U.S.

The recent midterm elections have sparked hope that a Democratic White House and a Republican-controlled Congress will advance a number of long-stalled customs and trade initiatives. To help lawmakers brighten the holiday season before they adjourn for the year, we put together the following list of bills to boost domestic employment, expand foreign markets, align […]

Every few months news report claim we’re on the verge of another dot com bust or too much money is being pumped into too many start-ups that are destined to fail. These reports often are greatly exaggerated and demonstrate a total lack of understanding of the current startup market.

The curious drop in gasoline prices, which recently dipped below $3 for the first time since December 2010, may be welcome by consumers. But the accompanying dive in crude oil prices has some U.S. producers concerned. Though typical economic stressors of higher supplies and weaker global demand are in play, the current slump is indicative […]

William McChesney Martin, former chair of the Federal Reserve Board, famously stated that “the job of the Fed is to take away the punch bowl when the party is still going.” A quote from the 1960s, but very relevant today as the Fed voted in October to end the third quantitative easing (QE3) program. What […]

American manufacturing leads the world in productivity and innovation, and material-handling equipment is an area that has a tremendous impact on productivity. From strategies to eliminate unnecessary steps to “smart” machinery that can communicate over wireless networks, here are the top positive impacts that material-handling innovations will have on American manufacturing and distribution companies.

Animal spirits is a phrase coined by economist John Maynard Keynes in the 1930s in reference to risk taking, which is an essential part of any economic and financial system. Choosing which risks to take and which to avoid determines the fate of economies, companies and investors. In the 1930s, there was obviously a reluctance […]

If a business truly wants to understand its competition, it needs to be aware of its context. It should study the government the competition operates within and the industries being promoted by that government. Fortunately, for those interested, the Canadian government offers many resources to help businesses understand what sectors it prioritizes and emphasizes. As […]

I came across a fascinating article in The Wall Street Journal recently that reported that due to Germany’s aggressive promotion of vocational schools and skills training, the German unemployment rate for young people is below 8 percent...

U.S. elected local officials seeking to create and sustain solar industry job growth in their Congressional districts should be aware of and advocate accordingly on a current piece of U.S. trade policy toward China that is in the making — the International Trade Commission (ITC) investigation: Certain Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Products from China and Taiwan […]

Special Report — North American defense, Arctic security, and Russian imperial delusions are large interlocking topics. My purpose here is to provide context, linkages, and a broad analysis with some key specifics. In the space permitted, the assessment cannot be comprehensive. But I will examine some of the crucial actual and potential threats to Canada […]

Traditional American manufacturing activities are slowly returning from overseas. Whether the decisions to do so were initially based on rising costs abroad, the need to react quicker to American consumer demands or other reasons, many U.S. manufacturers are experiencing more benefits than initially considered. Here is a look at what it takes to drive the […]

American manufacturers should expect to see numerous benefits from 3D printing as the technology continues to improve and printing costs decrease. While large printers capable of running thousands of parts in a day are still costly, the smaller counterparts are becoming very affordable. It may soon be considered more expensive not to have a 3D […]

Earlier this year, both UPS and FedEx announced the full implementation of dimensional weight, a billing method that accounts for package length, width and height on all ground shipments in United States and Canada. Surprisingly, many individuals and companies that regularly ship small packages have either missed the press releases or don’t understand the implications. […]

When asked to describe the state of American manufacturing, many say it has been “hollowed out.” When asked why, they point to the decline in manufacturing jobs, note the few “Made in America” products on retail store shelves, and identify importing and offshoring as the culprits. Although many of these reasons appear persuasive, they’re not...

As of this writing, separate military offensives by Syrian government forces and jihadist militants from Islamic State (IS) were advancing rapidly on the city of Aleppo, the key remaining urban stronghold of the secular rebel FSA, which was forced to relinquish control of the city of Homs earlier this year. The loss of Aleppo likely […]

Monthly U.S. headlines trumpeting the death of inflation hide a painful truth for American families: rapidly rising food prices. News reports rarely mention this pain because the economists’ preferred inflation metric, so-called “core CPI,” omits both food and energy due to concerns about their volatility.

Experts estimate the Chinese have developed more than 1,700 projects in Africa between 2000 and 2011.(1) And National Public Radio recently aired a report detailing China’s growing ambition there, indicating that the continent is not only a place with abundant natural resources, but now a potential giant market for Chinese consumer goods. American businesses should […]

Much of who we are and how we learn is determined by our life experiences. Our parents are our teachers and mentors. They show us how to live, how to love, and how to be better people. Parents set the examples for us to follow in everyday life. These life lessons apply to business and […]

<p>These days, America competing with China is like an American runner competing against a Chinese runner, except that the American runner has to carry an anvil. It may be against the rules, but there&#8217;s little anyone can do about it. The Chinese have the advantage. But let’s not delude ourselves about China&#8217;s aims.</p>

Change in the manufacturing industry is required for growth and profit. Without a crystal ball, not all changes can be guaranteed, but certain changes appear to be gaining in strength. From an increase in green manufacturing to automated factories and reshoring, the manufacturing industry is evolving and several trends in this evolution are expected to [&hellip;]