Mind the Gaps: What holes are holding back U.S. manufacturing?

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Andrew Ratner

AT MARLIN STEEL WIRE PRODUCTS
Credit: National Association of Manufacturers

From Drew Greenblatt’s latest column in Inc. magazine about how to help manufacturing rescue the U.S. economy:

It seems hard to believe with people still struggling to find work, but there are 600,000 jobs in U.S. manufacturing that aren’t being filled because employers say they can’t find applicants with adequate skills, according to a recent survey. People in business, academia and all the way to the Oval Office believe that advanced manufacturing is poised to deliver substantial job growth if we can bridge some of these gaps. Read more …

President Obama in Baltimore today to promote manufacturing

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Andrew Ratner

President Obama visited a manufacturing facility in Baltimore today to promote the importance of manufacturing in creating jobs and strengthening the economy. He visited a plant about a mile south of us called Ellicott Dredges, a century-old manufacturer whose work helped build the Panama Canal. The company is a major exporter with sales to 80 countries. We export to 36 countries and concur that boosting exports is essential for future growth of the U.S. economy. The president told the audience he will instruct federal agencies to halve the time for permitting for major infrastructure projects to spur job creation.

“America remains a place where you can make it if you try – and we will all prosper, together,” the president said. “We need to invest in high-tech manufacturing centers, because I want the next revolution in manufacturing to be made in America.”

Marlin Steel described as ‘poster child’ among manufacturers for commitment to closing ‘skills gap’

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Andrew Ratner

Aspen Institute panel on Skills Gap in Manufacturing: Craig Giffi, Deloitte; Theresa Maldonado, National Science Foundation; Gardner Carrick, The Manufacturing Institute; Tim Welsh, University of Phoenix; Ann Randazzo, Center for Energy Workforce Development

At a policy seminar on the “skills gap” in manufacturing at the Aspen Institute in Washington D.C., an executive with one of the largest higher-education providers in North America described Marlin Steel as “the poster child for CEO-level” commitment to training workers for advanced manufacturing.

Timothy R. Welsh, a senior vice president for the University of Phoenix, singled out Marlin Steel President Drew Greenblatt for praise at yesterday’s seminar which attracted 60 people from industry, education, think tanks and trade associations related to manufacturing.

The University of Phoenix parent, the Apollo Group, is trying to join with community colleges and manufacturers to create a program that small to midsized manufacturers could use to improve training. “A ‘Chief Learning Officer’ in a box,” he called it.

The focus of the panel at the Aspen Institute was the “skills gap,” so named because U.S. manufacturers are estimated to need 600,000 or more workers but say they struggle to find applicants with the math and science skills needed in a modern manufacturing facility. In one 2009 study that compared high school graduates around the world, U.S. students ranked 31st in math, 23rd in science and 17th in reading. China ranked first in all three. Continue reading →

Why Marlin Steel and others are saying the Cyber Protection Act makes sense

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Andrew Ratner

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Marlin Steel President Drew Greenblatt was interviewed by Mary Beth Mardsen on the afternoon “Maryland’s News Now” program on WBAL-AM about the cyber protection legislation that passed the U.S. House of Representatives. Maryland Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, a Democrat who represents the South Baltimore community where Marlin Steel is located, and Rep. Mike Rogers, a Michigan Republican, co-sponsored the legislation, which faces an uphill climb after being approved 288-127 by the House. The Senate may not take up and the White House has signaled a veto if the Senate does approve it.

Here is the audio from Monday’s interview, in which Drew Greenblatt explains the importance of the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act in regards to manufacturing job growth. Fortifying government to be more effective in combating hackers — “We need more police on the beat” — would mean companies such as Marlin Steel could invest more of a finite pie in hiring workers and other activities that propel commerce and less on cyber security, he says:

Drew Greenblatt Interview

We also came across a trenchant legal analysis of the bill by Paul Rosenzweig on the blog Lawfare. The author, founder of Red Branch Consulting, a homeland security consulting company, dissects H.R. 624 with the precision of a Marlin Steel press brake (+/- 10 microns … sorry, couldn’t resist the plug). Continue reading →

Marlin Steel president quoted in The Wall Street Journal on jobs and the economy

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Andrew Ratner

Marlin Steel President Drew Greenblatt was quoted in The Wall Street Journal recently on the state of jobs and the economy. His comments came a few days before President Obama kicked off what the White House billed as a “Middle Class Jobs and Opportunity Tour” today in Austin, Texas. Aides said he chose Austin because it’s a leading hub for manufacturing and technology job growth. Various national media cast the trip as an effort to shift the focus to economic issues after the dominance of gun control much of this year. Continue reading →

4 tax code changes that would spur business and job growth

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Andrew Ratner

From Drew Greenblatt’s latest column in Inc. magazine on tax code changes that would spur business and job growth:

The Internet sales tax bill passed by the Senate is the latest example of government adding complexity and confusion. If this becomes law, will small businesses have to file 50 state returns? The government should be figuring out ways to be less of a burden so we can focus on growing our businesses and creating jobs. Unfortunately it seems all too busy doing the opposite. But how? The following four steps would be a win-win for both parties, since they would appeal to both the Republican and Democratic base. Read more …

TAP TAP TAP — a great sound for U.S. manufacturing and free trade

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Andrew Ratner

By Jerry Jasinowski

We now have a once in a lifetime opportunity to secure a Transatlantic Partnership Agreement (TAP), a free trade agreement with the European Union, that has been a dream of U.S. manufacturers for as long as I can remember. Both the White House and Congress are supportive as is the EU itself. Even the AFL-CIO which generally opposes Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), says a pact with the EU “could” be beneficial.

My former colleagues at the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) are onto the FTA in a big way, and I wish them luck. On my watch we worked hard for some 20 free trade agreements (FTAs), including the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and all of them have proven to be just as beneficial as we said they would be – even more so.

But the TAP would be the mother lode of all FTAs. The European Union is the one economy in the world, taken as a whole, which is larger than our own. We already do a lot of trade with the EU of course, but an FTA would open the floodgates for a lot more mutually beneficial trade. Continue reading →

MARLIN RISING

LEADING AN AMERICAN MANUFACTURING RENAISSANCE

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