Manufacturing jobs -- winners and losers
May 30, 2007

1. Manufacturing numbers bad, but…ADP’s National Employment Report finds that while nonfarm employment grew 97,000 from April to May, all of that gain, and then some, was in the services sector. The goods producing sector lost 23,000 jobs, including 10,000 in manufacturing. The news isn’t much better in Alberta – but for a different reason than usual. And yet things are better in Texas. And Illinois. And Wisconsin.

2. Why not Manufacturing Camp? Central Community College in Columbus, NE is hosting a Manufacturing Camp for seventh and eight graders next week. They get to build their own 3D model and produce products with CNC milling. It is this kind of hands-on approach to showing young people about manufacturing that will help generate enthusiasm for the profession at a time when manufacturers need more skilled workers – and soon. The camp is sponsored by Future Force Nebraska with all expenses covered by the Future Force Manufacturing Pilot Product. Campers will, of course, get a t-shirt. It wouldn’t be summer camp without getting a t-shirt. So for the cost of a few t-shirts and a little time, you too could have a Manufacturing Camp

3. And where do they go from there? The University of Missouri-Rolla doesn’t make the NCAA Top 25 football teams very often. They are, however, one of the world leaders in research and development for the aerospace manufacturing industry. Take a look at what they’re up to.

4. The Army is Leaning the right way: When was the last time the military came in ahead of schedule and under budget on a product? The days of $640 toilet seats are over at the Letterkenny Army Depot, which came in $1 million under budget while fabricated almost 900 reinforced armor door kits for military vehicles deployed in Iraq. How’d they do it? Lean manufacturing.

5. All I need is the air that I breathe: A number of organizations are collaborating to develop indoor air quality guidance. They’re cominbg up with a book and a professional development course to improve indoor air quality in all areas of a building. The groups involved are the ASHRAE,  the American Institute of Architects , the Building Owners and Managers Association , the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA, www.smacna.org), and the U.S. Green Building Council . But don’t wait for this collaboration to bear fruit. Indoor air quality is a crucial issue, and we’d better get our arms around it soon.

Posted by Wolseley on May 30, 2007 | Comments (2)