In The News

Best US Factory Jobs in Rising Jeopardy

Mark Trumbull February 20, 2008
Facing increasing competition and productivity from workers in low-wage nations, US manufacturers slash jobs and costs. One method in use by US car manufacturers is incentives to convince older workers to quit and replace them with less expensive younger workers who also receive fewer benefits. Analysts expect cost-cutting measures from the large foreign manufacturers like Honda or Toyota as well...

Snap-On Parts Didn’t Click Together for Boeing Jet

Jeff Bailey January 17, 2008
Manufacturing electronic products by assembling specialized parts from multiple suppliers has increased productivity and reduced costs in recent years. But the assembly method that relies on outsourcing for parts can be complicated to reverse. Behind schedule and hoping to speed its process, Boeing asked suppliers to send unassembled sections. “Instead, Boeing has ended up with a pile of parts...

Can the Midwest Regain Its Economic Clout?

Richard C. Longworth January 9, 2008
Achieving economic stability requires a strategy that does not neglect global markets or trends. In the US, the Midwest region has been devastated by companies shifting manufacturing operations first to southern states, paralyzing debt among farmers, followed by globalization with its shift of factories and jobs to low-wage countries. “Of course, an economic revolution as disruptive as...

“Silent Night” in China

Peter Kwong December 20, 2007
During the 1980s, Christmas in China was a quiet affair, celebrated only by foreigners, as the atheist Communist Party did not endorse such celebrations. But much has changed for the factory to the world: China not only manufactures about 80 percent of all Christmas paraphernalia, but also purchases the items as well. Authors Peter Kwong and Dušanka Miščević point out that if orders on Christmas...

The “China Honeymoon” Is Over

David Shambaugh December 7, 2007
Foreign investors in any land are put off by any trade and investment practices that discriminate against them. Protectionist practices in China include a lack of respect for intellectual property and market barriers. Changes in political leadership and concern over outsourcing jobs throughout Europe combined with ongoing reports of human-rights violations in the Chinese workplace have strained...

China Stand on Imports Upsets US

Steven R. Weisman November 28, 2007
China announced a policy requiring rigid safety inspections of medical, software and other high-tech devices that enter Chinese ports. The policy, announced in June, will not apply to Chinese manufacturers and follows a pattern of protecting domestic industries, reports Steven R. Weisman for the New York Times. Some analysts suggest the policy could represent retaliation for intense publicity in...

Technology in India and China: Running Fast

November 16, 2007
Clocks, zero and paper – these and many other fundamental innovations emerged in Asia. Yet around the 15th century, the surge in Asian innovation tapered off. Scholars seek to explain sources for innovation and posit that leaders must provide incentives for progress; internal or external forces can give inventors a sense of purpose. Today, Asians are eager to pursue innovation through education...