An Opportunity at Hand for U.S. Manufacturers
Hello again,
This post was written by John Miller, President of Passport Software Inc. We hope you find it useful during this difficult and challenging time.
A Silver Lining
There may be a silver lining to this pandemic, if we decide to choose it. About thirty years ago U.S. manufacturing jobs began to go away. It didn’t stop.
Let’s not dwell on the whys and wherefores, that is a discussion for another time over a beer. Let’s jump straight to today and the opportunity at hand. We have the cause and the means to make “Made in America” the next wave of economic development and to reclaim our independence in the world.
We have the capability to make every essential product and provide every essential service, so that we will never again run out of PPE, or respirators, or anything else we need.
After decades of importing oil, we finally decided that it was too important to be dependent on decisions of other countries. Now we export more oil than we import. And we have also decided to use less oil and are building electric cars.
Technology
Technology resets the game clock in many industries, not just drilling for oil or creating new batteries to power vehicles. Certainly, the Internet has demonstrated this to all of us. It used to take a lot of time and a travel agent to buy an airplane ticket. Remember that?
We cannot, however, allow our own government to pass laws that favor other countries’ use of exploitative and unsafe labor practices on the other side of the world to undercut us. We only fool ourselves into any sense of being either responsible or independent. And when the next pandemic hits, we will find out who is really in control.
So, let’s get back to being America – the builders, the makers, the most creative and productive economic force on earth. But let’s be smart about it; using technology wisely to help keep us competitive.
Profitability
Everyone wants to make more money, so we have to be super-productive and produce lots of high quality, affordable products. It just won’t work any other way on this global stage.
Continuous improvement is required, not optional. Every one of us must be aware of how productive we are individually and as a team. And keep getting better.
Entrepreneurs are people who have a vision, but they need a team of talented and dedicated people to help make that dream a reality. They also need technology!
We are swimming in technology from new materials, to 3D printers for prototyping, to intelligent machines that produce products faster and better than ever before.
And software for planning and managing manufacturing operations enables efficiencies to keep the supply chain flowing smoothly.
Vision
Any entrepreneur with a vision for a better product or production method, has an opportunity to bring back jobs and joy to people who live to produce great products and like doing it.
American businesses are ready to “Buy American” from a trusted partner who will be there when needed. Relationships used to be key to the success of every business before we were fooled into thinking that a global price war was a good thing.
Price wars create monopolies by driving companies to sell below their cost until they collapse. That is not good for anyone in the long run, except the survivor, the monopoly.
And when that survivor is funded by a government, or taking advantage of exploitative and unsafe labor practices, we need to shun them, not fool ourselves into thinking that we are saving money. History has shown us that mistake too many times.
One of my favorite quotes is from Winston Churchill, “Government cannot give you anything it has not already taken from you.”
A Smarter Second Wind
It is time for a smarter second wind to kick in and propel American manufacturing back to the forefront. And Passport wants to help with our manufacturing software and assistance.
We help small to medium sized manufacturers to do just that, giving you the visibility to see what is going on in your plant; what jobs will need what materials and when they will be needed; where the constraints will be and how to plan to speed the flow through your plant to your customers.
The faster the better; and that starts with estimating a new opportunity quickly and efficiently delivering a quote that you are confident about, properly costed and with proper margins.
Passport partners with manufacturers to help them work smarter and more productively. Can we help you?