CHEM Blog

A colleague of mine, David Mantey (editor of Product Design and Development), wrote a column a while ago titled, “We Landed On The Moon, Big Deal.” There’s no mincing words here; it’s easy enough to tell what his stance on NASA is.

One of David’s main contentions is that NASA does not, and cannot, invoke the same soaring heroics and national pride it used to back in the moon-landing era, which is a fair assumption. We “young’uns” haven’t been exposed to any singular achievement that rallied our belief in the agency. And he’s right: only the constant threat of explosions gets people riled up and interested.

Admittedly, the angle I was originally going to take when battling David’s anti-NASA sentiment was an examination of how the agency’s innovations affect our daily lives. There’s too many to count, but I’ll throw in satellite dishes (so we can sit around not thinking about how awesome NASA is), fire-retardant suits for firefighters (so we can bash on NASA even after our house burns down), smoke detectors (see previous quip), and invisible braces (so we aren’t embarrassed when talking about how NASA is a waste of taxpayer money).

But NASA was not founded with the hope of designing new technology for American consumers, and that’s certainly not its purpose now. It’s only our luck that we can benefit from NASA’s brilliance.

The problem is that NASA’s mission isn’t particularly tangible. But it is simple: curiosity. In a material- and results-driven society, it’s hard for people to understand why we would spend money on something that might produce a positive benefit. It’s like we need to land on Mars to order to justify spending the money to get to Mars. I’m not sure what happened to our affinity for curiosity and exploration. Ever wondered what’s on the other side of that hill? Well, you go walk and see. On the other side of that big ocean? You build a boat and sail a straight course. What’s the difference?

In his column, David wrote, “We didn’t have media outlets scrutinizing the bottom line 40 years ago. Landing on the moon didn’t have a price tag.” That’s true. But all the potential that stands to be discovered outside of our atmosphere shouldn’t have a price tag, either. Who knows, maybe Mars is covered with groves of delicious Martian apples—we just haven’t found them yet.

But if we’ve fallen so by the wayside that curiosity and exploration are the first victim to the fiscal chopping block, then we’ve got more pressing issues than a generational gap and a youth that’s disinterested in our country’s space program—issues that even extend to those generations who did witness the big deal of man landing on the moon.

Manufacturing has been at America’s base for a long time now, but now I feel as though this base, in addition to the “youth” David and I both represent, have lost their sense of connection to NASA’s purpose. How is NASA any different that one of the countless manufacturers in this country, other than their source of funding? All manufacturers undergo the same processes that our space program does, from R&D to prototyping to a final product. Every company is searching for that holy grail of their industry—NASA is no different.

So why all the NASA hate? Where does the misunderstanding of NASA’s purpose come from? Is it a problem with the youth, or has our space program really become irrelevant to the modern American? Is this, perhaps, the same reason manufacturing as a whole is struggling to recruit a new generation of workers and stay in the public spotlight?

If you ask me, one cannot espouse the importance of American manufacturing while denying NASA a piece of the pie. Especially when that pie might some day be filled with delicious Martian apples.

Think NASA is a waste of money? Or are you like me, patiently waiting for your slice of that Martian apple pie? Send me your thoughts at joel.hans@advantagemedia.com.

 

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Don’t worry. It’s probably not your fault that you’re insane — let’s conspire to somehow pin blame on the pharmaceutical companies and overzealous doctors.

Oh, I apologize, I actually started mid-rant, but I need to comment on a colleague's Christmas wish list.

The new “Cool Stuff for Christmas” list includes:

• A Smart Car-sized calendar watch.
• An LCD picture frame with a fanged woman wrapped in autumn foliage. 
• A box.

Okay, so the box is actually a waterproof and fireproof ioSafe Solo USB desktop external hard drive. It’s easily the coolest thing on the list, but after the first two, it might as well be a shoe box full of Post-It notes.

Was I the only one perusing the ads as I was shoveling helpings of roasted bird into my face? I’m no Jim Rome when it comes to gadgetry, but last year our gift to Grandma — a proud owner of a VCR, wall phone and analog television — was the LCD picture frame.

We’re not exactly on the cutting edge of innovation here. I suppose that the frame does come with a remote so you can pause the slideshow, a mild breakthrough. Finally, technology has afforded us the same ability we once had when we thumbed through photo albums and left it open on a certain page.

I admit that I’m not one for wish lists in my personal life. I prefer to treat the requests more like odd ransom demands or Sunday shopping lists. What do I really want for Christmas? Tide, maybe some dish soap or a towel. I could really use a jar of frosting and a package of graham crackers, possibly a photo of my cousins doing handstands. Knit booties for my dog, a skull necklace carved from a single seashell, ceramic gargoyles, a Happy 30th Birthday table dressing, a donation made in my name to the lottery of my choosing.

Understand where I’m headed with this? It actually works pretty well. I keep the family on edge and wind up with enough dryer sheets to last me until the next holiday. By no means is that an exaggeration. I have enough dish soap to easily last me until 2012, unless I go through another hand bubble phase — it’s fun but doubles your time at the sink when it’s your turn to wash the dishes.  

Now, for gifts cooler than a fossil calendar watch. No, Fossil is not the brand, but the status symbol is on the outs given that everyone carries two or three items with a clock as a rudimentary feature. Besides, no executive would purchase a watch with so few diamonds.

Cooler Stuff for Christmas.

• The Xeros Waterless Washing Machine. Nylon beads knock out the dirt, and it uses 90 percent less water. I’m done with suds, now I can watch what I can only assume will look like a mix between a bean bag massacre and a snow globe from the confines of my laundry room.
• The nook. I’m not sold on the e-reader yet; in fact, someone show me an English major that ever would be. I need to make notes, and I look at a screen so much throughout the day that I can barely squint at the television after work. That said, the nook sold out for a reason this holiday season (intentional rhyme). According to reviews, the nook is everything but the rough feel of a page. It has the contrast and same colored text as a printed book and it lacks the headache-inducing backlight. I don’t discount the value of a library in the living room, but if the shelves are filled with Oprah book club picks, no one is taking you seriously anyway.
• Motorola’s Droid. Confusing, indie, college film class advertisements aside, I played with the Droid this weekend and applaud my self-restraint. Seconds away from canceling my current plan, I was ready to sink my communication resources into a phone with greater battery life, more memory and a more powerful camera that could make photos posted to Facebook all the more embarrassing. Yes, I’m comparing the Droid to my backless LG flip phone, but I nearly renamed it and carried it out in a bassinet.
• Any gaudy monstrosity of a flat-panel HDTV. It’s great for a wish list because — at least in my terms — you can keep on wishing. My television works, and until a bowling ball accidentally flies through the screen, I’m waiting to update — even though broadcasts in widescreen make some programs appear as puppet shows (all I can see is hands, the actors are off-screen). However, I dare you to watch any fight night, football game or action flick in HD, and not immediately purchase one. Thankfully, many local taverns have made the switch, and I can find a temporary HD fix over a plate of wings.

 I could go on. I want to go on, but the newsletter needs to roll, and the web guy is itching for this link to go live.

And I’m not saying that I want them all. I think they’re just better options than a watch that looks like a slate with a leather strap or a picture frame reminding you of all the fun you used to have. If I hear one more person declare how attractive they used to be, I’ll run for office and outlaw the photo. It’ll be the world’s first photo-burning extravaganza that wasn’t directly involved with a bad breakup.

OK, so I want them all. Dare I say need them? Yes, I need them. Best to stop before I turn into a child with the gimmes.

What’s on your list? Drop me a line at david.mantey@advantagemedia.com.

(All in good fun, Alix.)

 

 

Beijing Autos (BA) says it doesn’t know anything about the ex-engineer who photocopied thousands of documents and coincidentally took an overseas vacation to shop his merchandise to the highest bidder.

Yeah, and I denied it when the side view mirror disappeared out of my father’s truck and a bird was left to take the wrap. Poor bird, it shouldn’t have been flying there.

Now I’m sure that BA “relies on its own self-developed designs and technology,” but if someone comes to you with the answers to the test, you’re telling me that you’re going to turn them away at the door?

I found the company's stand on the trial particularly interesting. The company stated that while they had absolutely no involvement, they would be monitoring the case. I suppose the statement could’ve been lost in translation.

Maybe they were trying to suggest that while they had nothing to do with the scandal; this bit of white collar criminal gossip was too juicy to pass up and they’d be glued to the TV watching the trial as did all of America as many hoped for Falcon’s safe return. Somehow the drama seems equally staged. I wasn't watching, I was reading updates on Twitter and CNN and didn't know how a bird with such sharp talons could be trapped inside a weather balloon. I didn't see the allure.

As in any scenario when dominos begin to fall, those waiting on the perimeter eye the flow and pray to see a lone snake eyed piece standing tall before the ripple reaches them.

Of course, it’s all speculation; BA was never accused of any wrongdoing. Then again, I try to think of how many trials I’ve monitored closely in the last five years … I’m drawing a blank, but I did realize that I can go back that far without having one with direct implications, celebratory self high-five.

Think twice before you move forward with corporate espionage. Violent crimes are one thing, but mess with someone’s bottom line and they throw the book at you.

Of course, as I write this, I’m ripping music, cloning my desktop and leering, through the darkened rooms of our office for documents to scan, save and sell to the highest bidder.

Who wants the folder with abandoned columns? Anyone? I’ll give you a great rate on archived notes and interviews. Isn’t that how they pinched Nixon? Granted, these may not be anything to compare to The Clinton Tapes, but I have a hot unreleased Q&A in which a well-known CEO discusses how his company is the greatest company in the world.

The company not only manufactures robust, rugged and innovative products – a juicy quote I noticed during transcription – but they also do proprietary work that no one else on the planet is privy too. No takers? I’ll keep shopping.

Maybe I just don’t understand the allure of the white-collar crime. I get the excitement. I understand why an engineer copied thousands of electronic documents and stole trade secrets before quitting Ford Motor Co. for a new job in China.

Be it nationalism or contempt, all you need to do is witness or participate in a bitter divorce and you understand the lengths people will go to in order to, um, tarnish one another. I’m watching the diction; I don’t want to offend anyone with one of the seven words you can’t say in grade school.

In Xiang Dong Yu’s case (a.k.a. Mike Yu), he even made it to China with his loot, landed a job with a competitor, and then was foolish enough to come back and get pinched at O’Hare. (Read: China-bound ex-Ford engineer charged with stealing.)

Smart criminals, the recession is rife with them. Whom am I kidding? We have plenty of people committing everything from petty theft to grandiose pyramid schemes during healthy times as well.

Perhaps I’m more jaded than usual. Last month, some victim of inbreeding smashed in my back door and rifled through my belongs looking for anything of value. Hey buddy, next time you plan to rob someone, make sure they don’t shop at the Frugal Muse or Goodwill. And I have a feeling local law enforcement isn’t exactly in hot pursuit. Especially given the, “Eh, it was probably just some kids looking for a cheap thrill,” I was given from the Fargo understudy. I have a feeling that they’re not exactly pressing on criminal informants to track down the digital camcorder.

Xiang Dong — err, I mean Mike — enjoy your 10 years. You sold out an American staple, so prepare for a decade of government-prepared meals.

As for me, I’m going back on Craigslist to see if anyone is hawking an antique jewelry box or the camera.

Got a line on the guy (or gal) who ruined my weekend and pilfered through the whites? Then e-mail me via david.mantey@advantagemedia.com.

By Mike Collins, author of Saving American Manufacturing

In 1973, Daniel Bell wrote a book entitled The Coming of the Post Industrial Society, in which he correctly predicted the global diffusion of capital, trade deficits, and the decline of the manufacturing sector in the economy.

In a recent article on this phenomenon, The Economist makes the case that we can transition to a “post industrial” service economy with continued ecic growth. Says the article: “Neither manufacturing nor services is inherently better than the other; they are interdependent. Computers are worthless without software writers; a television has no value without programs. The issue is not whether people work in factories or not, but whether they are creating wealth. In developed economies today, telecomm, software, banking and so on can create more wealth than making jeans or trainers. Before long, no one will much care whether firms are classified under manufacturing or services. Future prosperity will depend not on how economic activity is labeled, but on economies’ ability to innovate and their capacity to adjust.”

State Of Transition
I think that most Americans have given up on manufacturing and have accepted the Post Industrial Society as an inevitable transition to a service economy. There are a variety of reasons for this acceptance:

There are now 135 million service workers and 14 million manufacturing workers. For the first time in American history, fewer then 10 percent of American workers are employed in manufacturing. So if 90 percent of the people don’t work in manufacturing it stands to reason that they also don’t know very much about manufacturing except what they read in the papers.

We live in a country ruled by a political class who are mostly attorneys or lifelong politicians. Right now they have many other issues on their plates, and manufacturing issues like the trade deficit, declining manufacturing jobs, and off shoring are low priorities.

Parents, teachers, and school counselors still view manufacturing as a world of dirty, dark, sweatshops offering long hours and low pay. Recent studies show that manufacturing’s image was found to be heavily loaded with negative connotations and universally tied to the stereotype of the assembly line. It was also viewed by most people to be a dying industry that was moving offshore.

Parents have not viewed working in a factory as an acceptable career goal. In a recent survey “Public Viewpoint on Manufacturing,” only 17 percent named manufacturing as among their top two industries in which to start a career, and only 30 percent of parents would encourage their children to pursue jobs in manufacturing. Most parents still want their kids to go to college and get a white-collar job, and they still see college degrees as the key to getting their children a piece of the American Dream. 

The Post Industrial Myth
It is my contention that it is a myth that we can transition to a post industrial service economy that will provide continued economic growth and enough family wage jobs to sustain current living standards. In my book, Saving American Manufacturing, I try to make the case that America must halt the decline of manufacturing because it will lead to higher unemployment, fewer family wage jobs, and the decline of living standards for most workers. Wages and household income peaked in 1972 when manufacturing was 23 percent of U.S. GDP. The decline of manufacturing to 12 percent of GDP has coincided with a steady decline in wage income levels for most of the middle class. There is no economic evidence to prove that the trend will be reversed, but there is a lot of evidence to support the notion that the middle class living standards could worsen with the decline of manufacturing.

In Bell's book, he also said that the importance of blue collar (manual work) will decline. But what he didn’t anticipate is that 10 million people will retire from manufacturing by 2020 and that these are skilled jobs that pay more then $60,000 a year. Contrary to what David Bell and many economists believe, working with your hands or in a trade will pay more and probably be a better option than spending the money on a general college degree.

The Resignation
It seems as though thought leaders are quite mixed on their analysis of the situation:

Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois said, ”Most Americans have resigned themselves to the loss of U.S. manufacturing and believe the country can survive on its service jobs. But China, India, and Russia are training large groups of students for the information technology, engineering, and other highly trained service jobs.” Durbin goes on: ”Manufacturing jobs are the best paying jobs in Illinois and once they’re gone, they're not likely to come back.”

The Economist magazine suggests that industries like telecomm, software, and banking create more wealth than making things. After the financial meltdown of the banking and financial industries I would say that many people are now questioning whether this is really creating wealth. I think that real wealth is created in 3 ways: manufacturing, mining, and agriculture. After a product has been created, all other transactions seem to be about wealth transfer and interest. Real growth in the economy will be driven by making things and investing in continued innovation, not in generating paper.

In his annual letter to the shareholders, General Electric CEO, Jeff Immelt, took issue with the concept of the post industrial society. “I believe that a popular, 30 year notion that the U.S. can evolve from being a technology and manufacturing leader to a service leader is wrong. In the end, this philosophy transformed the financial services industry from one that supported commerce to a complex trading market that operated outside of the economy. Real engineering was traded for financial engineering.” Immelt goes on to say that “We must discover new technologies and develop a productive manufacturing base. Our trade deficit is a sign of real weakness and we must reduce our debt to the world.”

I do not believe that it's possible to continue economic growth without a strong manufacturing base. We cannot transition to a manufacturing-free, post industrial service economy without enormous problems. If we turn our backs now and depend on just the service economy for the future, we will end up a nation of lawyers, consultants, and temporary workers looking for someone to invoice.

A couple of weeks before we start production on a new issue of Chem.Info, our staff gets together to talk basically about three things — where we stand right now, where we want to go and how we intend to get there.

This scope of attention deals not only with the financial elements that any business endeavor must broach, but also the quality of our end products, in both print and on the web, as well as the process we take in getting there. The re-occurring challenge for us right now is the same that many of you might be encountering — how to fully embrace the need to continuously improve and, excuse the cliché, take that next step.

I think this can be challenging for three primary reasons:

1. Recent Improvements

Comparing our print and electronic offerings from two years ago would venture a nearly unanimous endorsement of significant improvement. The look is better. The content is better, and we’ve received buy-in from some major advertisers. So we’re very proud of the progress that has been made.

Similarly, I’m guessing if a tour was taken of your facility two years ago and then again today – the improvements would be evident. The stumbling block here, whether your business is publishing or processing, is that continuous improvement is the mantra of the day. It’s about what you’re going to continue to do, not patting yourself on the back for previous accomplishments.

2. It’s Time To Be Critical Of The Process

Sometimes getting where you want to be from a quality perspective means implementing inefficient short cuts in the production cycle. So now it’s time to go back and analyze not just the outcome, but how getting there can be improved. This can be a frustrating experience because some will not want to mess with a process that has produced the desired result — a result that was not easy to come by and produced excellent feedback. 

Therein lays the true challenge for today’s U.S. manufacturers and processors. We’ve never had quality issues, simply efficiency and profitability obstacles that came from an old-school approach to production. Analyzing the process is a necessary part of taking that next step towards success.

For us it meant re-evaluating our production schedules and working to get further ahead in terms of planning. For processors it could mean changing a number operational paradigms and implementing greater automation.

3. The Tough Stuff

The initial quality and process improvements are easier in many ways because the impact is simple to understand and faster to realize. The “next step” means digging beyond the problem/solution stage and actually finding issues to be resolved.

For us, this meant going beyond producing a daily newsletter and tracking it to ensure good metrics, and delving into how we can improve those already high marks. Do we need to re-design our templates so even more information appears in the preview pane? Do we need to generate content from even more sources, feeds and industry contacts? Should we deploy more video? More blogs?

None of these are problems, but we need to look at them like critical issues to be solved and improved upon in order to reach the next level of success. Similarly, how do you improve quality controls in that already low percentage of rejects? How can turnaround times be made even quicker than the industry best level that you currently provide?

Everyone wants to take the next step in improving their offerings, approach and results. We all want to be better. The tough part is that improvement doesn’t always stem from fixing things that are obviously broken, but from finding those things that aren’t broken yet.

What kind of improvements have been made at your plant? Were they obvious or subtle fixes? Let me know by e-mailing me at jeff.reinke@advantagemedia.com.