If you have stationary reciprocating internal combustion engines (gasoline or diesel) for standby generators, pumps, etc, these January 14, 2013 final revisions to the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants may apply to you.
New rules finalized January 14, 2013 for these…
Keeping up with the latest changes in regulatory issues is just one way we provide value to our members. The new requirements are posted on our website under Knowledge and Tools Regulatory Reference Information. Here is a shortcut.
If you have stationary internal combustion powered equipment at your shop, whether diesel or gas, you need to take a look at what we have posted.
Had a great discussion with a colleague about “Hope.” He defined hope as being “earnest expectations”- as opposed to all the nebulous, touchy-feeley stuff that most people seem to think it is.
This is NOT what hope looks like in my book!
I considered what he said, and offerred, that to me, hope is more than just earnest expectations.
Hope is Positive Earnest Expectations!
Here are my 5 Positive Earnest Expectations for 2013:
Automotive market will continue to strengthen.
When I worked at a steel barmill, it was certain knowledge that automotive was the most important driver of bar steel sales. “No one would build a bar mill for steel if it wasn’t for automotive.” Said Everyone. To. The New Guy. (Me.) We see estimates of a 15 million auto sales for 2013. That may be a little high, but if housing continues to strengthen too, well, tradesmen will need pickup trucks and vans. And THAT could be a boost to auto sales.
Housing market will continue to strengthen.
It merely has to revert to the mean. We continue to see a number of positive indicators and comments from people who follow housing. But it’s pretty simple, really- houses are currently cheap; there is a lot of cash around in the hands of people and their parents who have jobs. People who have not spent the last 99 weeks on unemployment are seriously starting to think about picking up a bargain in real estate. Not to flip, but for the long run.
If you want to get a well paying job- consider precision machining.
Our industry recognizes its need for talent and skilled workers. 66 percent of our companies reporting in December expect employment opportunities to remain the same. (Most every shop I know has at least an opening or two for a skilled operator even in today’s market.) An additional 10 percent expect them to increase. While the balance, 24 percent feel that employment opportunities will decline, the fact is that demographics, politics of the past few years, and the fact that several of our markets are recovering tell me that if you can do the math, and are interested in technical work, you could get a well paying job in precision machining. Career link.
Technology will continue to improve in our industry.
Just saw a breathlessly optimistic special report on robotics by Kiplinger Reports. I continue to see robots being deployed in the shops I visit, and integrated into machines for chucking as well as for removing finished parts. The people that we hire today aren’t going to be hired because they can move parts. They will be hired because they can think. solve problems, and create value. We’ll leave the mindless moving from point A to point B to the robots as we continue to face increased employment and regulatory costs.(Tip, learning about robotics and their controls is a great career strategy as I see it…) Kiplinger Robots Slide Show
PMPA National Meetings will be ‘Hugely Successful’ this year.
Our Management Update Meeting in February is loaded with critical intelligence insights to help you intelligently manage risk. (More than enough risk being faced every day.) Regulatory risk, hiring risk, healthcare risk, organizational risk. And sessions covering leadership, high performance collaborative work, and organizational improvement. (It’s not enough to manage risk, you also must continuously improve!) Our National Technical Conference and PMTS in April will feature programs that will enable your attendees to immediately apply new knowledge to problems they face daily in your shop. Understanding materials. Understanding GDT. Better use of macros. And about another 24 or 25 other hands- on topics of interest to operators, leadmen, engineers, quality and management personnel.
Positive Earnest Expectations. That is what I think hope looks like.
Stronger markets for cars, trucks, and housing. Employment opportunities for people looking for a career that puts them at their highest and best use – and growing daily.
And a successful year for your association, as we continue to deliver what you need to stay competitive, sustainable, and off the regulatory systems radar.
What are your Positive Earnest Expectations for 2013?
Four of the top five manufacturing sectors by added employment in 2012 were key markets served by precision machining; Transportation Equipment, Motor Vehicles and Parts, Fabricated Metal Products, Machinery.
(The fifth market was Food Manufacturing, and yes, some of our companies make parts for food service too- think blender parts, nozzles and components for food dispensing, preparation and packaging equipment.)
Graph courtesy Chad Moutray, National Association of Manufacturers, NAM.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of Jobs in Manufacturing increased by 180,000 in 2012.
“In December, manufacturing employment rose by 25,000, with small gains in a number of component industries. In 2012, factory employment increased by 180,000; most of the growth occurred during the first quarter.”
“In December, the average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls edged up by 0.1 hour to 34.5 hours. The manufacturing workweek edged up by 0.1 hour to 40.7 hours, and factory overtime was unchanged at 3.3 hours.”
While there are signs that manufacturing employment gains have slowed down in the second half, those were connected to the economic uncertainties tied to the Presidential Election, Fiscal Cliff, and Global Economic Slowdown. Two of these three special causes are now behind us.
As the graph above shows, Manufacturing is the place to look for employment gains.
The softness in manufacturing employment in the last half of 2012 belies the demand that our industry will have for talented workers going forward. As the BLS workweek hours indicate, Manufacturing currently is using overtime to meet its needs. Given demographic trends, current lean staffing, and the push to reshore production, any economic upturn at all will be strongly bullish for employment prospects in Manufacturing in 2013.
Improvements in Housing Markets are already visible and a 15+ million auto sales forecast are two indicators that suggest if you want to find a well paying job in 2013, Precision Machining (Advanced Manufacturing) is a great place to apply.
For information about careers in Precision Machining, check out our Career Resources Page on the PMPA Website.
I continue to speak with instructors, counselors, and officials at local community colleges across the country. They are unanimous in saying that their machining students “have multiple job offers before they graduate.”
Seth Godin has just published his latest book, The Icarus Deception.
It is a challenging read for all of us who are finding that keeping our heads down, staying under the radar, and blindly complying are no longer even “safe behaviors” in today’s economy.
For those of us who heed the old rule to not fly too close to the sun.
Read this book!
Are you following (or even worse enforcing) the old rules in your shop?
Playing it safe
Better safe than sorry
Stick to the plan
Blend in
Seth shows the new truths we need to master today. It is better to:
Be sorry than safe
Perform rather than fit in
Fly higher than to stay in our comfort zone
Many readers will find a disconnect because they don’t think of themselves as ‘Artists.’ And because Seth says that industrialism is dead- and we make our living in manufacturing.
But as craftsmen, we embody the attitude of the Artist in our work every day:
The vision of what is needed to be done
The knowledge of how to do it
The ability to make it so
More importantly, we have the courage to do our thing.
The December ISM Manufacturing Report is out, and the headline story is good news.
But the full report is a bit of a mixed bag for our industry.
Manufacturing is back in expansion mode as the Purchasing Manager’s Index, “‘The PMI™,’ registered 50.7 percent, an increase of 1.2 percentage points from November’s reading of 49.5 percent, indicating expansion in manufacturing for only the third time in the last seven months. This month’s PMI™ reading moved manufacturing off its low point for 2012 in November.” – ISM Report Dec 2012
A closer readinghowever notes that “The nine industries reporting contraction in December — listed in order — are: Nonmetallic Mineral Products; Chemical Products; Miscellaneous Manufacturing; Plastics & Rubber Products; Fabricated Metal Products; Transportation Equipment; Machinery; Electrical Equipment, Appliances & Components; and Apparel, Leather & Allied Products.” – ISM Report Dec 2012
Precision machining is an industry of Fabricated Metal Products. Four of our most important market segments were also in decline in December: Transportation Equipment; Machinery; Electrical Equipment, Appliances & Components. The market we see is not as rosy as the headline.
In addition, the New Orders component of the survey, at 50.3, went unchanged. This suggests that new orders, the source of our business’s future production, was virtually unchanged in December. The backlog of orders component, at 48.5,indicates a small contraction of the orders book.
