusses the company’s participation in the Supplier Excellence Alliance, an aerospace industry initiative to create a proven process for deploying LEAN principles to improve supplier performance. Click here to view the video.

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Cessna supply management goes global Supply base globalization brings many challenges. In this Leaders in Procurement videocast, Don Beverlin, Cessna’s VP of Supply Management discusses the leading aerospace company’s globalization challenges – from understanding cultural differences, to recruiting in-country talent, to managing legal and regulatory compliance; also, Cessna’s globalization success stories in Poland, Mexico and China.  Click here to view the video.

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PURCHASING'S 2007 SALARY SURVEY
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BLACK BELT NEGOTIATORS
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