Manufacturing 2.0
Rock River Valley manufacturing experts discuss the many facets of manufacturing: technology, education, training, events, people and any other aspects of this important segment of our economy. They’ll use this blog to get the word out and solicit feedback on local and global manufacturing. They hope to better engage our employers, employees and our future work force and increase their understanding of manufacturing.

Archive for October 31st, 2008

Tax Threshold Creeping Down-Again!

Add comment October 31st, 2008

For many of our small-medium size manufacturing companies that are S-Corps, this has significance….

“For the second time in a week, a prominent Democrat has downgraded Barack Obama’s definition of the middle class — leading Republicans to question whether he’ll stick to his promise not to raise taxes on anyone making under $250,000.

The latest hiccup in the campaign message came Friday morning on KOA-AM, when New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson pegged the middle class as those making $120,000 and under.

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/31/low-richardson-pegs-middle-class-making/

Click here to listen to Richardson talk about Obama’s tax plan. 

“What Obama wants to do is he is basically looking at $120,000 and under among those that are in the middle class, and there is a tax cut for those,” Richardson said in the interview, according to a clip posted on YouTube.

There’s no indication that Obama has changed his tax policy, which states that anyone making under $200,000 would get a tax cut under his administration, and nobody making under $250,000 would be hit with a tax increase. Richardson actually recited that part of Obama’s plan correctly earlier in his radio interview.

But the Republican National Committee quickly blasted out an e-mail saying, “At this rate, it won’t take long until Obama is again raising taxes on Americans making as little as $42,000 a year.”

“When Barack Obama comes to your door this Halloween, there will be no treats — just taxes,” the e-mail said.

Joe Biden caused headaches for the campaign Monday when he told a Scranton, Pa., TV station that Obama’s tax break “should go to middle class people — people making under $150,000 a year.”

John McCain said the tax threshold was “creeping down,” while the Obama campaign accused him of lying about Obama’s tax policies. “

Is China’s Manufacturing Becoming Uncompetitive?

Add comment October 31st, 2008

Looks like China’s Manufacturing is having difficulties, may be an opportunity to bring some of this work back to the U.S.A.

Read the story here from Guardian U.K….

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/oct/31/china-manufacturing

Local Manufacturing Company Produces Gear Boxes for Navy Gun System

Add comment October 31st, 2008

Excel Gear, Inc. announces its transition from the prototype to the production stage on the first order of its 36:1 ratio gear boxes, specifically designed to assist positioning of the 78-ton gun turrets utilized in the Advanced Gun System (AGS) program.

BAE Systems, the Excel customer for this project, recently approved the prototypes on these 36:1 ratio gear boxes. BAE Systems is the primary contractor on the AGS, designed for use on the DDG 1000 destroyers used to support U.S. Navy and Marine Corps expeditionary and joint operation in the littorals and deep inland.

Check it out:  http://www.pddnet.com/scripts/ShowPR.asp?RID=23586&CommonCount=0

Congratulations, Excel Gear!!

Business Wisdom from the Ancients #2

Add comment October 31st, 2008

My earlier post of Business Wisdom from the Ancients caused me to look for another set of quotes.  These little gems can be useful during these stressful times:

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit…Aristotle, 384 BC – 322 BC, Greek philosopher, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great; Focus, focus focus, what you do over and over you get better at your products or services;

Each day I grow older and learn something new…Solon, 638 BC–558 BC) was an Athenian statesman, lawmaker and Lyric poet; Education is life-long learning; it was to them and it should be for us as well.

I am not an Athenian or Greek, I am a citizen of the world…Socrates, 469 BC–399 BC, a Classical Greek philosopher; Think of your markets in Global terms, look at the world as your market.

Well, maybe these old guys knew what they were doing, huh?