In its weekly press release on Oct. 11, the U.S. Department of Labor reported that initial claims for unemployment insurance fell to 339,000 in the week that ended Oct. 6. This represents a one-week drop of 30,000 and the lowest number of initial claims since Feb. 2008. Of course this is good news, but how good is it? A little context might help clarify it. (more...)
Author Archive
Take a ride in a battery-powered what?
May 10th, 2012
By: Eric Lundin
By: Eric Lundin
It wasn’t that long ago that Alessandro Volta built the first battery. In 1800 he made a stack of metal plates, alternating zinc and copper, with each pair separated by layers of cloth soaked in brine. Today’s batteries are more sophisticated but use the same principle to create electromotive force, or EMF. The basic unit of EMF is the volt, named in Volta’s honor. (more...)
The risks and rewards of genetic engineering
April 25th, 2012
By: Eric Lundin
By: Eric Lundin
It could be a dream come true or the latest scene in a long nightmare. Dow AgroSciences has developed a genetically engineered corn, named Enlist, to withstand herbicides containing 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). The chemical was developed with the intention of helping to increase crop yields by eliminating nutrient-robbing weeds from farmers’ fields, and these days it is thought to be the most commonly used herbicide in the world.
Producing more, hiring less
April 19th, 2012
By: Eric Lundin
By: Eric Lundin
We’re still slogging through the jobless recovery, and while slowly falling unemployment took many by surprise in 2010 and 2011, I guess most of us have resigned ourselves to looking for reasons. There isn’t much else we can do.
Before we look for reasons, let’s look at the trend.
More about the moral imperative
April 11th, 2012
By: Eric Lundin
By: Eric Lundin
In a recent blog post, my colleague Tim Heston described the need for the U.S. to develop an advanced manufacturing base with turn-on-a-dime flexibility. He called it a moral imperative, and I couldn’t agree more. The U.S. hasn’t lost its position as the world’s largest manufacturer, but without a strategy and some action, we’re in danger of doing so.
A cursory look at the textile industry reveals a lot about how quickly things can change in a global economy.
Cleaning up in the Gulf
December 12th, 2011
By: Eric Lundin
By: Eric Lundin
It has been nearly two years since the Deepwater Horizon exploded and sank into the Gulf of Mexico. For most of us, the story slipped off our radar a few weeks after the rig exploded (April 20, 2010); the story made headlines again when the well was capped temporarily nearly three months later (July 15, 2010) and again when it was shut down permanently (Sept. 19, 2010).
What has happened since then? The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force continues to assess and mitigate the effects of oil contamination along the beaches of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. The analysis seems well-organized, breaking down the contaminated areas into three zones—subtidal, intertidal, and supratidal—and providing separate reports on the effects on fish, birds, turtles, and other wildlife. So far, so good. But what about the other cleanup?
This is the new normal
November 7th, 2011
By: Eric Lundin
By: Eric Lundin
The worst of the financial crisis of the 2008-2009 time frame is history, and as the recovery progresses, I think it’s fair to say that we’re all wondering when everything will get back to the way it was … when will we have a low unemployment rate, a thriving manufacturing sector, a healthy construction industry, and so on? When will things get back to normal?
The best of management-labor relations, the worst of management-labor negotiations
September 28th, 2011
By: Eric Lundin
By: Eric Lundin
Two stories of management-labor relations came to my attention in the past few days, and the two stories couldn’t be more different from each other. They’re so opposite that Charles Dickens’ well-known introduction to A Tale of Two Cities accurately describes them.
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair …”
The first article is the cover story in the Route 422 Business Advisor, a monthly publication that focuses on the business corridor bounded by routes 422, 100, 202, and 30 in eastern Pennsylvania. The company at the heart of the article is Superior Tube Co. Inc. (Collegeville, Pa.). Despite the shaky economy, Superior is in one of its longest growth periods in four decades and predicting 50 percent growth in sales over the next few years. (more...)
Speculators panic, bubbles burst, then we start over
September 13th, 2011
By: Eric Lundin
By: Eric Lundin
Invest, invest, invest. The modern world has no shortage of ways to invest money if you have a little extra cash sitting around: real estate, commodities, stocks, corporate bonds, government bonds, and so on. Some specialized firms even invest in money, writing forward contracts to buy or sell currency at a future date, hoping that the value of the currency will decrease or increase in the meantime.
Regardless of an investment’s long-term potential, investors aren’t always patient, prudent, or rational. Investments are vulnerable to the whim of the masses, which is more than enough to send the value of a sound investment up a steep slope and over a cliff. (more...)
Learning lessons from McDonald's Corp.
August 31st, 2011
By: Eric Lundin
By: Eric Lundin
I saw a bold headline a few days ago: “Why McDonald’s wins in any economy.” As far as I am concerned, this is more of an advertisement for an article than a headline, and I am wary of flashy advertising, but it lured me in anyway. I figured a small investment, a few minutes of my time, might pay off in providing some perspective for you and your business. Fabricating metal has little to do with selling burgers and fries, but I thought the article might have a few strategic nuggets that apply to any business. (more...)
