http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-213958705/u-s-cant-depend.html
December 1, 2009… http://forums.industryweek.com/showthread.php?t=9141 I believe it was Adam Smith who said that the only way to create real wealth was to make something. Trading paper with each other at a higher or lower value does not create wealth. All it does is move money from one pocket to the other….Read more

Miller was recently named as one of a handful of manufacturing companies in Northeast Wisconsin to score highly in a recent survey on sustainable business practices through UW Oshkosh. As part of the recognition, an Emmy-award winning videographer interviewed several Miller employees about the company’s sustainability initiatives for a video produced by the technical colleges of Wisconsin’s NEW North consortium, including Fox Valley, Northeast Wisconsin, Moraine Park, and Lakeshore. The video will be used for training on college campuses and a variety of continuing education courses. Among the topics covered were Miller’s employee involvement program, the company’s waste reduction efforts, our 750,000 sq. ft. air conditioning system and  our employee-initiated recycling program.

If you’re interested in the success of manufacturing in this country, you might want to check out www.manufacturingthefuture.com, the web site for a documentary that the videographer is currently working on. He has interviews with a wide variety of manufacturing experts about the future of manufacturing along with many programs designed to generate interest in manufacturing among high school and college students.

Signs of an economic recovery in the manufacturing sector are slowly emerging, pointing the way toward what many consider the ultimate sign of recovery — job creation.

The most recent indicator signaling improvement within the manufacturing sector was a higher than anticipated rise in the Institute for Supply Management’s Purchasing Manager’s Index — its highest reading since April 2006. The Index tracks a variety of indicators, including new orders, inventories and production, to arrive at a number that represents the rate of growth or contraction in the market.

With the impact of the recession still fresh in their minds, many companies are choosing to respond to this new growth using their existing staff rather than adding new employees. One option for addressing this challenge is through the acquisition of new, productivity-enhancing equipment.

New equipment can help a company meet its orders with its existing staff, which in turn can increase profitability and eventually help lead the way toward expanding their business.

As we all know, however, financing new purchases has gotten a lot tougher over the past 18 months. In response to the difficulties that many companies face in obtaining credit, some equipment manufacturers, including Miller, are offering financing programs at very favorable interest rates.

How do you plan to respond to an improving economy and increases in orders? Will you look to purchase new equipment before adding to your payroll? Do you expect difficulties finding financing for your purchases? Share your thoughts on this subject by posting a comment below.

More information about Miller’s 0% financing program can be found here.

Well, we’re just about through one of the most challenging and uncertain years for business in recent memory — and good riddance!  Here’s to a prosperous 2010.

Although we’ll all be glad to put 2009 behind us, the unfortunate reality is that changing our economic fortunes is not as simple as changing our calendars. Despite some signs that the economy is recovering, many individuals, businesses and industries continue to struggle through the ongoing effects of the recession.

Nevertheless, the new year does provide an opportunity to take a small step back and assess the lessons learned in 2009 and think about how to apply that hard earned knowledge upcoming challenges in 2010.

A common business practice when deciding on a course of action is to perform a S.W.O.T. analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats). What are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that you expect to face in 2010? Do you plan to make any changes to your business in the coming year in response to the ongoing economic slump? Do you expect to see a strong pick-up in business next year, or more of the same?

Tell us what your crystal ball is telling you by posting a comment below

Many so-called economic experts are saying that the recession is over, and they cite a number of statistics to support this claim — Gross Domestic Product is up, the unemployment rate is getting less worse (does that really qualify as a good thing?), the Dow Jones Industrial Average is at its highest point in over a year and the purchasing manager’s index indicates that conditions are improving.

And yet when you go beyond these broad indicators and look a little closer at the day-to-day lives of normal Americans, you’ll see that many people are still struggling to manage their personal finances under heavy credit card debt and onerous mortgage payments.

These broader measures offer hope that the economic situation for the average American will begin to improve in the year ahead, but they offer little consolation for those struggling in the here and now.

Businesses, too, face equally challenging times as competition drives down margins, the cost of employee benefits continues to increase, credit for new equipment is scarce and general morale suffers from these ongoing troubles.

Are you seeing the improving economy that many experts are touting? Have orders picked up at your workplace? Do you feel more secure in your job than you did a year ago? Tell us how you or your business are experiencing these broader economic measures by posting a comment below.