Free Republic

Donald Trump pledged that his administration would be about three things, "jobs, jobs, jobs." When Ford Motor Company announced on Tuesday that it would invest $7 billion in a new U.S. plant in Flat Rock, Michigan and hire 700 new workers, Trump appeared to be keeping one of his most important campaign promises. According to experts, if Trump wants to continue on his path towards millions of well-paying American jobs, there is only so much he can do from the Oval Office and on Twitter. Trump will need buy in from lawmakers to get regulatory and tax reforms if he...

INDUSTRIAL policy via Twitter is a new development in economics but we may all have to get used to it over the next four (or eight) years. Donald Trump's tweets on the car industry (and his planned cuts to corporate income tax) may or may not have persuaded Ford to keep a plant in Michigan, creating 700 jobs. But the problem with such headline-grabbing is that there are thousands of companies in America, and jobs are being created or destroyed every day; intervening in all these situations is impossible. Even in cars, for example, GM has recently announced 3,300 lay-offs,...

Link only due to copyright issues: http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/01/how-trump-won-the-white-working-class

Stanley Black & Decker is opening a new $35 million manufacturing plant in the United States to help it rebuild, and perhaps more importantly "re-Americanize," the Craftsman tool brand it just bought from Sears Holdings. While the extra capacity should help get a once-iconic $2 billion a year line back on its feet, the move also potentially offers Stanley Black & Decker another benefit: shielding it from a potential surge in economic nationalism under President-elect Donald Trump. Though Stanley Black & Decker chief executive James Loree did not mention Trump by name in his comments to Wall Street analysts and...

Ford Motor Company's cancellation of plans to build a $1.6 billion auto manufacturing plant in San Luis Potosi has sounded alarms throughout Mexico. Even as the country is being rocked by rowdy nationwide protests against a Jan. 1 gasoline price hike, the Ford news led the front pages of Mexico's most influential newspapers on Wednesday, and they tied the development directly to President-elect Donald Trump. "Trump leaves Mexico without 3,600 jobs," read the headline on El Universal. "Ford's braking jolts the peso," said Reforma, referring to the Mexican currency's nearly 1 percent slump following the news. "The jobs created in...

"Mexico loses thousands of jobs with no word on a clear strategy for confronting the next U.S. government which has presented itself as protectionist and, especially, anti-Mexican," the paper wrote. "Trump will try to recover as many U.S. companies that have set up in Mexico as possible. He will try to make them return at whatever cost, through threats or using public resources." "Ford's decision is indicative of what awaits the economies of both countries," the daily La Jornada said. "For ours a severe decrease in investment from our neighboring country, and for the U.S. a notable increase in their...

Ford Motor announced Tuesday that it would not invest in new manufacturing operations in Mexico, and instead would create 700 new jobs in Michigan. This follows on the heels of a similar announcement by the United Technologies unit, Carrier, in November that it would save hundreds of jobs at an Indiana plant, and not move them to Mexico. These moves did not take place in a vacuum. In each case, the companies faced an implicit, and sometimes explicit, threat from President-elect Donald Trump. And it will be fascinating to watch what GM ultimately does in response to Trump's tweet Tuesday...

Ford says it is creating new jobs in the US Before he's even taken office, President-elect Donald Trump has proven to be quite the job creator. Ford Motor Company announced Tuesday it will cancel a $1.6 billion plant planned for Mexico and will instead invest $700 million in a Michigan assembly plant, directly tying the decision to “pro-growth policies” championed by President-elect Donald Trump.

Ford is canceling plans to build a new plant in Mexico. It will invest $700 million in Michigan instead, creating 700 new U.S. jobs. Ford (F) CEO Mark Fields said the investment is a "vote of confidence" in the pro-business environment president-elect Donald Trump is creating. However, he stressed Ford did not do any sort of special deal with Trump. "We didn't cut a deal with Trump. We did it for our business," Fields told CNN's Poppy Harlow in an exclusive interview Tuesday. He said Ford did speak with Trump and vice-president elect Mike Pence this morning. Powered by SmartAsset.com...

U.S. construction spending rose more than expected in November, reaching its highest level in 10-1/2 years, which could provide a lift to fourth-quarter economic growth. The Commerce Department said on Tuesday that construction spending increased 0.9 percent to $1.18 trillion, the highest level since April 2006. It was boosted by gains in both private and public sector investment Construction spending in October was revised up to show a 0.6 percent rise instead of the previously reported 0.5 percent increase. Construction spending was up 4.1 percent from a year ago in November. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast construction spending rising...

Ford canceling plans for $1.6 billion plant in Mexico, investing $700 million in Michigan expansion instead

Link only due to copyright issues: http://pilotonline.com/opinion/columnist/guest/betsey-stevenson-manly-men-need-to-take-on-more-girly/article_e91fa291-8136-5961-9e8c-0e726ca7f905.html

Factory heads in Minnesota and the rest of the Midwest are ready for 2016 to be over. Pressure from the strong U.S. dollar coupled with soft oil, mining and agriculture sectors meant tough conditions across the board. Add in some nervousness because of a pending presidential election and optimism was tepid. Enter 2017. U.S. manufacturers say on surveys they are upbeat and cautiously optimistic about the new year. Bad trends will reverse themselves and positive trends — such as efficiency gains, infrastructure spending and improved pricing for oil and iron ore — will gain momentum, according to national and Midwest...

Manufacturers can’t wait for Inauguration Day. Like the first hours of New Year’s Day and baseball’s Opening Day, anything feels possible. And when you’ve been battling eight years of volatility and policy uncertainty in the rules governing the workplace, a new way forward is exactly what we need—to help American workers and families with more jobs and higher pay. A recent National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) study calculated the cost of recent labor regulations to the economy to be $85 billion, more than 400 million hours of paperwork and up to 155,000 jobs lost over the next 10 years. That’s...

Catawba County was the biggest winner in last week’s announcement that GKN Driveline would bring 302 jobs and $179 million in investment to four of its N.C. facilities. A GKN Driveline facility in Maiden will get almost half of the jobs (143) and more than 60% of the investment ($110 million). It’s the second big expansion at the Maiden plant in two years as GKN works to meet demand for new technology in automobile drivetrain design. In 2014, the company added 228 employees and spent $114 million at the plant. Once the latest new hires are added over the coming...

The four mega-trends shaping the global auto industry over the next 15-odd years are undoubtedly vehicles with lower emissions, new powertrain technologies, autonomous automobiles and vehicle digitalization. Reflecting these mega-trends, one can anticipate more developments in lightweighting, drivetrain optimization, car computerization, infotainment and driverless transportation in 2017. Here PlasticsToday gives its take on some of the key developments expected in 2017. Staying connected, and entertained Rather than being interested in the size of the engine and the shape of the car, consumers are now more interested in “infotainment” systems, being connected, autonomous driving and diverse mobility, notes consultant McKinsey. Traditionally,...

Columbus-based Lindal Manufacturing Inc. is planning to expand operations in Bartholomew County. The company will invest more than $17 million to build and equip a 100,000 square-foot facility in a move it says will retain 65 jobs and add 30 jobs over the next three years. The Republic reports the Columbus City Council has approved 10-year tax abatements for the construction of the facility and the purchase of the new equipment. Lindal North America Managing Director Jerry Miller tells the publication the company plans to break ground in the spring with construction expected to take nine months to complete. The...

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese electronics company Panasonic and U.S. electric car maker Tesla said Tuesday they plan to begin production of photovoltaic cells and modules at a factory in Buffalo, New York. The two companies said they finalized an agreement calling for Tokyo-based Panasonic to pay capital costs for the manufacturing. Palo Alto, California-based Tesla made a "long-term purchase commitment" to Panasonic. Their statement gave no financial figures. The factory in Buffalo is under development by SolarCity Corp., a San Mateo, California-based solar panel company owned by Tesla. The PV cells and modules it produces will be used in solar...

Change is afoot in the fashion industry. We've already seen glimpses of how the tectonic plates in the fashion world are moving. In one of our best-read fashion stories of 2016, we explored how some of the premium U.S. fashion brands of the past—Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren—have lost their luster. They're losing ground to a new generation of direct-to-consumer brands that were born on the internet, including Everlane, Cuyana, M.Gemi, DSTLD, American Giant, and Vrai & Oro. These companies are offering something different from the flashy designers of yesterday: the insight into their supply chain and sometimes even...

President-elect Donald J. Trump’s incoming administration is girding for battle with corporatists, globalists, and special business interests over his core policy objective of bringing U.S. manufacturing jobs that have been shipped overseas back to the United States, several senior advisers to Trump tell Breitbart News. “There is a big fight brewing over control of the American economy’s direction,” one of three senior advisers to the president-elect with intimate knowledge of the looming fight told Breitbart News. “Globalists, Wall Street fat cats and corporatists are fighting against President-elect Trump’s core message of returning the United States back to a major manufacturing...