Economy

Energy Policy — What’s Going On These Days?

Energy Policy — What’s Going On These Days?

At Proficient Sourcing we are always interested in the subject of energy.  Cheap, reliable and abundant energy is vital to manufacturing in the US, and represents one of the primary competitive advantages we have to encourage reshoring.  But current events are unusual enough to jeopardize US energy advantages. Interestingly, 2021 will see the first increase in coal fired power generation in the US in several years, per the Energy Information Agency.  The primary reason is the… Read More

Supply Chain Problems — A Surprise?

Supply Chain Problems — A Surprise?

The country is facing a continuous stream of forecasts of supply chain problems, even threatening Christmas!  Pictures of multiple ships at anchor waiting to offload massive loads of containers are everywhere.  We heard a Los Angeles port authority claiming they’ve just begun to activate one of the very many “switches’ needed to ramp up operations.  The Secretary of Transportation recently returned from 2 months of some sort of personal time off, but apparently no one… Read More

Suppliers in SE Asia: May be better than China!

Suppliers in SE Asia: May be better than China!

Proficient Sourcing LLC exists to help buyers improve supply chains.  We do this by offering proven candidates for OEM buyers’ outsourced manufacturing needs in almost any area.  Here’s just a partial listing of the capabilities we can provide. Almost all our supplier candidates are domestic, and most are midwestern.  In some cases there’s a need for outsourcing overseas, and we have limited answers for such things, other than foundry work in China.  And many things… Read More

Reshoring: The Case Strengthens

Reshoring: The Case Strengthens

Several important current news factors support reshoring manufacturing as a high priority for the US.  Among these factors are efforts to raise the minimum wage to $15, supply chain risks for critical items such as medical supplies, semiconductors, rare earths, and employment difficulties throughout the economy.  All these strengthen the case for a robust manufacturing sector.  So what to do? As we all know, for decades the private sector has shipped a great deal of… Read More

Recovering US Manufacturing Competitiveness

Recovering US Manufacturing Competitiveness

The March 25, 2021, article on Market Watch discusses how the US can regain it’s former position as the world’s most competitive manufacturer. The compelling thought is the US has the world’s primary position in scientific research and discovery, which should drive manufacturing innovation. Why, then, haven’t US manufacturers been able to translate that big advantage into a global competitive advantage? And why have countries such as Germany and China become so prosperous with inferior… Read More

Jobs, Jobs, Jobs – Chapter 2

Jobs, Jobs, Jobs – Chapter 2

A great deal of the current administration’s spending seems to be directed to increasing jobs in America. Whether green energy or infrastructure, what’s made the news usually includes some reference to new job creation. Is this credible? Can the federal government make a meaningful contribution to the country’s employment, and if so, where and how? One thing for sure is subsidies for some businesses will surely create new jobs. The emphasis on green energy in… Read More

Help Wanted? Right!

Help Wanted? Right!

Jobs, jobs, jobs are frequently in the news these days, as the feds consider their various spending propositions. Since the last go-around of “shovel ready” projects apparently discovered most shovels were MIA, we wonder if all this jobs talk will be an economic boon or something else. At the present time we see rapidly rising fuel, metals and lumber costs, a transition to open businesses up after a lengthy restrictive period for covid, and some… Read More

Our 2021 China Trade Relationship

Our 2021 China Trade Relationship

As we look beyond coronavirus effects, much of how our economy develops in 2021 will depend upon how we deal with China. Obviously there have been significant changes due to the pandemic, and now we have a new administration. Many believe the new administration is more favorably inclined to China, and there are even some reports of China “buying” influence as a widespread problem. Here’s just one example from a San Francisco newsletter: “The inaugural… Read More

Manufacturing Reshoring as 2020 Ends

manufacturing reshoring

Several 2020 articles and news reports indicate reshoring of manufacturing is on the rise.  Clearly the pandemic has shown the limitations of overseas supply for critical items in a situation of rapidly increased global demand.  Increased reshoring might be a good economic boost, and act to counter the negative effects of the pandemic. The Trump administration made a great deal of noise about increasing US manufacturing, and especially bringing operations back from China.  Tax policies,… Read More

Manufacturing in 2021 – A Prediction

Manufacturing in 2021 – A Prediction

With all the unusual events of 2020, and the multiple effects on US manufacturing, what is forecast for 2021? Surely major change has got to occur, and how we respond to those changes is likely to be a very major factor in business growth. When we found a Forbes article from late December, Five Predictions for The Manufacturing Industry in 2021, we found some hints on what lies ahead. Proficient Sourcing, which finds and recommends… Read More