Posted on 03/28/2017 6:10:32 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Even though tech progress tends to grab more headlines, there’s another “Made in America” story to be told. There’s a harkening back to the days of craftsmanship — and there is a groundswell of interest and entrepreneurship surrounding skills and trades.
Legions of people seek work that calls for the use of their hands. Men and women of all ages crave a job that allows them to create something physically. They want to make their own products.
American making and doing is strong. Maybe it’s the word “manufacturing” that gets misappropriated; we’re inclined to picture smoke-billowing factories and the dusty faces of the overworked and underfed. That’s not what I’m talking about. However, those who say the days of making things in America are days of the past — suggesting robots and artificial intelligence are the new workforce — are missing the magic.
Right here in Austin, iconic global brands like Emerson and Dell are developing revolutionary solutions and technologies. Manufacturing employs more than 12 million Americans, and for every dollar invested in manufacturing, $1.81 is added to the economy, according to data from the National Association of Manufacturers.
American-made footwear is an industry that has declined steadily since the 1930s. Yet, HELM Boots and other shoe companies are succeeding by handcrafting high-quality leather products on machines dating from that very era. Noah Marion, Stash Co. and Cobra Rock Boots are doing contemporary leatherwork with an old-school commitment to American-made goods.
You can shop Shaesby for beautiful jewelry, Roux St. James for fine fragrances, Esby for the perfect casual women’s wear and Keith Kreeger for ceramics. You could clothe and accessorize head to toe, purchasing only from local manufacturers; and you could outfit your home the same way....
(Excerpt) Read more at mystatesman.com ...
Ceramics and China are made in the USA, while MacBooks and iPhones are made in China.
My grandfather was a master carpenter for a big company.
After he retired for about 6 years he redid kitchens for friends, neighbors and not too many relatives.
He had a stroke and had to stop the major projects, but he still would with help put in new cabinets and other wood work for a couple of years for his picky daughters.
I asked him why he loved his corporate job and later his own carpentry work.
His reply, “I had one of the few professions, where when it was finished, I could step back and say to myself good job.”
‘If I was lucky, my customers would tell me, Great Job!’
So few jobs/professions enable one to get that feedback.Our happiest youngest relatives are guy and gals that have jobs that enable them to get positive feedback from others and themselves.
Our PG&E repair guys/gals seem happy and the Comcast and other installers. Those who install appliances seem to enjoy their jobs.
If young people are interested in making things, they should check out TechShop. State of the art tools, instructional classes, and help. Welding, CNC cutting, metal and plastic fabrication, powder coating, electronics, they have it all covered and more. I helped my son-in-law make stuff at the Austin TechShop, he’s an inventor and is self-employed. There are other TechShops sprinkled around the country.
A young friend of mine was a male nurse, and in the same vintage car club as me. He began making his own metal replacement parts. Rented a corner of a machine shop. Started making parts for others. After a few years he opened his own machine shop and quit his regular job. Making big bucks now. There is definitely a return to manufacturing here by some young people. A good sign for America.
The future of manufacturing is simply downloading. You download the design, either open source or paid, and the printed widget arrives in a couple of hours via drones. Manufactured in the cloud, quite literally indeed. Floating warehouses above you. Ah I can’t dream without violating some federal regulation.
Carpentry is one of my hobbies in retirement. I've made cabinets and bookcases for my daughters. My oldest daughter says there is a big demand for custom-made furniture in her circle of friends, and money to be made doing so. I declined as I'm retired and only make them for family, but here's a money-making idea for young people. Check out Kreg tools, their products make it easy to build.
This will in my opinion be one of the big tests of the Trump presidency.
Everyone for the entire last generation, has been about sending American jobs elsewhere, mostly to China, but also a bunch of other countries.
Everyone. Presidents. Administrations. And all the special interests. Everyone was all about “globalization”.
Trump is the first person anywhere, to be for American growth once again.
He has a big challenge on his hands, but he is right.
This will not be turned around simply by what you are alluding to.
Our government needs to set up a much more pro-American business climate.
And our businesses need to be for building things here, once again.
Big, big challenge, this.
We also need to re-establish and properly respect a vocational education system- one fit for the 21st century - as a worth equal of the four year college degree track. No matter how sophisticated we get we will need good plumbers.
For J....
I’ma Mike Rowe fan, too.
While there are plenty of things to criticise him about, our governor, Nathan Deal, has done wonders for the vocational education system in GA. Companies like Caterpillar, Kia, Siemens, and others have responded by locating/expanding here.
There is something to be said for craftsmanship. I really enjoy making things and loved traveling around Germany to see the old-world trades still being practiced.
Automation is great, but it can’t replace true skill. The eye that can discern the finished product in a raw material can’t be reproduced by an algorithm. Some of the most stunning pieces I’ve seen were created with materials that would have been considered flawed except for the skill that wrought them into art.
And with the glory be to God you helped another person get what they needed, while that effort put food on your plate. That's the kind of stuff that builds friendships and pride and humility, neighborhoods and faith and the striving for better quality, workmanship and more customers.
Satisfaction in your own daily work spreads to those around you. Shine that light, especially to the younger ones.
fl
I love Mike Rowe.
I definitely want to know more about Tech Shop. I’d never heard of it before. Thank you for the idea.
Locations in Arizona, California, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia/WashDC.
My son-in-law makes and sells electronic musical equipment. He designs the infrastructure on CAD, then goes to TechShop to fabricate prototypes. Saves a lot of money that way, using a $200,000 CNC machine there to slice the metal components complete with all mounting holes and slots, then uses their powder-coating facility (huge) to paint them. Silk-screens the legends for knobs and controls. Then installs and programs the electronics. He’ll do several prototype designs and test before settling on one to send to a mass producer. TechShop has all the expensive equipment that he can’t afford to own.
There are a lot of young people there, newbies learning skills as well as experts honing their crafts. They have instruction classes on all the equipment they have on site, and there are people that help. Not just guys, but gals as well. There’s a large section regarding clothing manufacture, woodworking, arts and crafts, painting, so it’s not all metalwork. I wish something like this existed when I was young (now retired). When young, I worked in plastics fabrication shops before getting into IT but would have liked to learn other crafts but couldn’t afford the equipment.
Thank for the info. I signed up for the mailing list to keep it in mind.
The closest one is in DC (in SC).
I’m in IT and used to love it but now it’s a job. At one time I could work with my hands and sometimes have an idea.
I’d love to take CNC at the local college along with welding someday.
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