Guardian: The US 'manufacturing renaissance' doesn't exist, says new report [View all]
Despite all the much-heralded talk of the rebirth of manufacturing, a new report suggests that the trend may be vastly overstated
Suzanne McGee Guardian.co.uk 12 January 2015
Have we been letting a good story get in the way of the facts?
The “manufacturing renaissance” has been the central point in the return of America’s industrial power. It even has its own national council.
Yet here are the facts: the United States may have added only about one new manufacturing job in the last few years for every five that were lost during the financial crisis and the recession that followed.
That’s according to a new report from the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, a non-partisan and nonprofit think tank based in Washington DC. The report was released early this morning.
“We have stretched six cool examples [of the rebirth of manufacturing] into a whole news trend,” says Adams Nager, economic research industry at the foundation and, together with its president, Robert Atkinson, the co-author of the report...
Complete article: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jan/12/the-us-manufacturing-renaissance-doesnt-exist-says-new-report
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The Myth of America’s Manufacturing Renaissance: The Real State of U.S. Manufacturing
Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
January 12, 2015
To listen to most pundits and commentators, U.S. manufacturing has turned a corner and is roaring back after the precipitous decline during the 2000s. Long gone are the dismal days when manufacturing jobs and output were lost due to foreign competition. Higher foreign labor costs, cheap oil and gas here at home and automation are combining to make America the new global manufacturing hub: at least according the now dominant narrative. Indeed, the term “manufacturing renaissance” is used to describe this new state of affairs...
...Myth: Global shipping costs are unusually high, making it easier for the United States to produce more for U.S. and European markets.
Fact: Undersupply led to skyrocketing global shipping costs in 2008. However, today shipping costs are back to normal after falling by 93 percent in a six month period in 2009.
...Myth: The Shale Gas boom gives U.S. manufacturing a substantial advantage
Fact: Reduced costs for shale energy has had an impact only on energy intensive industries, and then only a minor one. For 90 percent of the manufacturing sector, energy costs are lower than 5 percent of shipment value. The benefits are largely restricted to the petrochemical sector and drilling operations...
MORE: http://www.itif.org/publications/myth-america-s-manufacturing-renaissance-real-state-us-manufacturing
Download report: (PDF) http://www2.itif.org/2015-myth-american-manufacturing-renaissance.pdf
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A prophetic interview with Sir James Goldsmith in 1994 Pt1
Must See-Sir James vs. Laura D'Andrea Tyson
The TPP will put the last nails in the US Manufacturing Coffin.
A nation that can't make shoes is hardly a "Superpower".
But the US can make Drones and give $5 BILLION DOLLARS to Ukraine!
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