The North American Free Trade Agreement has transformed this sprawling border town from gritty party spot to something entirely different: a world capital of medical devices. More »
Several studies show automation was the overwhelming reason why America has lost roughly 5 million manufacturing jobs since 2000. One study by Ball State University concluded that 87% of the factory job losses between 2000 and 2010 were due to more efficient practices, especially better technology. More »
Draft document signals willingness to promote ‘Buy American’ agenda but tempers some campaign threats. More »
In the midst of the most geographically divided economic recovery on record, it’s no surprise that communities desperate for economic growth often turn to expensive corporate tax incentives designed to produce a quick fix by luring or retaining local jobs and investment. More »
Discussions about manufacturing tend to get very contentious. Many economists and commentators believe that there’s nothing inherently special about making things and that efforts to restore U.S. manufacturing to its former glory reek of industrial policy, protectionism, mercantilism and antiquated thinking. More »
It’s tough work for pairs of humans who install each of the 60,000 rivets that keep Boeing’s 777 from falling apart in midair, so they’re getting some help from pairs of robots on the plane production line. More »
Today’s industrial users are looking beyond rental rates to consider transportation and inventory carrying costs when making location decisions. More »
Overall, the 2017 Q1 North American CFO Signals survey indicates respondents’ collective outlook has improved significantly since last quarter, with CFOs voicing high hopes for lower taxes, a more business-friendly regulatory environment, and better economic growth. But the past few months have also done little to reduce concerns about policy uncertainty—especially around trade and taxes. More »
Millennials are driving a shift in how companies engage and retain their staff. Vip Sandhir, CEO of Highground, helps businesses understand what makes millennials tick. More »
In most countries and industry sectors, an elaborate system of financial incentives is available to fuel R&D, innovation, capital expansion, energy sustainability, employment, and training. The content in this global survey is organized so that you can quickly hone in on the government incentives that are of greatest interest to you More »
Most U.S. and European companies have spent the past 20 years concentrating more and more of their manufacturing in East Asia to reduce costs by exploiting labor-arbitrage opportunities and address the promise of that rapidly growing market. It’s time for them to rethink their supply-chain strategies. Adjusting to new economic realities as well as political and economic uncertainties will require making their supply chains much more resilient. More »
In many places, they're trying to like never before. More »
Now that the dust of a contentious presidential election cycle is settling, tax reform may be more likely in 2017 than in past years. There are currently two plans we can look to for guidance on reform: President Donald Trump’s revised plan and the House GOP plan. Both contain significant reductions in individual and corporate tax rates, limitations on deductions and simplification of administration of the tax system. While the plans are summaries of proposed tax reform and give us a basic understanding of their intentions, neither plan answers all our questions concerning implementation for taxpayers. More »
President Trump’s US growth agenda places modernizing and expanding the nation’s infrastructure as a priority to advance on numerous fronts—including jobs creation and faster economic growth. In an address to Congress, Trump highlighted his administration’s plans to launch a $1 trillion investment in the nation’s infrastructure financed through both public and private capital. More »
To improve life on the line, Boeing took a note from Kenny Chesney: no shoulders, no back, no problems. In other words, it brought in robots. Boeing installed the Fuselage Automated Upright Build system at its 777 factory in Everett, Washington, in December, 2015. It started out assembling the front section of each fuselage; this month, it takes on the rear as well. More »
While states knock themselves out recruiting job-rich automotive companies, Georgia has zeroed in on a strategy that has attracted more than a dozen foreign suppliers. More »
America is a world leader in lead-acid starter batteries for cars, many of them made in Illinois and Iowa. It is a leader in consumer batteries, from the nickel-cadmium flashlight cylinders that Energizer Holdings Inc. makes in Pennsylvania to the lithium-ion laptop rectangles that Apple Inc. designs in California. It has deep expertise in power electronics, with centers in Chicago and Charlotte, N.C. Meanwhile, factories crank out lithium-ion batteries for electric cars in Nevada and Georgia, and for the grid from Holland, Mich., and Jacksonville, Fla. More »
With the help of $6.8 million in renovation money from the state of Kentucky, a former Toyota laboratory will be converted to a high school focused on science, technology, engineering, the arts and math (STEAM). More »
A growing tech industry is often considered the ultimate sign of a healthy local economy. By that measure, the Bay Area still stands at the top of the heap in the United States, but our survey of the metropolitan areas with the strongest tech job growth turns up some surprising places not usually thought of as tech meccas. More »
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has taken a nuanced view that recognizes the different needs of various industries and individual firms. Secretary Ross can apply that nuanced view to raise the level of government protection for the PV industry to that of the semiconductor industry. More »
