By: Reuters
New York: US manufacturing grew in April at its most sluggish pace in six months as demand from domestic customers fell, suggesting the American economy was losing momentum in the second quarter, a survey showed on Tuesday. Continue reading
By: Dale Buss, BrandChannel
There remain obstacles in doing it, but there’s no denying the strong rush of foreign upscale automakers that are announcing plans to expand production in the United States these days. Continue reading
By: The Buffalo News
Scott Paul talks to people around the country about the challenges manufacturing faces where they live. “Everybody thinks they have a unique circumstance,” said Paul, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Alliance for American Manufacturing. Continue reading
By: Bill Saporito, Time
Walmart doesn’t make anything. But the giant retailer could play a part in the manufacturing rebound that is taking place in the U.S. with its promise to buy $50 billion more U.S. made goods over the next decade for its Walmart and Sam’s Club stores. It’s a bit ironic, given Walmart’s vast global sourcing organization. But the same forces that are making the U.S. a more hospitable place for manufacturing —higher shipping costs and wage rates overseas among them—have prompted the company to reevaluate its sourcing on a variety of products. “This is a commitment around manufacturing and more economic renewal. We see it as a critical issue for us in the American economy,” says Duncan Mac Naughton chief merchandising and marketing officer for Walmart U.S. Continue reading
Despite Slow but Steady Growth from the Bottom, Manufacturing Overall, Many Sectors Below 2007 Levels
By: SCDigest Editorial Staff, Supply Chain Digest
The so called “Great Recession” that started in early 2008 and reached bottom in most metrics a year and a half later, in June of 2009, hit the economy and US manufacturing very hard.
Since then, manufacturing has generally been cited as a consistent bright spot in a still somewhat wobbly US economy, with generally consistent positive numbers in the monthly Purchasing Managers Index from ISM and at least decent growth in manufacturing jobs. Continue reading
By: Rana Foroohar and Bill Saporito, Time
U.S. manufacturing is back. That’s been the conventional economic wisdom now for several months, and there’s plenty of proof to back it up – rising factory output, strong manufacturing production gains, and lower labor costs that make American workers more attractive. Couple that with the natural gas boom underway in the U.S., which many experts believe will lower energy costs for U.S. manufacturers, and you’ve got a resurgence of a sector that has been shrinking as a percentage of the economy for several decades. “We are probably the most competitive, on a global basis, than we’ve been in the past 30 years,” says GE CEO Jeff Immelt. “Will U.S. manufacturing go from 9% to 30% of all jobs? That’s unlikely. But could you see a steady increase in jobs, over the next quarters and years. I think that will happen.” Continue reading
By: Emily Jane Fox, CNNMoney
U.S. manufacturing activity continued to expand in March, but the rate of growth slowed, according to a report released Monday.
The Institute of Supply Management’s monthly reading on the U.S. manufacturing sector came in at 51.3 in March, down from 54.2 in February and far short of 54, that was expected by economists surveyed by Briefing.com. The index is compiled from a survey of manufacturing supply managers, and any number above 50 indicates the sector is growing. Continue reading
By: Malik Singleton, International Business Times
Goldman Sachs has a sober analysis of the U.S. manufacturing renaissance.
In its new report, “The US Manufacturing Renaissance: Fact or Fiction?” Goldman’s chief economist, Jan Hatzius, says that U.S. manufacturing’s positive figures are a good sign but warns that such recent figures actually show cyclical behavior that should be expected — not structural behavior that could be considered extraordinary. Continue reading
60 Percent of Respondents Indicated U.S.-Based Support on a 24/7 Basis is Important
A recent study conducted by MAVERICK Technologies, North America’s largest independent systems integrator, identified a trending preference among plant operations support personnel for “U.S.-based support.” Continue reading
In Conjunction with the Design-2-Part Show
While the “Made in America” mantra has always been popular, the “reshoring” of manufacturing is gaining momentum. This conference will explore a number of compelling reasons why manufacturers are deciding to bring production back to North America. “The New Industrial Revolution – Reshoring and Advanced Manufacturing,” will take place on Thursday, May 23, 2013 at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Continue reading
