Bryan Iams, vice president of corporate and government affairs for PPG Industries, argues on the “Congress Blog” inThe Hill(1/12) that “there has never been a better time” for lawmakers “to leverage the current revival in U.S. manufacturing.” He cites a NAM finding that the sector accounts for over 17 million good-paying American jobs and contributes over $2 trillion to GDP, or 12.5%. Iams credits “affordable energy” and “competitive labor costs” for current successes, but he calls for “the help of our elected officials to continue this momentum.” Congress’ focus, he says, should be on: making the US tax system “more competitive” and aimed at spurring innovation, investment, job creation, and growth; “enhancing” education through increased STEM instruction “to address the ongoing skills gap and build the 21st-century workforce that manufacturers need”; streamlining immigration procedures so that “talented” foreign workers can remain in the US “without displacing” American employees; and creating an environment in which “regulation isn’t a hindrance to growth.”

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The U.S. economy generated 2.95 million net new nonfarm payroll workers in 2014, the fastest annual pace since 1999. In addition, the unemployment rate fell to 5.6 percent, its lowest level since June 2008. One might quibble that these figures overstate the overall health of the labor market, with part-time employment and unemployment still being a challenge. Indeed, the participation rate remains near 30-year lows. Still, the data suggest movement in the right direction. Manufacturers, for instance, hired an additional 15,500 workers on average each month in 2014, with 762,000 more employees since the end of 2009. The sector currently employs just more than 12.2 million workers. Therefore, manufacturing employment has increased at a decent pace of late, consistent with a mostly upbeat outlook.

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Col-Met Engineered Finishing Solutions’ team joined with city officials and development partners to celebrate the groundbreaking of their new facility being built in Rockwall, Texas.

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US Factory Orders Down 0.7% In November

The AP (1/6, Crutsinger), citing Commerce Department data released Tuesday, reports that orders to US factories declined for a fourth consecutive month in November, with a 0.5% drop in demand in the “closely watched” category of primary metals, industrial machinery, and military aircraft, indicating that planned business investment was down for the third month in a row. The AP said economists nonetheless “remain optimistic that the drop in orders is a temporary soft patch” and that a strengthening economy fueled by greater consumer spending “will trigger a rebound in demand in 2015.” The Commerce Department also said that demand for durable goods fell 0.9% in November, the third decline in the past four months. On a seasonally adjusted basis, total factory orders in November amounted to $492.7 billion, giving the first 11 months of 2014 a gain of 3.4% over the same period in 2013.

For more news from the National Association of Manufacturers, visit www.nam.org.

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Analysis: In 2015, Manufacturers’ Challenges Will Persist, But Demand Should Improve.

In an analysis of business trends for 2015, the Wall Street Journal (1/5, B1, Subscription Publication) predicts that US manufacturers that export will see a continuation of challenges from 2014, when the nation’s trade deficit in manufactured goods grew yet larger – to $606 billion for the first 10 months of the year, mainly due to weak demand in Europe and Latin America, even as the dollar grew stronger and the US increased imports of merchandise from China. In 2015, demand for US goods is likely to be a bit stronger from Europe, Japan, and Latin America, according to economist Daniel Meckstroth of the research foundation MAPI. He also forecasts that the US economy will grow at a faster pace than those of other advanced economies, a trend that would help boost imports to the US.

For more on NAM, visit www.nam.org.

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As one of many steps in transforming its organization, Col-Met Engineered Finishing Solutions, Rockwall, Texas, has modified its logo.  The company reports that its market research reveals they were viewed as a spray booth provider. “We felt it important to not only use this time to change our logo and look, but to also line up our talents with the new direction,” according to a company press release.

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While it is true that the ability to reclaim overspray powder is a prominent selling point of the powder coating process, this does not mean that it makes sense for you under every circumstance. Everyone who either has an existing powder coating process or is looking to purchase one must eventually come to grips with this issue.

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The Powder Coating Institute (PCI) has announced its first scholarship award recipients for students at University of Akron and North Dakota State University. The Educational Fund is designated for the sole purpose of soliciting, recommending and approving scholarship awards to students who are pursuing studies in fields related to powder coatings. They must be attending an educational institution that offers studies related to the powder coating industry such as polymer science, manufacturing, or engineering.

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Auxiliary Equipment

Argon Masking Corp.
Monrovia, CA • 303-766-4284
www.argonusa.com

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The 2014 Powder Coating Show, which was held in Indianapolis this past September 16-18, is in the rearview mirror now. Let’s take a look back and reminisce (or see what you missed if you were unable to attend)!

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