The national conversation about the renaissance of American manufacturing continues to gain momentum.  Momentum is good.  Action is better. However, the confederacy of dunces we’ve sent to Washington is not likely to have the ability, let alone the will, to develop a thoughtful, effective, and practical approach to promoting and supporting manufacturing initiatives.

A CNN poll released Friday ( http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/10/21/poll-americans-agree-its-a-do-nothing-congress) asserts that nearly 7 in 10 Americans regard Congress as ineffective.  The American Jobs Act, which is mostly about extending Bush era tax cuts and providing tax credits and incentives for hiring, job creation and capital investment — can’t get through Congress.

So, the reality is that we’re going to have to do it ourselves, regardless of what Congress does… and possibly in spite of them.

ChangetheEquation.org is promoting STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education intiatives with the support of more than 100 American corporations.    STEM programs around the country are graduating students who have the basic skills needed for high tech manufacturing.  It’s a huge task.  Recent studies reveal that less than half of high school graduates are prepared for college-level math and less than a third are prepared for college-level science.  (http://www.changetheequation.org/clientuploads/pdfs/DataSources.pdf)

Change the Equation is promoting partnership between the business communities and both public and private education to develop and deliver the skills and training that are needed by employers in the 21st century.

It really is up to us to get the job done.

I have a nifty piece of software that lets me monitor traffic on our website in real time.  I can follow the navigation of individual visits.  I can see how and where visitors arrive, search terms, landing pages, referrers and so forth.  This information has been very useful in tuning up content and keyword lists.

One of the things that was apparent pretty quickly was that a lot of visitors want to know “how much etching costs.”  So, we put a “Live Help” feature out there, thinking that people would use that avenue to get a quick idea of what their project might entail.  (This, of course, is in addition to the toll-free number, email links, and contact forms that appear on every single page of the site.)

Even as I watch visitors wander around the site –with at least four ways on every page to reach us– I watch them leave without getting an answer.  I have to tell you….it’s frustrating.  I’m sitting right here. Ready to answer your questions.   I try to send out mental energy, saying “come on… ask me….click, call, do something.  I promise, we’ll answer.”

Well, we’re doing one more thing.  We now have a great big red button — it’s right there below the toll-free number, the email link, the Twitter link, and the Live Help link…on every single page.  The button is called “How much does my part cost? All you have to do is give us a little info about your part: length, width, thickness, alloy, quantity and an email, and we will have an estimate back to you very quickly….in many cases just minutes.

So, no more excuses for leaving without what you wanted to know.  Push the button!

The lead story in the Hartford Courant this morning covered the impending layoffs of 200-some senior machinists from a major local aerospace manufacturer.  And, although I can empathize with those who will be affected– having had a similar wrenching experience a decade ago– I can’t help but see this as a “proble-tunity.”

There are vigorous and urgent discussions about the need to develop a “21st century” skilled workforce in the US.  And there are a host of programs in Connecticut and throughout the country that aim to train young people in the skills needed for high tech manufacturing.

In CT, organizations like CCAT, and ITDB and a variety of technical colleges are working to engage people, starting in high school, in pursuing skilled trades educations.

In addition, I have heard from others in the aerospace supply chain that finding skilled people is very difficult.

It just seems to me, that a sudden availability of a goodly number of highly skilled technical people might be a tremendous catalyst to help move these efforts along.

I know that no one living under the impending layoff cloud wants to hear this right now.  But, the people involved with the training programs might want to think about extending bridges to a new pool of prospective teachers.

You can now find me on Twitter @conardcorp.   I resisted this for years because, as Betty White said about Facebook on SNL, “it seems like such a huge waste of time.” And, besides, how much could I possibly share about photo etching…

But, the reason I decided to do this is that there is lots of interesting stuff going on all over the place and Twitter creates a really quick way to share some of the ideas, events and people that capture my attention.

You’ll likely find that I tend towards geeky.  Science and technology have always interested me.  Though I am saddened by the incipient end of the Space Shuttle program (only two more missions),  NASA is still doing really cool stuff.  I will be following Robonaut 2 and Project M with great interest.

Creativity and innovation intrigue me as well.  So, I am keeping an eye out for for small companies doing cool stuff.

And, yes, I will over-use the word cool.

I hope you will let loose your inner geek and share stuff you think is cool, too!

As if space wasn’t cool enough, just wait til you see what NASA is working on next!  Here’s Project M  (the white paper) http://robonaut.jsc.nasa.gov/future/

If you are not enough of a geek to read the paper, try the video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFPNcWN7QnM

You gotta love the whole concept and the gung-ho challenge involved.   Put a humanoid robot on the moon in 1000 days!

I remember the original race to the moon.  It was a very prominent feature in our lives and our educations.  It was exciting!  We drank Tang! Our parents drank freeze-dried Folgers…from crystals! We had assemblies at school to watch the Apollo missions on TV!  We had astronaut Halloween costumes!  It was a big deal!

The point here is to get excited about science and technology and exploration again…. For all of us.  And, especially for everybody who missed it the first time around (meaning everybody born after, say, 1965…)

With all the hand-wringing about…jeez, so many things…it sure would be great to have something energizing and forward looking to engage with.  I’m definitely on board for this.

Watch this space for more!

Later today (2/24/11), the Space Shuttle Discovery will lift off on its 39th and final mission.  A namesake for the ships sailed by Henry Hudson (guess which river) and James Cook who discovered the Hawaiian Islands, Discovery will have traveled more than 150 million miles in its career.

Discovery carried the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit and was the first to launch after the Challenger and Columbia accidents.

Discovery’s payload on this mission includes the “EXPRESS Logistics Carrier module and Permanent Multipurpose Module” (…I think it’s a digital lunchbox and programmable playground…), critical spare parts, and Robonaut 2.

Robonaut 2????, you say.  Really?  Yeah, really.  How cool is this:  http://robonaut.jsc.nasa.gov/default.asp

I wonder if they’ll call it “Robby.”

The news is brightening all around.  Ford has announced planned hiring of 7000 people over the next two years, most of them in manufacturing.  The Institute for Supply Management is reporting that December 2010 delivered the 17th consecutive month of growth in manufacturing output.  Red Wing Shoe Company, a work boot manufacturer and something of a bell weather for industry,  reported strong sales growth in 2010.

Even in our little patch, things have been hopping.  We quoted 18% more line items in 2010 than 2009 and 30% more than 2008.  December,usually a quiet month, had double the  quote activity of previous years. Customers and suppliers I talk with are feeling a little breathless with the pace of activity.  And, trust me, no one is complaining.

The recovery hasn’t reached very deep into the labor market yet.  Only about 136,000 manufacturing jobs  were recovered in 2010.   There is a long way to go in that regard.  But, it is starting to happen.

The thing I like best about all of this is that people are starting to realize, again, how important manufacturing is to our economy and to our society.  Made in the USA means something.  Manufacturing is what made this nation the wealthiest on the planet.  And, IMHO, we need to reclaim not only the work ethic of manufacturing but also the pride of accomplishment.

And, we need to instill that in a new generation of people.  There was a time when “good factory jobs” were highly desired and seen as a path to a secure future.  I think another era like that is returning.

Technologies continue to evolve in high-growth fields that will require many thousands of highly skilled and specialized workers.  The diversity of activities in the energy arena alone will the drive creation of new manufacturing processes that will require technically skilled workforces.

Somehow, we need to encourage the newest generations of young people who have never known life without computers to see that they must be part of the solution.  Solar cells, wind turbines, high-performance batteries, fuel cells and other energy systems won’t build themselves.  Nano-scale technologies for scientific and medical applications will require extensively trained operators for highly complex production systems.

Maybe it’s time to take our kids to work again.

In 2011, the NASA Space Shuttle Program will end after 30 years and more than 130 missions.  And, I suspect, most people won’t notice.   After all, it’s been nearly 50 years since the first human went into space  (Cosmonuat Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961.  Astronaut John Glenn followed on May 5th.)  I mean, really, it’s so ho-hum these days.

Well, it shouldn’t be.  Exploration drives discovery and innovation.  If you don’t believe me, check your phone.  Remember where you first saw something like that? That’s right. “Star Trek” communicators, circa 1966.

Space exploration required solutions for new problems and drove the development of new technologies.  Some of the “trickle down” technologies developed for space include scratch-resistant lenses, cordless power tools, “athletic” shoes (not just sneakers anymore), and freeze-dried food (perhaps not the most glamorous, but certainly useful.)  CAT (the “T” originally stood for “topography”) and MRI imaging technologies were developed to map potential lunar landing sites. From the Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner to bomb-disarming robots, technologies developed to explore the surfaces of the moon and Mars continue to provide a substantial trove of terrestrial applications.

And, there is still a lot of really cool stuff going on up there.  Visit NASA.gov.  You can spend hours learning about what we’re doing in space.  And, you should.  It’s important. It’s about the future.  It always was.

So, the end of the Space Shuttle Program is a BIG DEAL.  And, we should take note of the end of this era.

For 2010, Conard has chosen the Space Shuttle to represent achievement in American Manufacturing by featuring it as our third annual commemorative bookmark.

2010 Space Shuttle Bookmark

To receive a free bookmark, email kstillman@conardcorp.com.  Put 2010 Bookmark in the subject line and include your name and mailing address in the body.

In October, we (Conard) exhibited at Baja Mak 2010 in Tijuana, Mexico.  What an education!

The first part of the education is about a resource that–I would venture– very few American manufacturers know much about…including me.  The United States Commercial Service is part of the Department of Commerce.  The mission of USCS is to assist American companies develop business in other countries!

Our visit to Mexico was coordinated by Dennis Simmons, Commercial Officer for the Connecticut District Office.  (860-638-6950; dennis.simmons@trade.gov)  Outside of Connecticut, visit trade.gov to find your nearest USCS contact.  When these folks say “we’re from the government, and we’re here to help you”…they really mean it!

Dennis recruited 9 small manufacturing companies from CT and western MA to exhibit at the show.  More than that, he and his colleagues coordinated all of the details, including the show itself, lodging, local transportation, escort through customs and immigration in both directions, as well as being our translators and social guides.

I can’t say enough about Dennis Simmons and the trade mission staff in Tijuana: Monica Rosas, Alejandro Delgado, Larisa Escobar and Ruth Reyes.  These great folks made what could easily have been a bewildering and –at least linguistically– daunting experience,  easy, enjoyable and productive.

We particularly appreciate the welcome from Consul General Steven Kashkett who hosted a networking breakfast at his home where we were able to meet and have quality conversations with 20 or so business leaders from Tijuana.  The senior US trade official responsible for all of Mexico, Minister Counselor for Commercial Affairs Ann Bacher also made time in her schedule to meet us.

The second part of the education is about the business opportunities for American manufacturers in Mexico.  Over the course of several days, and many conversations with senior managers from Mexican manufacturing facilities, we were told repeatedly how pleased they were that American manufacturers would visit them and seek to do business.  With aerospace and medical as the fastest growing segments of the Mexican manufacturing sector, the need for a wide range of parts and services that can meet the most demanding standards is growing.

The emerging trend is called, variously, “on-shoring,” “re-shoring,” or “near-shoring”…all essentially describing another migration of manufacturing activity, this time into the Western hemisphere.   The supply lines from Asia can be long and unwieldy.  The quality of raw materials and workmanship may not satisfy the increasingly demanding requirements.  And, the Asian economies’ increasing home consumption of their industrial output reduces the available export capacity.

All of these factors are contributing to a growing need for new sources of precision components for the 6500-plus assembly facilities in Mexico.

Quite without realizing it, we have already experienced the difference that Mexico makes.  A long-time customer opened an assembly operation in Mexico about a year or so ago.  It didn’t really register with us as a big change, just a ship-to address.  What did get our attention is a six-fold increase in sales over historic levels.  Another customer has moved an assembly operation from India to Mexico and is forecasting 3 times the level of business they used to do.

Mexico has our attention now.

We want to express our condolences to the family of Conard’s founder, Richard C. Huttinger, who recently passed.

Dick developed the process for etching aluminum that is still a mainstay of the company’s capabilities forty-five years later.  The Conard process yields industry-leading results in etching aluminum…to the point that other etchers will come to us for it.

We offer prayers and sympathy to Dick’s family.