Proposal for Incentivizing & Revitalizing U.S. Manufacturing

"The Manufacturing Reinvestment Account would allow companies to establish a manufacturing reinvestment account of up to $500,000 that is taxed at a low 15% rate and must be used to purchase equipment and facilities or for job training," according to two members of the House Manufacturing Caucus.  Click here for article.

Industry Week: 2012 Manufacturing Outlook

Experts agree that U.S. manufacturing should show modest growth in 2012.  Manufacturing expanded for the 29th consecutive month according to the Institute of Supply Management on January 3, 2012.  Jobs in manufacturing continue to require higher skill levels and provide higher wages, although there are fewer of them.  Click here for article.

Jonesboro Touted in Business Insider

Jonesboro is one of only 26 of 363 metropolitan statistical areas that have completely recovered the jobs they lost during the recession, according to a new report prepared by IHS Global Insight.
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Manufacturers Using Mobile Apps

Industry experts claim that mobile apps hold significant potential for processes on the production floor.  Material flow analysis is one area that could be impacted, i.e. connecting scheduling information with parts location.  Click here for more.

It's the Process, Not the People

Ralph Keller, the president of the AME Institute and former president of the Association for Manufacturing Excellence, suggests that blaming people for mistakes instead of looking closer at the processes that may have resulted in unwanted variations works against continuous improvement for manufacturers.  Click to follow link.

Unemployment: Finally, Good News!

Numbers for unemployment at year's end are lower and show an uptick in hiring for the last few weeks of 2011, which leads economists to predict a more favorable economic climate for 2012.   Click here to read entire article.

Six Suggestions for New Year's Resolutions

Organizational change consultant, Lawrence M. Miller, has ideas for managers to make a difference in 2012.  His six simple resolutions are geared toward improving the performance of the entire company.  Click for entire article.