A thoughtful analysis of the Chinese currency conundrum.

The Times gets it wrong: Ending currency manipulation would reduce U.S. trade deficits and create jobs

 

An op-ed published in The New York Times last week (August 23) claimed that revaluation of the Chinese yuan would "make barely a dent in America's trade deficit." This ludicrous assertion flies in the face of basic economic theory and our own economic history. The U.S. trade deficit with China displaced 2.4 million U.S. jobs between 2001 and 2008 alone. Treasury Secretary Geithner should identify China as a currency manipulator, and Congress should pass legislation that would authorize the president to impose substantial tariffs on Chinese goods if they fail to substantially revalue the yuan by the end of 2010.

 

Click here for the whole article.

 

 

 

Did Obama's Tire Tariffs Work?

Nearly one year ago, President Obama invoked a trade law known as “421” for the first and only time in the decade the law has been in effect and imposed tariffs on some automobile tire imports from China, which have been surging into the United States from 2004 to 2008.

 

See this post at the MANUFACTURE THIS Blog of the Alliance for American Manufacturing for the full story.

Advanced Continuous Improvement Tour at Zircoa

On August 18, 2010 the WIRE-Net Advanced Continuous Improvement group toured the Zircoa Plant in Solon, OH.  The group is made up of Manufacturers from the Northeast Ohio area on a Continuous/ Lean journey within their individual companies. 

 

Zircoa has been Utilizing Lean principles for the past year and has made some significant progress in implementation.  With the help of a local consultant Zircoa has:

 

• Improved flow
• Reduced mistakes
• Reduced WIP
• Cut Lead time

 

As a result of the efforts, they have seen:

 

• Increase in Sales
• Inventory turns up (inventory down)
• Improved EBIT
• Shorter lead times

 

Our tour focused on the Visual Factory aspect of Lean.  As we walked the floor we were introduced to personnel who described the use and value of visual displays of information on the plant floor (red is bad/green is good!).  We also witnessed a staff meeting being conducted on the floor as part of their continuous communication within the organization.

 

Recommended Reading

 

Zircoa has supported their personnel with many opportunities to advance their Lean Learning.  Among these opportunities were these suggested books:

 

• Everything I Know About Lean I Learned in First Grade (Martichenko)
• It’s Not Magic (Klein and Zawacki)
• Lean Production Simplified (Dennis)
• Creating a Lean Culture (Mann)
• Managing to Learn (Shook)
• Quick Changeover Opportunities: SMED Systems (Productivity Press)
• Made to Order Lean (Lane)

 

If you are interested in becoming part of Advanced Continuous group, please call Mark Pinto at WIRE-Net (216)920-1960 or e mail at mpinto@wire-net.org.

 

 

 

WHAMMO RE-SHORES

From Todays Machining:

 

Wham-O’s products are not exotic, but they take up a lot of container space per $ value. With container costs from China up to $4500 from as low as $3000 at the bottom of the recession, Wham-O has rejected offshoring. Their products are not labor-intensive to produce, primarily using injection molding. They are cheap, light and bulky. A container of Frisbees may hold only $5000 worth of product, so a 50 percent increase in container costs is a substantial piece of the overall cost, according to Kyle Aguilar, President of Wham-O. 

 

See:  Todays Machining World: The Magazine for the Precision Parts Industry   www.todaysmachiningworld.com

 

 

Building a New Model for Career Tech Education

The New Max Hayes - Creating a National Model for Career Tech Learning

Thank You! Investors and Partners WIRE-Net thanks the members of the Technical Team who have given over 1,700 hours to this project. WIRE-Net and our partners thank our investors in the New Max Hayes project: The Cleveland Foundation The Harold C. Schott Foundation The George Gund Foundation The Fred Lennon Charitable Trust The Cliffs Foundation The Lincoln Electric Foundation The Swagelok Foundation Eaton Corporation The Greater Cleveland Partnership Max Hayes High School is the only school in the Cleveland public school system that teaches the technical skills of manufacturing technology, construction, and automotive technology and auto-body. Since 1992, WIRE-Net has been an active partner at the Max S. Hayes Career and Technical High School, linking industry experts and experiences to students and teachers. Several years ago, with the strong support of WIRE-Net and local business and industry partners, including local metalworking associations and the Greater Cleveland Partnership, the TEAM Academy was formed at Max Hayes as a pilot "school within a school" to model the academy approach to education. This introduced closer integration of academic and technical education, strengthened the influence of industry at the school, and also led to the addition of Oracle programming to the technical instruction available. All along, WIRE-Net's role has been to leverage our relationships with hundreds of Cleveland firms to help students get prepared for real work and real rewards. A year ago our relationship entered a dramatically different sphere, when WIRE-Net joined forces with educators, manufacturing and business leaders, foundations, and community partners to create a new vision for high school learning at Max Hayes. This dynamic leadership group is helping the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) develop an innovative national model for the new Max Hayes Career Tech High School—a community-based career learning center that will develop work-ready skills and talent to enable area companies to successfully meet global competition. The New Max Hayes, scheduled to open in the fall of 2013 at a site near West 65th Street and Clark Avenue, will be a new benchmark in the career-tech field, one that will help transform our approach to 21st century learning in the age of technology. WIRE-Net is working with a team of world-class educational design consultants from Big Picture Learning and Concordia LLC to create a vision for the new Max Hayes. We have seized this opportunity to propose a new learning model that includes: Rigorous and relevant academic learning that is integrated with top notch technology programs that engage and excite young learners, the next generation of manufacturing leaders, inventors, and entrepreneurs Valuable, relevant work experiences that build pathways to post-secondary learning and successful careers Strong and enduring partnerships with community, business and higher education that help teachers share their knowledge of careers such as design, construction and construction management, transportation including diesel and hybrid technologies, urban transportation systems and fleet management, manufacturing technology (welding, machining, electronics), and information technology. These partnerships will expose students and teachers to new and emerging markets in the biomedical, advanced energy, and environmental fields and will give students a variety of adult relationships to advance their learning and to build their practical experience in the community. Cross cutting themes such as information technology, the arts, and "green" or environmental sustainability will permeate all programs. Student business and entrepreneurial ventures. The New Max Hayes Award, produced by the Cleveland Steel Tool Company, celebrates the Technical Team's spirit of Innovation and Collaboration. The project is led by a Technical Team of volunteers and CMSD staff who have collectively contributed over 1,700 hours of time to this project. Site visits to see the best in career tech in greater Cleveland, Toledo, Dayton, Providence, Chicago, and Oklahoma City helped identify key success factors that we recommend be included in the new school. Additionally, our Team will recommend that CMSD begin immediately the process of transforming Max Hayes, starting in the fall of 2010 and culminating when the new school opens in 2013. If you and your company or organization want to be a part of a unique, dramatic, and exciting project that will create a national showcase of 21st century learning, please contact John Colm at 216.588.1440 ext. 105.

Celebrating Manufacturing Innovation

“General networking opportunities and the chance to see how other businesses are fairing was a plus.”

“I enjoyed the ability to network with new and old faces and companies.”

“I really liked the mix of the companies and the amount so I had a real chance to stop at every booth and spend a little time.”

—Good things people had to say about WIRE-Net's 2010 Innovation Celebration

On June 23rd, Northeast Ohio’s manufacturing community celebrated the spirit that has kept industry strong in Ohio at WIRE-Net’s 2010 Manufacturing Innovation Celebration. Sponsors, exhibitors, and attendees had the chance to connect with others in the community to sell or buy locally: parts, products, or services.

This special event, designed to support WIRE-Net’s effort to develop new business, new markets, new products, and access new capital, brought together a cross-section of the business community. A number of high-profile business leaders signed on to support the event, including, Dollar Bank, MAGNET, Simplified Logistics, LLC., Charter One Bank, Dairymens, Ohio Displays, Inc., ArcelorMittal, Catalyst Consulting Group, Inc., COSE, Fredon Corporation, JRN Group, Inc., Kaiser Permanente, Midwest Box Company/Walford Industrial Park, Robin Industries Inc., and Talan Products, Inc.

WIRE-Net also used the gathering as a forum for its annual meeting. The WIRE-Net membership accepted the slates of at-large members and officers of WIRE-Net’s Board of Directors including:

• Chairman – Thomas Schumann, General Manager, Kitzel & Sons, Inc.
• Vice Chairman – Mark Dawson, President, Cleveland Steel Tool Company
• Treasurer – Scott Bogard, Senior Associate, The Riverside Company
• Secretary – Charles Mintz, retired President,  Superior Tool Company

The New Max Hayes Award, produced by the Cleveland Steel Tool Company, celebrates the Technical Team's spirit of Innovation and Collaboration.

The membership also welcomed new Board member, Tim Rosengarten, the Director of the Fitting Services Group at Swagelok Company.

Since 1990, WIRE-Net has annually recognized manufacturing leaders who demonstrate their commitment to strengthen manufacturing in Northeast Ohio and support for WIRE-Net's mission to create healthy communities and fuel economic growth. This year, a special award was presented at the Innovation Celebration to the 30-member technical team who has dedicated over 1,700 hours to creating a vision for learning at the New Max Hayes.