Jay Talks Welding Opportunities

With all the attention being given to economic sings, the long term shortage of highly-skilled trades people continues, most notably certified welders.

“Companies are reporting drastic shortages of high-skilled welders, especially those with certifications," said Bob Bernini, Vice President of Academics for the Triangle Tech Group. "In fact, according to regional economic development studies, one of the largest industry needs is in metal working.”

The industry has found an unlikely ally: Jay Leno. In this short video, From his Big Dog garage, Leno talks about the opportunities for welding professionals. Thought you’d like to take a look.

Seven Consecutive Months

It’s hard to read any single economic report these days and try to draw long-term conclusions from it. Trends matter more than snapshots, and the good news is that the latest Manufacturing ISM (Institute for Supply Management) Report on Business showed that economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in February for the seventh consecutive month, and the overall economy grew for the 10th consecutive month.

We know that a lot of you are working harder (even putting in non-paid time) to get the job done. It sometimes sounds cliché, but we’re in this recovery together and will do everything we can to make this a strong year.

You can check out the complete Report on Business here.

Purchasing's business conditions index at 35-month high

From Purchasing Magazine:

Purchasing magazine's business conditions index jumped to 61.4 this month from 51.2 in January, marking the sixth month of the past seven in which the index was above the 50.0 market that signals growth

The Purchasing index is above the 58.4 manufacturing index reading reported in January by the Institute of Supply Management (ISM) and the highest since the 62.8 reading in April 2007. "Business is still down considerably from 2007-2008 levels," says the purchasing director of a heavy equipment manufacturing firm in Illinois. "However, many customers are still making inquiries about potential equipment purchases in 2010."

Good News for 2010

Is that a sunrise we see? It IS!

In a recent interview, Steve Jagler, executive editor of Biz Times Milwaukee, lists more than ten concrete examples of growth in the Badger State. His message includes:

"The recovery has begun and will pick up steam in 2010. It won't come easily, and it won't come quickly, but we're seeing some very promising trends: In recent polls, 86 percent of BizTimes.com readers say their company will either add jobs or at least maintain the status quo in 2010, and 76 percent say they are optimistic about how their company will do in 2010."

You can read the full article here.

Global Impact on Prices

We often hear things about the global effect on steel prices. Is China buying? Selling? How about freight costs? What is the bottom-line result? At Dalco, we stay on top of prices and trends, both here and abroad. We don't get wrapped up in what 'might happen' or make any knee-jerk reactions. But it helps to know how global markets affect what we all pay for raw materials.

Here's a great example. It's a New York Times report about copper mining entitled "China Willing to Spend Big on Afghan Commerce." We're not reading anything political into it, and we deal in steel, not copper, but it demonstrates that current events can affect pricing and availability in the future. Take a look.

WHAT'S IN STORE NEXT YEAR?

What will 2010 bring? At this point, nobody can say for sure.

BUT…most indicators are positive. And there are reasons to be very optimistic.

Fabricators & Manufacturers Association economist Chris Kuehl named several factors that should guide the business climate. First is international markets, which are already leading the economic recovery. Next is the U. S. consumer, who will start to relax…and spend. Also, government spending will begin to benefit the shop floor.

There are no guarantees, but optimism fuels confidence, and confidence helps create spending. And those are very good signals.

Read more in “Metal Fabrication in 2010: A Wildcard Year” from thefabricator.com

LASTING CHANGE COME FROM PEOPLE

When it comes to making manufacturing improvements, getting people involved is what drives long-term success.

At Dalco, we've been involved in Lean, 5S and other quality improvement initiatives and we're proud to say that it's been our people...and not just management memos...that have made those initiatives pay off.

A recent Industry Week article mirrored this, and went into more detail on how every manufacturer, large or small, can make sustainable changes. The focus? People above processes:

It takes your people at their workstations, using the right tools, to make change happen in your organization to achieve the desired results that will be measurable in your company's financial performance. It's only through people that your problems can be identified, and then your people select the appropriate tools to use in deploying countermeasures to correct them.

Here's a link to the complete article.