Haiti’s northern neighbors have a strong hand in its labor policies. Here, Haiti Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive, Canada Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speak at a press conference of the Haiti Ministerial Preparatory Conference in Montreal, January 25, 2010 – (US Mission Canada / Flickr / […]
Francisco J. Sanchez There’s no doubt about it: Doing business in America is changing. And businesses with even the most loyal customers are finding that their customers are changing, too. In an increasingly global marketplace, business owners across the United States are realizing that their next major customer may no longer […]
Meghan Casserly Like so many small business owners, 2008 was the hardest year of Jen Guarino’s life. After moving to Minnesota from San Francisco and orchestrating the miraculous turnaround of a 100-year-old legacy handbag brand, the 51-year-old CEO of J.W. Hulme found herself in a near-empty factory and in debt up to her eyeballs. “Some people would […]
Consumer Reports When was the last time you bought something and it wasn’t what you thought it was going to be? Judging from all the complaints Consumer Reports receives, it probably wasn’t that long ago.Subway has long promoted its footlong sandwiches. So when customers caught the company serving shorter sandwiches, they took their complaints to […]
Kevin Coupe • Business Insider reports that Citi analyst Deborah Weinswig is saying that Walmart management seems to be focused on its Made in the USA initiative, and that this effort could lead to improved profitability. An excerpt: “While global sourcing remains a significant source of EDLC opportunity, we believe that the $50B commitment to increase domestic sourcing […]
George C. Ford Following a tour of a Cedar Rapids manufacturer on Friday, U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-IA, unveiled a bill that would require the president to establish a national manufacturing strategy every two years and submit it to Congress. Harkin, in comments at American Profol, 4333 C St. SW, said his Rebuild American Manufacturing Act […]
Jim Tankersley All things being equal, you’d still rather be a factory worker in America today than a similarly skilled worker in another industry. That’s the conclusion of Commerce Department economists, who have combed national statistics and say the “wage premium” in manufacturing is alive and well. A typical […]
Tricia Rosenberg, an employee of Olsen Uniparts in Eldridge, measures a part from an piece of construction equipment. (John Schultz / Quad-City Times) Jennifer DeWitt Manufacturing, which has long been the backbone of the Quad-City workforce, again is flexing its muscle as area employers expand and rebuild their ranks. […]
March 2013 A majority of American adults believe that it is important to “buy American” across a variety of product types, according to results from a Harris Interactive survey, even if the definition of what constitutes an “American” product is not universally shared by respondents. Interestingly, while there were few gaps in the […]
Michael Stumo Obama keeps pushing a Trans Atlantic trade deal with Europe, despite the fact that other trade deals have helped make the trade deficit worse. One of the goals for Europeans is to get rid of Buy American rules in the U.S. In particular, the [European Union] wants […]
Francisco J. Sánchez There’s no doubt about it: Doing business in America is changing. And businesses with even the most loyal customers are finding that their customers are changing, too. In an increasingly global marketplace, business owners across the U.S. are realizing that their next major customer may no longer come […]
By Mark L. Hopkins President Barack Obama is on the stump making speeches around the country, and last week he was on national TV. The subject is jobs. The national unemployment statistics tell us that 7.4 percent of our work force is still unemployed. That is down from 12 percent two […]
By Jim T. Ryan Twenty-five percent is an unacceptable failure rate for a crucial farm machinery part. But that’s what Lancaster County-based Pequea Machine Inc. faced when it tested gear boxes received from China: 25 percent failed due to substandard metals, owner and President Dennis Skibo said. “That’s not good when you’re making a huge pile of gear […]
Photo Credit: Ford Motor Company IMT Staff The world is more connected than ever before. In the past 15 years, virtual meetings and online communication have saved businesses untold amounts of money and resources. A similar evolution is taking place in manufacturing facilities today with the 3-D virtualization of factories. […]
(Photo: Justin Sullivan Getty Images) By: Paul Davidson Employers added a much-better-than-expected 236,000 jobs in February as the labor market continued to shrug off a recent payroll tax hike and the prospect of big federal spending cuts. The unemployment rate fell to 7.7% from 7.9%. That’s the lowest it’s been since December 2008.Analysis: Report shows economy’s strengthsAnalysis: A […]
ADRIANNE PASQUARELLI Apparel-making picks up (slightly) in NYC as trends favor city manufacturers. Manufacturing clothes in the garment center might seem like a step back in time—but it’s actually forward growth for Ricky Schiffer. In December, the third-generation sweater maker, with his business partner, Leonard Keff, opened a 7,500-square-foot […]
John Myers Legislation that would require contractors to use American-made steel for all government construction projects in Minnesota passed its first committee Wednesday at the Capitol. The bill, which cleared the House Government Operations Committee by a voice vote, would require all steel used in construction projects funded with any taxpayer dollars to be made […]
A curious thing is happening among American shoppers. More people are taking a moment to flip over an item or fish for a label and ask, is it “Made in the USA?” Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, earlier this year announced it will boost sourcing of U.S. products by $50 billion during the next 10 years. General Electric is […]
Feb. 24, 2013 ARCANUM — All American Clothing Co. is expanding production with the purchase of an El Paso, Texas, factory and the launch of a new line of women’s jeans. The company, with headquarters, warehouse, shipping and now a showroom housed at a 45,000-square-foot factory complex here, is […]
Don Clark A chip company called Achronix on Wednesday announced that the first fruits of Intel’s new build-to-order service are emerging from the factory. That’s a milestone for both companies, and a surprising sidelight could play into the story–worries about dependence on non-U.S. manufacturers. The Silicon Valley startup in 2010 turned […]
February, 2013 WASHINGTON (Feb. 12, 2013) – National Farmers Union (NFU) and the United States Cattlemen’s Association (USCA), released a legal analysis today that details the available options for successful U.S. compliance of a recent World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling on County-of-Origin labeling (COOL). “The comprehensive legal analysis demonstrates that the USDA […]
U.S. President Barack Obama delivers remarks on the economy after touring Linamar Corporation that manufactures parts for the truck industry in Arden, North Carolina, February 13, 2013. Credit: Reuters/Jason Reed Andy SullivanFebruary 14, 2013 (Reuters) – A former furniture warehouse in a struggling Rust Belt city has emerged as a national […]
Richard A. McCormack February, 2013 The U.S. Senate might be more open this year to legislation aimed at improving U.S. manufacturing and reducing the U.S. trade deficit. A number of new senators and those reelected to the chamber ran campaigns that focused on bringing manufacturing back to the United States. […]
This past week I’ve been in a bit of a funk. My funky mood began on the day Wal-Mart made its big announcement – they plan to invest $50 Billion over the next 10 years in products made in the USA. Why, you ask would such seemingly good news put me in such a funk? […]
Michele Nash-HoffFebruary 5th, 2013 Last week The Economist conducted an on-line debate on the question: Do multinational corporations have a duty to maintain a strong presence in their home countries? After a very intense written debate between Harry Moser, former president of GF AgieCharmilles and founder of the Reshoring Initiative, and Jagdish Bhagwati, Professor of Economics and Law, Columbia […]
Matthew Lavoie February, 2013 NAM President & CEO Jay Timmons testified before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce hearing on the “Challenges Facing America’s Workplaces and Classrooms”. NAM Chief Calls for Comprehensive Immigration Reform as Key Building Block for America’s Workforce WASHINGTON, D.C., 02/05/13 – National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) President and CEO Jay Timmons […]
LOCAL TIES: Paulette Garafalo of Brooks Brothers, which manufactures neckwear at a factory in Long Island City. | Photo: Buck Ennis Adrianne PasquarelliFebruary, 2013 Apparel-making picks up (slightly) in NYC as trends favor city manufacturers. Manufacturing clothes in the garment center might seem like a step back in time—but it’s actually forward growth for Ricky […]
January 31, 2013 “Make It In America Manufacturing Act” would provide targeted investments to support small business expansion. PAWTUCKET – As part of his ongoing work to get Rhode Island’s economy back on the right track, U.S. Congressman David N. Cicilline (D-RI) today unveiled the Make It In America Manufacturing […]
BY WOOLRICHJANUARY, 2013 …At the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market show in Salt Lake City, Utah, Woolrich, Inc. President Nicholas P. Brayton issued an open letter to the public on the company’s commitment to domestic manufacturing. Brayton’s open letter addresses the company’s current and past U.S. manufacturing challenges and outlines future strategic goals […]
Written By: Thomas A. Hemphill, Waheeda Lillevik, and Mark J. Perry January, 2013 We have a skills gap and it’s going to get worse. Here’s what we can do about it. It is generally acknowledged that there is a shortage of skilled manufacturing workers in the United States, but estimates of the size of the […]
