In uncertain economic times, many countries are looking to manufacturing to provide useful growth and employment. Barack Obama and David Cameron in the US and UK are both long-time converts to the “pro-manufacturing” argument. Narendra Modi, India’s new-ish prime minister, has espoused a “Make in India” programme to give his country a lift. In Nigeria, […]
Detroit and the state of Michigan have been in the headlines a lot over the past few years – mainly as a result of a welter of grim economic news including the city’s slide into bankruptcy. But more recently have come some signs of a significant improvement in the fortunes of the region, driven partly […]
Manufacturing Renaissance Councils: Models for Success? By Thomas Hemphill Americans generally agree that they want their nation to remain the global leader in manufacturing. According to Leadership Wanted: U.S. Public Opinions on Manufacturing, a 2012 national survey, 90% of respondents rated manufacturing as “important” or “very important” for their economic prosperity and America’s standard of […]
Inditex has become the world’s largest fashion retailer. But how long can its dizzying expansion last? By Tobias Buck, Financial Times, June 18, 2014 A few weeks from now, young women all over the world will decide that what they really want to wear this summer is a long, flowing trenchcoat with a buckle belt […]
By Peter Marsh, Financial Times, June 17, 2014 Among the many champions of their own specific area of science and technology, at least Jennifer Holmgren, chief executive of Lanzatech, has something to shout about. The Illinois-based company is developing a chemical treatment capable of turning the carbon-rich waste gases of many industries into valuable chemicals […]
By James Woudhuysen, Spiked Online, June 14 2014 Despite the slew of advertising for fashion, cars and appliances, hostility to ‘stuff’ – manufactured products – has grown enormously in recent years. Books have been published in America, Australia and Britain on the subject of what they call ‘affluenza’, the nasty and even infectious side-effects of […]
By Peter Marsh, May 25 2014 The UK features many great literary festivals – and of these the long-running Ways with Words event held in the splendid location of Dartington Hall (pictured left), in the countryside in south Devon, is one of the best. It’s not often that the world of industry receives an airing […]
By Peter Marsh, Financial Times, May 19, 2014 The future is far from rosy for many manufacturers in Europe but Roberto Gavazzi, chief executive of Boffi, a top Italian maker of upmarket kitchen and bathroom units, is upbeat “I am very confident that the current difficult markets are getting better for the best brands,” he […]
By Peter Marsh, May 9 2014 It is high noon in one of the world’s longest running business battles. In beginning their competing efforts to acquire the prize of Alstom‘s electricity generation arm, Siemens and General Electric have entered the final bout of a marathon heavy-weight contest to determine the identity of the global leader […]
By Peter Marsh, March 26 2014 Moshen Sohi has come a long way from the time – as a six-year-old in his native Tehran – he became fascinated by pictures of Caterpillar bulldozers and decided he wanted to be a mechanical engineer. Since those formative days, Mr Sohi has forged a career in manufacturing largely […]
By Peter Marsh, April 15 2014 As a purveyor of subsea drones, blast doors and 3D printing machines for making replicas of human skulls, Raphaël Gorgé could be a James Bond villain in the making. But if Mr Gorgé has any threatening aspects to his personality, he disguises them masterfully as he describes his efforts […]
by Peter Marsh | 3 March 2014 A series of gleaming machines being assembled on a nondescript Staffordshire industrial estate conjures up something rare – a positive image of the UK’s progress in manufacturing technology. The £400,000 machines are 3D printing devices made by Renishaw, one of Britain’s leading engineering companies. The backing Renishaw has […]
