Archive for July 21st, 2008
July 21st, 2008
Earlier, I posted my observations on a business trip mid-week to the Chicago-land area. Then I questioned “where is the recession” with all the cars and trucks on the highways from Chicago to Rockford.
Over the past two weekends, I drove again to the Chicago-land area three times, once on a Friday, one a Saturday and one a Sunday (yesterday). Guess what? The same observations….lines of cars and trucks in both directions! None of the times were at “rush hour”.
I also noted that this weekend was a record box office weekend for movie goers; I see the Starbucks and Best Buys with many customers and retail sales are holding up. I saw a flash on the Internet from the release from the IMF (International Monetary Fund) that stated the U.S. consumers were holding up our economy and the rebate checks were just the thing at the right moment in time. Bet you didn’t see that on mainstream TV or radio! I didn’t either.
We don’t want to talk ourselves into misery. It’s bad for business and bad for manufacturing!
Keep on spending, consumers!
July 21st, 2008
In this week’s BusinessRockford.com and its Economic Index, it’s unfortunate that the headlines don’t match reality.
I think by now, most of us realize that the Rock River Valley no longer has the large manufacturing firms that once dotted our landscape and filled our workforce. We are now mostly small to medium sized companies employing 100 or fewer employees. Yes, we still have a few larger ones, such as Chrysler.
Unfortunately, when a Chrysler lays off 1,100 employees locally, it tends to distort the positive impact of the many remaining small to medium sized manufacturing companies. For the most part, these companies are still enjoying good, steady business and some are still growing. Some are still looking for engineers and factory employees.
So if you only read the headlines, you are not getting the correct view of what is really taking place. Manufacturing is more healthy that headlines indicate. Further, most of these companies are locally or family owned and not subject to the pressures that Wall Street gives to the big guys who are more concerned about their stock prices than the basics like customer service. Yes, we have our challenges, but there is nothing wrong with being a successful niche player!
So just ask around, as I do, and you’ll hear a different story than the headlines lead you to believe.
July 21st, 2008
I am one of the people who fill out John Lewis’s NIU Economic index survey. When I read the RRSTAR front page headline and the article they wrote about it I got a much different feeling than I did when I look at the results data graphs on the top of page 6C. I suggest you look at them again too. Adding together the categories same and higher comes up to some pretty good numbers. For instance manufacturing production: 31% believe it will be higher in the 3rd quarter and 54% believe it will be the same—-my companies’ the same would be pretty good!—but add the two together and you get a good percentage of manufacturing employers that are pretty positive about their next few months. When I am in the region doing sales or when companies come to our location we ask everyone—How is it going? A lot of those responses are very positive.
One thing I am noticing in the manufacturing community is the opportunities available. When the manufacturing sector was slowing in ‘99 to ‘2001 there just didn’t seem to be the opportunities that are available today. The RRValley has networked, and trained, gotten lean, and changed the way we think to the point where, I believe, we are in a different place. Do you agree?
Bloggers Blogg to elicit some type of response. They know you are there because there are stats on hits to their Blogg….do agree that 1-our local manufacturing situation would be okay if it could stay steady? and 2- that you as a person in manufacturing have more opportunities for sales, growth and profit than you did eight years ago?
If we say yes, then we need to send that positive message to the community rather than the negative message. Perception of a negative situation will stop our forward progress. I believe it is still pretty good to participate in manufacturing in the Rock River Valley—-we are making it happen! What do you say?……
