Policy analysts encourage manufacturing growth
The Brookings Institute, a respected public policy think tank, released a report on the state of American manufacturing and suggestions for improving the American manufacturing market earlier this week at a forum which took place in Columbus, Ohio. The Institute recognized current strengths of the American model while also identifying discrepancies and weaknesses and making suggestions to strengthen future innovation and development efforts within the sector. Overall, the Institute hopes to see American manufacturing continue to grow and take full advantage of its potential as a player in the economic recovery of the nation.
The report included some figures there were surprising to many, including information about the differences between regions in terms of products, specialization and wages. The average manufacturing worker in San Jose, California makes $145,000 whereas the average salary in McAllen, Texas was a mere $35,000. Differences in worker earnings were not the only difference between geographic regions–the study also found that different areas were, in general, linked to specific products, something the Institute says should be played up. Rather than diversifying, companies and areas should try to grow production of the specific products and industries that their workers and local commodities encourage, and work to streamline the efforts of their individual plants and regional offices to encourage this type of efficiency as an industry standard.
Analysts conclude that to travel the “high road’ of manufacturing, companies need to put significant money and meaningful oversight into education, high tech infrastructure and long-term development strategies. If the management behind manufacturing in America implement these types of policies, the Institute is optimistic that the slight, but steady, growth that has begun will continue and do so in a strong, lasting way.
4 Ways Manufacturing is Vital to America
Manufacturing is so important to the American economy, in almost innumerable ways. Yet, in honor of all of the companies that keep America running (and exporting high quality products) we will attempt to list the ways manufacturing shapes, supports, and inspires American life and progress.
1. Jobs: it must be the number one thing on everyone’s mind when they think of the contribution manufacturing makes to the nation. Manufacturing is an excellent source of workforce training and employment with a wide diversity of opportunities under its general “jobs” umbrella: manufacturing requires floor workers and managers, maintenance and grounds crews, and numerous other workers to manage human resources, distribution, marketing, purchasing, packaging–the list goes on and on!
2. International Relations: Our exports are our calling card to the nations–the products we export say a lot about our commitment to quality, our ability to meet the needs of people around the world, and our diplomatic relationships with many corporations and agencies across the globe. The economic ties our manufacturing industry creates with other nations are hugely influential when it comes to international relations and global policy decisions.
3. National Security: Our ability to produce the commodities we need without depending on other countries is important to ensure that no matter what happens internationally, we are able to produce the food, goods and energy we need to get along. American manufacturing has continually proven its ability to adapt to disasters, fill the needs of the market, and step up to the plate when it matters most.
4. Innovation: Technology moves forward when creative minds find better ways of doing things–and the manufacturing industry is one of the number one places this happens. At the forefront of scientific and technological development, manufacturers are constantly moving America forward in the areas of sustainability, research, and solution finding.
Plan Now for the Future
Have you ever stopped to look around? Not at the flowers, but at your house, your cars, all the stuff you own. Have your ever thought of who would take care of it all if something happened to you? Most people do not. All of the stuff that you own is called your “estate”. And whether your estate is big or small really doesn’t matter. What matters is that you have a plan. To do that, you need to engage a Phoenix estate planning attorney.
Most of us work hard our entire lives to acquire things to take care of our families. It doesn’t mean we’re greedy, it just means that we want a certain standard of living for the ones we love. While we’re here, we have control over it. When we’re gone, we have no control.
Many people do not realize how important estate planning is. An estate planning attorney can help by handling all of the complicated issues and paperwork regarding wills, trusts, assets, elder law, healthcare and powers of attorney. With your involvement, an estate planning attorney can set up your estate so, if you were gone, your loved ones could take over your assets, without state interference and without receiving any type of tax burden.
The main things you need to think about when hiring an estate planning attorney are your loved ones, your assets, your plan.
Your loved ones are obviously the people in your life that you care about. These are the people that you would want to take over your possessions if you were not around. Most of the time, this would include a spouse, children, maybe other relatives depending on your situation. You do not want these people in your life to have problems acquiring your assets after your gone.
Your assets are your property and possessions. Take stock of what you have. How much are these items worth? And, what is your interest in each of these items. Some of the assets you may own jointly, some you may own out right. These items need to be protected, and need to be in the care of the appropriate people.
The plan is what you would desire for your loved ones and your assets. Who would make the decisions? Are their children to care for? These are all things you need to be thinking about when it comes to planning your estate. Your loved ones and your assets are important, make sure you plan ahead.
The Voting Issues Behind Manufacturing
As everyone in America gars up for the 2012 election in November, the voting issues are being widdled down to those that matter—to the people and the politicians. The Presidential election is one that will shed much light on the priorities and concerns of the American people, and it’s safe to guess that jobs and industry will be central to many of the votes cast this year.
While it’s simple to say that manufacturing is a voting issue, there’s much more to it than that: manufacturing is a collecting of many issues, all of which come together to influence American businesses and workers.
In some ways, manufacturing businesses have interests that are at odds with individual workers: bargaining rights versus corporate rights, and individual taxes versus industrial ones. At the end of the day, the interest of the workers are also in having employers that can thrive: without strong manufacturing companies, there are no jobs, paychecks, or factories. Politicians need to consider the intricate balance between all of these interests as they talk about issues affecting manufacturing.
Manufacturing’s interests lie in finances and tax policy, in import/export policy, in the zoning codes and state business laws. There’s a broad range of issues that matter to manufacturers and today’s manufacturing workers, and while candidate would be wise to speak to these issues, one of the worst things they can do is speak on the issues incorrectly in a way that makes the industry uncomfortable.
Plastic – The Forgotten Treasure
Take a good look around your house, car, yard and everywhere you go. What do you see? Well, you probably see many things. One thing you see is plastic. Plastic is everywhere. If something is not made totally out of plastic, it probably has a strip of plastic on it somewhere. Plastic is one of the most prevalent items we have today. It is an product that is valuable, but most people never give it much thought.
Plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic organic solids that are moldable. Plastics are usually organic polymers with high molecular mass. Many times they are made up of other substances. They are usually synthetic, created from petrochemicals.
What are petrochemicals? Petrochemicals are chemical products made from petroleum. Many of the chemical compounds made from petroleum are also gotten from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas. So, the increased fracking activity may play an important role in the future of plastics.
In the early days plastics were created with egg and blood proteins. In the 1800s, the development of plastics accelerated with Charles Goodyear’s discovery of vulcanization as a pathway to other materials made from from natural rubber.
Today, plastics are a bigger part of our lives than we are willing to admit. Everything from the spatula you use to cook eggs with to the interior of the car you drive, is made from plastic. Plastic is used in refrigeration, automobiles and cable and wire. Glasses you drink from, your laptop and chair your sitting has plastic.
The next time you look around, notice how many things contain plastic. You may be surprised.
Fracking Is Coming To A City Near You
Fracking has been all over the news and media outlets lately. The push for more shale gas is becoming an hysteria. There are many benefits to fracking. There are both positive nationwide implications, as well as local ones. Fracking is going to become the next boom. Foreseeable estimates claim 15-20 years of work at these numerous locations around the New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania areas.
Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing called by some, is the when natural gas is captured from shale rock from deep inside the earth. The fracking usually takes place more than a mile below the earth’s surface. Fracking allows us to get this natural gas in places that were once unreachable with older technologies.
Advancements in drilling technology have opened up a new world of possibilities for natural gas collection. Scientists now are able to pinpoint the exact location of the gas, and then go after it by fracking.
In a nut shell, fracking is the process of injection of highly pressurized fluids, mostly water, into the shale area. This procedure creates new channels in the rock to access the natural gas. This drilling process just to reach the shale could take a month, while the drilling teams delve more than a mile down. The well is then sealed with cement to ensure eventual drinking water protection, and the shale is hydraulically fractured with water and other fluids.
The benefits of fracking are tremendous. Literally tens of thousand of jobs are being created overnight to fill this demand. Workers, inspectors, safety people, maintenance workers and truck drivers are all needed to make this fracking thing happen. Local economies will thrive from this business local companies with provide supplies and other need items like water trucks and well treatment trucks to man these fracking wells.
All in all, fracking will create an incredible amount of new jobs, and will stimulate the economy both locally and nationally.
Will Postal Service Cut Backs Impact Industry?
The buzz over the last year or so is that the United States Postal Service will be making cuts to their services and staff in the near future due to financial restraints. Among the proposed changes are eliminating all weekend operation and implementing staff lay-offs. Of course, these changes would mean adjustments for almost everyone in the country—business and individuals—but the changes will perhaps most dramatically impact the manufacturing industry because of the limits changes will place on distribution and established infrastructure.
A crucial part of any production cycle is distribution, and sometimes a manufacturing facility’s ability to produce the next lot of product is dependent on their ability to ship out the product that is already on the floor. Between product that needs to be shipped, supplies that need to be received, invoices that need to be mailed, and established routines and shipping schedules that are built around Saturday pickup, the industrial economy in America will likely take a big hit if the USPS limits its service by cutting back on days of service or labor available to drive and sort mail and work at local post offices.
Although larger companies accomplish many of these tasks using private trucking and courier services, smaller and newer manufacturing operation will be uniquely disadvantaged by the changes, and as such, innovation will suffer.
Most Americans can easily stomach the idea of waiting until Monday to send a postcard or mail a check, but it seems that no one is really thinking through the broader implications of changes to postal service and the costs it may pose to America economically because of the disadvantages to our production industry.
Manufacturing a Key Political Issue This Election
While there are a number of issues to which voters will turn as they vote this year, manufacturing will play a crucial role for all of the candidates for a variety of reasons. Manufacturing and industrial production has become an important issue to almost every American, whether it be because of unemployment, commodity prices or national security. We all have a stake in American manufacturing and politicians would be wise to recognize that as the season approaches.
Some “talking points” to consider:
- Manufacturing means jobs: Production jobs are varied in terms of skill required, wage paid and opportunity for advancement—and this is what makes them such a invaluable resource for our country. Manufacturing jobs are accessible to a wide variety of Americans and with the proper training and professional development, manufacturing jobs can easily turn into careers that will provide income and opportunity for people for the rest of their working life.
- Manufacturing means national and financial security: The less we rely on other countries for our essential products, the less influence they have over our national policies and international standing. Being independent in terms of manufacturing not only makes us less susceptible to international influence, it also gives us power in the international economy.
- Manufacturing means prosperity: By manufacturing domestically, companies give America a boost by keeping the profit here and contributing to our tax system, consumer commodity market and by reducing the costs of products by cutting the costs imposed by international tariffs and international distribution costs.
Is manufacturing on your list of voting issues this year? What’s your reason for caring about manufacturing?
Matting Matters
Floor mats make your workplace safer, cleaner and more comfortable. There are a huge selection of indoor and outdoor entryway mats, anti fatigue floor mats and heavy duty floor mats out there on the market. A building’s entrance can be more functional and look more polished with commercial matting, and a manufacturing floor can be more productive and safer with anti fatigue mats.
A rugged commercial mat can reduce the mess and hazard of muddy or slippery floors and make a facility look and function safer and better. You can find durable entryway mats, anti-slip and anti fatigue products and logo rugs on the market today. When you buy matting products, you want to make sure you get a quality product. There are also anti-slip mat grip strips and anti-slip mats for outdoor work environments or workshop floors.
If you want to keep your floors cleaner, entryway mats provide a polished look to your entryway, and make your office floors cleaner and less slippery. Indoor entry mats are the perfect way to welcome customers while keeping your floors clean and dry. There are a wide variety of styles, colors and sizes. Indoor entry mats make a great addition to entryways, foyers and tiled or high traffic hallways. They are also a good option for covered outdoor areas.
Commercial matting is a great choice for any business or organization because they:
- Trap dirt, moisture, snow and ice to keep your floors clean
- Reduce the risks posed by slippery tile, wood or concrete floors by keeping surfaces dry
- Provide a finished look and warm feeling of welcome to your entryway
- Protect carpeted entryways from the wear and tear of absorbing moisture and being worn away by wiping and foot traffic
Choosing commercial indoor matting to meet the needs of your building is a good choice, and a safe choice.
Gas Leaks and Fugitive Emissions Detection
If your industrial facility is emitting gas via leaks caused by faulty lines, equipment or components, it can be costly to you, your employees and local community. The first step to addressing gas leaks at your facility is, of course, identifying whether or not there are leaks, and if there are, how extensive they are in terms of volume and severity.
Many facility owners and managers are aware of these potential costs but aren’t sure how to go about detecting them. A good first step is to find a local gas leak detection firm that can help you locate leaks. Generally, these firms will also be able to advise you on ways to reduce fugitive emissions and prevent future leaks.
One of the most reliable ways to detect leaks is to have an expert use a FLIR Systems ThermaCAM GasFindIR video imaging camera to scan your facility for leaks. These cameras work by using infrared technology to detect areas with high concentrations of gas leaks, pinpointing problem areas and allowing you to address gas leaks at their source.
Because of the precision of this method, the images collected can also help you assess the risks your workers were exposed to because of the leak and your compliance with federal regulations.
Monitoring gas emissions is an important part of your responsibility to your employees and the environment. Don’t get caught with a leaky plant or facility and always carefully monitor your emissions.
