| MAPI Research and Insight |
Europe shows signs of desperation  | | Bledowski (MAPI) |
Krzysztof Bledowski, Ph.D., director of economic studies
The European Central Bank is making another attempt at stability through dramatic measures. Europe's falling prices, currency, punitive rates on bank profits and convoluted politics all complicate the effects of policymaking. Recent data on industrial production and GDP have been promising, however. Issues in Brief
Video: Manufacturing's productivity evolution Cliff Waldman, director of economic studies
Cliff briefly summarizes five critical conclusions from his new paper on manufacturing productivity and his concerns about the outlook for this important variable that affects the long-term performance of every industry. He also offers a prescription for improving the productivity outlook. YouTube (3/4) |
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Why Google doesn't want to build humanoid robots Google is reportedly trying to sell Boston Dynamics, its advanced robotics division, amid cultural differences between the unit and Google's other innovation efforts, and concern that the unit's construction of humanoid robots could prove a PR disaster for the parent company. "There's excitement from the tech press, but we're also starting to see some negative threads about it being terrifying," communications director Courtney Hohne warned in a leaked email. Bloomberg (3/17) |
MAPI Foundation forecasts only 1.1% production growth this year  | | Meckstroth (MAPI) |
Manufacturing industrial production stayed the same between the third and fourth quarter of 2015, according to the MAPI Foundation's latest quarterly U.S. Industrial Outlook. It also revised the production forecast for 2016 to a lower 1.1% because of larger economic trends. The following years will see improvement, with the forecast for 2017 and 2018 at 2.4% and 2.5%, respectively. "Strong employment growth amid little inflation boosts consumer income and spending," Chief Economist Dan Meckstroth said. "Motor vehicle and housing supply chains are the driving force offsetting the deep recession in mining and energy capital spending and the pervasive drag of a strong dollar." Modern Distribution Management (3/16)
Lagging productivity in tech industry drags down manufacturing Slowing productivity growth in the computer and electronic products industry is dragging down the manufacturing sector, despite productivity gains in other industries, according to a MAPI Foundation report. Machinery, transportation equipment and printing have been experiencing productivity gains for years, but this has not been enough on an absolute basis to make up for the decline in the tech sector, which has an outsized manufacturing footprint. MAPI Foundation's director of economic studies, Cliff Waldman, suggested industrial clusters as a solution. "Clusters maximize the benefits of geographic proximity by coordinating resource use," he said. Modern Distribution Management (3/21) |
 | Thunder is good, thunder is impressive; but it is lightning that does the work." |
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The Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation, founded in 1933 and located in Arlington, VA, contributes to the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing by providing economic research, professional development and an independent, expert source of manufacturing information. www.mapi.net |
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