Archive for the ‘Manufacturing’ Category

USA Today reported yesterday, “A small but growing band of US manufacturers – including giants such as General Electric, NCR and Caterpillar- are turning the seemingly inexorable offshoring movement on its head, bringing some production to the US from far-flung locations such as China. Others that were buying components overseas are switching to US suppliers. Ford Motor said Wednesday that it’s bringing nearly 2,000 jobs to its U.S. plants by 2012 from suppliers, including those in Japan, Mexico, and India.”

Given recent news about rising costs of manufacturing in China, along with issues regarding quality, lead time, and other not so obvious problems regarding the theft of intellectual property, including counterfeiting, an increasing trend of onshoring could be in the making. Shipping, quality, and other problems related to logistics all add cost, many of which had been hidden and overshadowed by cheap labor, but are becoming increasingly evident as labor rates go up and more problems are brought to the surface. Offshoring is no longer seen as the be all, end all panacea for reduced manufacturing costs, which is great news for the U.S. economy.

The original USA Today article is here.

The lure of cheap labor will continue to be attractive to manufacturers, so at some point it will balance out. For right now though, it’s great news to at least see the pendulum start to swing back the other way after so many devastating job cuts in recent years.

This AP article offers some encouraging signs for the manufacturing sector:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ECONOMY?SITE=CAVIC&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

SME North Bay continues to move forward, with some exciting news to share.

Two weeks ago, Bruce MacKender, the SME West Coast Member & Industry Relations Manager, introduced SME North Bay to the SME Member Council. This is the SME group that needs to formally approve the chapter formation. This was the first time this group had heard about SME North Bay, and from what Bruce told me, there were lots of “oohs and ahhs” and quite a bit of excitement created with the prospect of the first new SME chapter being formed in 10 years!

That being said, their agenda was jam packed and they weren’t able to spend a lot of time on it since they’re trying to put the finishing touches on the SME Annual Conference, which is now less than 2 weeks away and will take place in Nashville, June 6-8.

However, the SME Member Council will vote on formal approval of SME North Bay at the annual conference. There was discussion that because of the level of excitement and support created through the wildly successful dinner meeting held on 4/29 and others who have interest, there’s a good chance that SME North Bay will be able to move directly past the “Forming Chapter” stage and go right to being a “Full Senior Chapter.” This is HUGE, and I believe unprecedented!

Stay tuned for news on SME North Bay and the upcoming vote at the SME Annual Conference. SME North Bay will soon be a reality!

Help support the mission of making the North Bay 101 Corridor “California’s Next Great Manufacturing Center” by coming out to support formation of an SME North Bay Chapter. If you’re in manufacturing, your support is needed by attending a dinner meeting on April 29th.

Bruce MacKender, SME Western Regional Manager, will be in town to see for himself how much support exists for a local SME chapter and to answer questions on how a local chapter can benefit you and your company. Please plan on attending this important event by registering at:

http://smenorthbay.eventbrite.com

Please share this link with anyone you think might have an interest in SME or seeing an SME North Bay chapter formed.

What is SME?

• SME is the world’s leading professional society supporting manufacturing, with over 25,000 members.
• SME is recognized as the premier source for manufacturing knowledge, education and networking.
• SME is an active advocate for manufacturing in the U.S.

Why should I support an SME local chapter and what’s in it for me and my company?

• The nearest chapter is currently in Silicon Valley. The North Bay needs its own chapter.
• Support of SME provides direct support for the North Bay 101 corridor’s goal of becoming “California’s Next Great Manufacturing Center.”
• SME provides a tremendous breadth of opportunities for members in:
  • Networking (plant tours, professional networking events, conferences)
  • Education (technical training, webinars, publications)
  • Personal Development (certification, scholarships, awards, giving back)
• SME provides educational support and gives back to the community through various channels, such as the SME Educational Foundation.

What’s the next step in forming an SME North Bay chapter?

• A great turnout at this event will kick start formation of a new chapter and get it off the ground, so your attendance is needed.