http://forums.industryweek.com Discuss the latest goings-on in Washington, Brussels, Beijing and the rest of the world that are shaping manufacturing. en Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:27:48 GMT vBulletin 60 http://forums.industryweek.com/IWImages/misc/rss.jpg http://forums.industryweek.com http://feeds.penton.com/~r/IWFinancialForum/~3/BfU__Upv4Lw/showthread.php Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:48:31 GMT A compendium of current news and headlines with commentary providing unique cultural insight into global affairs, business and daily life around the world. *Click here to read* (http://rw-3.com/CWD/Issue19.htm) the latest issue of the CultureWizard Digest from RW3 CultureWizard. A compendium of current news and headlines with commentary providing unique cultural insight into global affairs, business and daily life around the world. Click here to read the latest issue of the CultureWizard Digest from RW3 CultureWizard. ]]> Sdubberke http://forums.industryweek.com/showthread.php?t=9261 http://forums.industryweek.com/showthread.php?t=9261 http://feeds.penton.com/~r/IWFinancialForum/~3/fmToKSPB-0k/showthread.php Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:31:25 GMT Last week we ordered new steering rod ends for a chevy blazer. Meat and potatoes parts. $15.00 each. Iron, steel, rubber. Not so fast, 2 days later, an e-mail, the parts were not available. The plant had shut down. Try someone else. Well, they can still be had. $80 each, Moog can... Last week we ordered new steering rod ends for a chevy blazer. Meat and potatoes parts. $15.00 each. Iron, steel, rubber.
Not so fast, 2 days later, an e-mail, the parts were not available. The plant had shut down. Try someone else.

Well, they can still be had. $80 each, Moog can supply them.

This poses an interesting question, with the end of so many plants, will the US face a problem unknown since WW2? A shortage of repair parts for the millions of vehicles still on the road?

Manual transmissions are not offered in pickups. The factory was auctioned off last year. I understand new replacement gears are now made of unobtainium.

Industry has had to work through this over the last 20 years as the machine industry collapsed. Now we may see it with what is arguably the highest priced consumer goods. Will we see a mortgage meltdown type situation as Saturn folds up? Hummer? Pontiac, Olds? Will the new GM still supply any parts? Owners walking away because parts are not available? So many small expensive parts were built in now non-existent plants. What will resale value do?

Keep watching. And don't break anything! ]]> wesdavidson http://forums.industryweek.com/showthread.php?t=8791 http://forums.industryweek.com/showthread.php?t=8791 http://feeds.penton.com/~r/IWFinancialForum/~3/IDomUcNuoLg/showthread.php Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:13:01 GMT The federal government, while shoveling money out to the banks and "stimulous" is floundering and cutting off older more solid programs. An example is Nasa. ATK, the solid booster folks, cut a few hundred more jobs last week. This year's job cuts will number in the thousands when subcontracts are figured in. Further cuts will ripple down. Utah has seen the first cuts, Alabama, California, Colorado, Texas, Florida, thousands more jobs will follow. The US manned space program is based on dependable solid rocket boosters, without them the programs will go away, and with them the employment.

As another example the state of Utah has been cutting budgets like mad for the last 12 months, now it must cut another half billion dollars to balance the budget next year. California, Michigan, most other states are in the same hot water. The easy cuts have been made, these cuts will add a percent or two or three to state unemployment rates.

The first year of the Clinton Administration saw huge cutbacks in defence spending, it caused a large realignment in the defence industry and a fairly stiff recession in manufacturing as a whole. We are now set to enjoy another round of the same. This will add a couple more points.

So my point is, or question is - Will Government cuts now to save a few billion on ongoing programs, erase what good has been done by the trillions they have spent so far?? And how much will this new round of cuts add to unemployment and the still deepening mortgage forclosure problem??

So hold on , more rocks ahead!! ]]> wesdavidson http://forums.industryweek.com/showthread.php?t=8781 http://forums.industryweek.com/showthread.php?t=8781 http://feeds.penton.com/~r/IWFinancialForum/~3/y9MoM0kMRwk/showthread.php Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:06:30 GMT I found a news item, about a young man from Malawi. Neat story. Here is the link.

http://gizmodo.com/5370752/the-boy-w...ainst-all-odds

You may have look it up if the link doesn't work.

Sadly, he would not last a day in the university I worked at for so long. See, he doesn't have the calculus skills. Too bad they worship the wrong things in academia.

It is my experience, that given a reason, students will learn. The teacher has to be smart enough to know when to get out of the way. - and smart enought to see those reasons. ]]> wesdavidson http://forums.industryweek.com/showthread.php?t=8481 http://forums.industryweek.com/showthread.php?t=8481