Plan Now for Manufacturing Day 2017

Manufacturing Day always occurs on the first Friday in October, which is Oct 6 this year, so consider this your early warning. 

Each year since its inception, I've diligently touted its benefits for many reasons. 

Manufacturing Day 2016

Manufacturing plays a pivotal role in the health and vitality of our local, regional and national economies. To emphasize its importance, every fall, we take time to highlight the nationwide event known as Manufacturing Day, which is slated for Friday, October 7 this year.

Large or small, if you’re a manufacturer you should find a way to participate:

• Hold an open house.
• Conduct tours of your facility.
• Demonstrate how you manufacture products.
• Design activities that offer hands-on experiences.
• Offer to speak to middle and high school classes.

If you’re an educator, do the same:

• Invite local manufacturers to speak to your class.
• Arrange a plant tour.
• Develop modules that incorporate manufacturing examples.
• Collaborate with other teachers to create multidisciplinary manufacturing activities that make STEM topics meaningful and relevant.

In states like Ohio, New York and Wisconsin, manufacturing is so important, October is designated as Manufacturing Month, which gives you plenty of latitude to make plans and schedule events in the coming weeks.

Through the years, we've explored a range of STEM, manufacturing and reshoring topics, so you might enjoy:

STEM in Action
Does Reshoring Matter?
Manufacturing | Will We Choose to Make it in America?

Spilldown Effects

On January 1, 2015, the European Union expanded its VAT tax to encompass any seller located anywhere in the world who sold any item to anyone in any EU country.

The spilldown effects of this decision have rippled through the business world and these effects will continue to be felt for some time to come.

Let's focus on a few fundamentals. Apparently, the new VAT tax:

• Has no floor (no sale is exempt no matter how small it is)
• Must be collected, processed and paid by every seller
• Applies to every type of business and every type of sale (no exceptions)

In three short weeks, this tax has had a noticeable impact on American businesses, particularly those in the small and micro categories.


The responses have been varied and occasionally startling:

• Some small businesses have simply closed their doors because they were unwilling to deal with the hassle of designing and maintaining a special system to support the EU's latest tax gambit. The new VAT policy is literally the tax that broke more than one camel's back.
• Some are refusing to sell to EU companies or residents and have posted notices in their online stores to this effect. They're working to offset lost revenue by expanding sales in non-EU markets.
• Some have increased all base prices, a decision that negatively affects every buyer, not just those in the EU. In some cases the increases have been dramatic, so it appears they want to recover the full tax amount and recover the ongoing costs of developing and maintaining yet another tax handling, reporting and payment system.
• Some are taking a "wait and see" approach. Meanwhile, they're compiling data from past EU sales to determine whether the revenues justify the time, expense and headaches involved. A number have admitted it's likely they too will choose to block EU purchases.

Readers who aren't small business owners are scratching their heads in puzzlement and asking, "What's the big deal?"

Those who are small and micro business owners understand. They already pay a wide variety of federal, state, county and local taxes in the form of income taxes, fees, licenses, permits, certifications, mandatory health care, property taxes, and much, much more. Many also function as unpaid sales tax collectors for their state, county and local governments.

Now, their businesses and work lives have become infinitely more complicated, because they must also function as unpaid tax collectors for a foreign entity.

Practically speaking, many small businesses simply don't have the time, money, people and resources to accommodate this mandate. Looking solely at the time factor, consider this: Recent studies indicate the typical small business owner in America works an average of 52 hours a week, and more than a quarter of all self-employed Americans routinely clock more than 60 hours a week.

Contrast this with the EU, where the average work week in seven countries is 35 hours or less.

American entrepreneurs are already working long hours to keep their businesses afloat in a challenging economy. It's easy to understand why some have run the numbers and concluded the cost of doing business in the EU far outweighs the benefits.

October is Manufacturing Month

Throughout the country, October is packed with opportunities to discover the depth and diversity of manufacturing in the US.

This particularly important in Ohio. Why?

In state rankings, Ohio is third in the nation in terms of numbers of people employed in manufacturing and overall manufacturing capacity. Only California and Texas can match our capabilities. As a result since 2012, October has been officially designated as Manufacturing Month in Ohio.

So if you live anywhere in the Midwest in general or Ohio in particular, here are events you should plan to participate in:

Spotlight | Sight & Sound Productions

Today, we’re shining the spotlight on Sight & Sound Productions. Recently, the company celebrated its 25^th anniversary.

As every small business owner knows, this is more than a milestone, it’s a noteworthy achievement, particularly in these challenging times.

Let me share just a few quick highlights.

Education & Industry | Plan Now for Manufacturing Day

Manufacturing Day offers a unique opportunity for educators, students and community members to connect with local manufacturers.

The first annual Manufacturing Day was held last year on October 5, and this year, the event is slated for Friday, October 4.

If you’re a manufacturer, there are countless reasons why you should participate. The same is true for educators as well. Here are a few articles that highlight some of those reasons:

Education & Industry | Workforce Development Impact

Workforce development – the challenge of training workers for real jobs in the real economy – is back in the news.

Workforce development has been and continues to be a significant priority for many high schools and most technical and community colleges.

The Importance of Trust

I've been thinking all week about the importance of trust. It's a simple word and a complicated concept.

With that in mind, let's turn our attention to W. Edwards Deming, the father of the Total Quality and Lean manufacturing movements. What does he say about trust?

Books | The Trust Edge

Bob Chapman, Sandler sales coach and guest contributor to this blog, recently sent an interesting email in which he recommends the book, The Trust Edge.

The book, written by David Horsager, describes actions and attitudes that help build trust with every key stakeholder. The core concepts seem well worth sharing.

Reality Check

It’s time for a reality check.

According to journalist and author Tom Brokaw, Americans who grew up during the Great Depression and then fought and won WWII were the greatest generation.

Forty years of survey results from the American Freshman Survey indicate he might be wrong.

All I Want for Christmas

FORM 1 3D Printer
(Image from Engadget.com)

... is a 3D printer. And no, I'm not joking. How cool is this?

FORM 1 Delivers High-End 3D Printing

And this?

US Can Lead Next Manufacturing Revolution

Could 3D additive manufacturing enhance your business? Create fresh opportunities? Transform processes?

Imagine the possibilities. I am.

_______________________________

Related
Manufacturing | Could We Make it in America?
Manufacturing | Does Reshoring Matter?

Manufacturing | Who's Going to Build the Robots?

A vibrant, innovative manufacturing sector is crucial to a healthy economy.

It's possible I've mentioned that before, which may be why a reader, Jonathan Bentz of ProspectMX, shared the following infographic.

Produced by Kuka Robotics, it highlights why robots are valuable in manufacturing and how they help create jobs in the US.

Yes, you read that right: Robots help create jobs for Americans.

Education & Industry | Manufacturing Day is Oct 5

Friday, October 5, is Manufacturing Day in the US.

The goal is to spotlight US manufacturing and encourage manufacturers to conduct tours and demonstrations for educators, parents, students and the public.

About 175 manufacturers have signed up through the central registry at the Manufacturing Day website. Most are offering facility tours and/or presentations.

Education & Industry | Celebrate Manufacturing Month

Have I mentioned that October 5 is Manufacturing Day?

It is, and as a result, a number of states and manufacturers have declared October to be Manufacturing Month.

Which ones, you ask?

Here’s the list with links:

Education & Industry | Ready for Manufacturing Day?

October 5 is Manufacturing Day in the US.

Throughout the nation, a variety of manufacturers will be conducting facility tours and making presentations targeted to educators, parents, students and the public.

Visiting a manufacturing facility is one of the most effective ways to discover interesting, real-world careers and STEM in action. (STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math.)

Here's another point of interest.

Q&A | What's the Manufacturing Connection?

In the past few weeks, a number of people have asked why manufacturing is such a popular topic on the Crossbridge blog.

Here's the answer. From the beginning, Crossbridge has been directly and indirectly involved with a wide range of manufacturing issues.

Perhaps the best way to provide context is to share a few brief highlights for some of our manufacturing-related projects. These include:

Education & Industry | Makers, Doers, Innovators

A machined metal part sits on my desk.

It's called the hex part. It consists of two thin-walled hexagonal shapes connected by a shared center wall and stabilized by a generous flange around the bottom.
                                

What makes the hex part noteworthy?

Education & Industry | STEM in Action

If you want to see STEM in action, visit a manufacturing facility.

Why? Every single day, manufacturers use STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) in ways sometimes familiar and sometimes dazzling.

If you participate in Manufacturing Day (October 5), you’ll have a chance to experience this in person. For now, let’s take a quick virtual tour.

Education & Industry | Manufacturing in Action

Mark your calendars, folks. October 5 is Manufacturing Day.

This is a nationwide event and a unique opportunity to see manufacturing in action.

The purpose is to highlight manufacturing’s vital role in national and regional economies and spotlight the wide range of high-skill, high-pay jobs available in modern manufacturing environments.

The Most Successful Company You've Never Heard Of

Northwestern Mutual may be the most successful company you’ve never heard of.

It is, according to CEO John Schlifske, the tortoise not the hare.

Why? Its goal is to move slowly, steadily and surely toward success and wealth creation for the company, employees and clients.

Clearly, Northwestern is accomplishing these objectives.