Atmospheric and Specialty gases company, Air Products and Chemicals Inc. (APD) recently opened its new specialty amines plant in Nanjing, China. The facility complements its existing local capabilities to support customers in the growing polyurethane additives and epoxy markets. The new specialty amines plant is designed to manufacture many of the amine chemistries marketed by the business globally. Air Products already operates two large air separation plants. Air Products focuses on China for growth as the country seems to be having a strong and potential market as well as industries, such as construction, coatings and automobile production.   The new plant has significantly strengthened the supply chain capabilities of Air Products' Performance Materials business in China and throughout Asia. Other strategic capabilities that the company has built for its Performance Materials business include a technology center in Shanghai's Zhangjiang Industrial Park, a triethylenediamine manufacturing facility for polyurethane additives

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A New Era in the Defense Industry: Lock And Load On Profits

by Tony Daltorio, Investment U Research

Over the past year, stocks of companies in the defense industry have taken a beating, down thirty percent… forty percent… or more.

Valuations have taken an even harder knock, with forward price-to-earnings dropping to just under nine times 2010 earnings… their lowest levels since the early 1990s, when the end of the Cold War led to the US cutting defense spending by more than half.

Today, investors fear a repeat performance, and let’s face it: The recon doesn’t look good.

Reports show that while the defense budget edges towards $600 billion a year, the supplemental budgets – which fund current operations – will actually decline sharply as the US winds down operations in Iraq and wages a more limited campaign in Afghanistan.

By 2010, total spending on research

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General Dynamics (GD) recently said that its unit, General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products, has received a $100 million contract from the US Army TACOM-Rock Island Ill division. The contract for supplying M2 flex machine guns is of indefinite delivery-indefinite quantity (IDIQ) nature and is scheduled to be completed by April 2012.

The M2 flex machine gun is a belt-fed, recoil-operated, air-cooled, right-hand/left-hand feed compatible, crew-served arm and is suited for both offensive and defensive operations. The guns will be manufactured at the company’s Saco, Maine facility and its technology center in Burlington, Vermont will administer program management.

General Dynamics is likely to continue meeting investor expectations backed by strong revenue growth, margin expansion and cash flow generation. The recent acquisitions of Jet Aviation and Axle Tech, increased Navy spending and resumption of the Pander program for the Czech Republic will provide near-term upside potential despite apprehensions about

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New York-based Monster Worldwide Inc. (MWW) is an online recruitment firm and the parent company of Monster.com, the leading career website in the world.

Yesterday, the company announced plans to open a new technology center of Excellence & Innovation in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and make certain organizational changes. Monster plans to add more staff to this center in the foreseeable future. As part of organizational changes, the company will eliminate approximately 160 positions within the product and technology group on a global basis.

Monster is now actively recruiting for approximately 80 new technical positions to be located in the Cambridge center, with potential capacity for adding a total of 170 new positions at this center. The company already has technological centers in Massachusetts, California, Czech Republic, Malaysia and New Delhi. Monster believes that Cambridge is a strategic location for its business.

The company‘s business has been adversely affected by

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Lincoln is seeing its overseas business beef up profits as the weakened dollar boosted exports by 28.6%. The company has surprised on estimates 3 out of the last 4 quarters by an average of 5.21%. Lincoln has a forward P/E of 11.98.

Company Description

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (LECO) manufactures arc welding products, robotic welding systems, plasma and oxyfuel cutting equipment.

The company, founded in 1895, is headquartered in Cleveland and has manufacturing facilities and alliances in 20 countries. LECO also has distributors and sales offices in more than 160 countries.

Research and development is an important part of Lincoln's tradition. The company supports a state of the art technology center that seeks to pioneer arc welding technological advancements.

Arc welding is used in many industries including metal working for transportation, construction and petrochemicals. Arc welding applications are used to manufacture heavy machinery and structural steel. Arc welding

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