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The Editorial
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Commentary on issues and events of interest to manufacturers.

ARTICLES

Medical Device Assembly

The Editorial: Belling the Cat

May 01, 2012
John Sprovieri
1 Comment
Earlier this year, heavy equipment manufacturer Caterpillar Inc. chose Athens, GA, as the site for a new factory to assemble small tractors and excavators. The company will be reshoring some 1,400 jobs to the new facility from an existing plant in Japan.


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Medical Device Assembly

The Editorial: Patent Reform Will Spur Innovation

April 02, 2012
John Sprovieri
0 Comments
In September, President Obama signed into a law the first major overhaul of the U.S. patent system since 1952.


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Medical Device Assembly

The Editorial: A Plan We Can All Get Behind

March 01, 2012
John Sprovieri
0 Comments
There are a lot of ideas floating around Washington these days regarding the health and importance of U.S. manufacturing and what should be done about it.


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Medical Device Assembly

The Editorial: The Time Is Right for Reshoring

February 01, 2012
John Sprovieri
0 Comments
Last September, Otis Elevator Co. announced that it was moving production from its factory in Nogales, Mexico, to a new, $40 million assembly plant in Florence, SC.


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editorial_feat

The Editorial: The Baby and the Bath Water

January 06, 2012
0 Comments
Last September, solar panel manufacturer Solyndra filed for bankruptcy and laid off 1,100 workers. The moves came just two years after the company received a $535 million loan guarantee from the Obama administration. Republicans have rightly criticized the administration over the loan, alleging that the Energy Department overlooked warning signs of Solyndra’s pending collapse.
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The Editorial: OEMs Reap What They Sow

November 18, 2011
John Sprovieri
0 Comments
In October, three class-action lawsuits were filed against several major automotive suppliers, alleging the companies engaged in a “massive, decade-long conspiracy to unlawfully fix and artificially raise the price” of wire harnesses. As shocking and disappointing as the allegations are, I can’t say I’m surprised.
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The Editorial: Manufacturing Leads the Way

October 28, 2011
John Sprovieri
0 Comments
The Assembly Top 50 helped to lead the U.S. economy out of recession, but the picture was not entirely rosy.
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The Editorial: Feds Strike the Wrong Chord

September 28, 2011
John Sprovieri
0 Comments
Although Memphis ranks third in the United States in violent crime and second in property crime, the federal government is seemingly more worried about the wood Gibson guitars uses in its products.
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The Editorial: A Race We Don't Want to Win

August 24, 2011
John Sprovieri
0 Comments
In a recent editorial, I decried the unsafe conditions at some Chinese assembly plants. I had thought everyone could get behind such a stand, but I was wrong.
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The Editorial: Let's Put Frivolous Lawsuits on Ice

July 21, 2011
John Sprovieri
0 Comments
Thankfully, our political leaders are finally addressing the problem of lawsuit abuse.
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Several harnesses are displayed in a glass case in the office.

Wire Harness

AssemTech Inc. is a busy and growing harness assembly shop in West Chicago, IL. The company has a 12,000-square-foot assembly area and employs 20 full-time harness assemblers - far cry from its early days back in 1986, when founder Chuck Hall and various family members assembled harnesses in his garage.

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A Plan to Revive U.S. Manufacturing
In December, the nonpartisan Council on Competitiveness issued a landmark report, Make: An American Manufacturing Movement, that provides dozens of recommendations for addressing the many challenges facing U.S. manufacturers. In this podcast, Jack McDougle, the council’s senior vice president for manufacturing, discusses the council’s vision for reviving U.S. manufacturing. Check out this sneak preview of McDougle’s May 2 keynote address to start Tech ManufactureXPO.

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Welding: Principles & Practices

This text introduces students to a solid background in the basic principles and practices of welding.

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