Manufacturing Economy

After a run through the online jobs landscape looking for relevant manufacturing employment opportunities, it looks like you're gonna find one of two things - sites with a tight focus on manufacturing and few jobs, or lots of jobs but a loose definition.

MFG.com has conducted the latest MFGWatch survey of North American manufacturers (select this link for the complete survey results and a downloadable PDF). The survey focused on their activities in the second quarter of 2010, and on their expectations for the third quarter.

Earlier this month, MOJO featured a post titled "Strike at Ports of Long Beach & Los Angeles - Won't Disrupt Supply Chains?" We were a bit incredulous that there were reports tha

There are clearly more questions than answers right now about what's caused Apple's iPhone 4 design faux pas. With a company that size and with the command & control that comes with it, that's not surprising. I mean, these guys just KNOW how to manage a message.

I had a conversation yesterday with a small contract manufacturer in Colorado. The shop owner was describing the challenges he has being a discrete parts manufacturer (CNC/manual milling, turning, EDM) in a state that "doesn't promote manufacturing."

Not many steel mills around these parts, huh?

(NOTE 07/21/10: I just found this really interesting article from CNBC titled "Consumers Beating Manufacturers at Their Own Game." It looks at how consumers, raw from job losses, climbing costs, and economic upheaval have become more frugal and less wasteful. The comparisons to the manufacturing industry and how its businesses are run are compelling.)

A week-old  strike by clerical workers at 2 of the 14 priminent companies serving the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles continues.

Harry Moser is the longtime president of Agie-Charmilles and advocate of backshoring work that can (and should) be brought back to the U.S. from costly international sources.

There are 2 recent studies that suggest that manufacturing in the U.S. and around the globe is making notable improvement. The surveys - one measuring global employment outlook among manufacturers & the other measuring manufacturing business indicators in the U.S. - suggest overall optimism, but with a few caveats.

Inventors and first-time entrepreneurs face many challenges. Along with the excitement of discovery and creation, there are many pitfalls that can cause an idea - no matter how impressive or valuable - to fall flat on its face before it ever gets to market.