The Manufacturing Report

On this episode of The Manufacturing Report, host Scott Paul chats with

Margaux DelCollo, the co-owner of Twee, a women-owned maker's studio in Philadelphia. Twee is best known for its whimsical sidewalk chalk, which comes in a variety of shapes and colors. But as DelCollo explains in the episode, Twee brings a lot more to the table (or sidewalk), too.

Photo courtesy of Twee.

China already is laps ahead of the United States when it comes to the production of electric vehicles. That's a threat to the entire U.S. auto industry, and the millions of jobs it supports.

On this episode, Scott Paul talks to Emily de la Bruyere and Nathan Picarsic of Horizon Advisory about their new report, "China's Head Start: CCP Industrial Policy for Global Automotive Ascendance," which examines how China's government is planning to use the rise of electric vehicles to dominate the auto industry, along with what the U.S. needs to do now to counter China's ambitions.

Read the report here: https://www.horizonadvisory.org/headstart

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Manufacturing policy is dominating much of the discussion in Washington these days -- but will any of it produce real world results? In this episode of The Manufacturing Report, Alliance for American President Scott Paul joins AAM staffers Scott Boos and Elizabeth Brotherton-Bunch to talk about everything from infrastructure investment to the competition with China to President Biden's trip to the G7 summit in Europe.

Photo by Getty Images

Welcome Industries earned acclaim for its Visual Measuring Cups, which take the guesswork out of cooking and baking — a half a cup looks like half a cup! Now the company is preparing to release its Visual Measuring Spoons, which brings the creative concept to tablespoons and teaspoons.

Welcome Industries founder and industrial designer Pam Daniels joins host Scott Paul to talk about the journey of bringing Visual Measure Cups to market, including why the company decided to manufacture its products in Chicago. You can order Visual Measuring Cups and Spoons here: https://welcomeindustries.com/shop

Photo courtesy of Welcome Industries

The Manufacturing Report first chatted with Okabashi's Sara Irvani in 2019 to learn more about her company's history and commitment to Made in America. Now we're catching up with Irvani to find out how Okabashi weathered the COVID-19 pandemic, and what the company is planning next.

"This is a category of shoes that not only brings comfort, but brings joy," Irvani said. "And in these tough times, I think it becomes more important than ever to have sources of joy."

Photo courtesy of Okabashi

Back in January, Dan Breznitz co-authored an insightful op-ed for The New York Times on how the desire for short-term gains led the United States to offshore much of its production. That policy choice caused the loss of millions of good-paying jobs and left the U.S. unable to respond in a crisis.

Now Breznitz is out with a new book, "Innovation in Real Places: Strategies for Prosperity in an Unforgiving World," which looks at ways to promote innovation policy that benefits as many people as possible.

AAM President Scott Paul chats with Breznitz about the book, and what the United States must do to bring critical manufacturing back.

More on the book: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/innovation-in-real-places-9780197508114?q=innovation%20in%20real%20places&lang=en&cc=us

The New York Times op-ed: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/04/opinion/manufacturing-united-states-masks.html

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Melody and Jeremy Briggs took a risk and started Luosh USA, a surgical face mask manufacturing company, to bring more much-needed personal protective equipment to market. For Melody Briggs, who immigrated to the United States from China, it also was a way to show her patriotism for her adopted country — while including a nod to her family's heritage in the new company's name.

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) released its 2021 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure this March, giving U.S. national infrastructure a decidedly mediocre ‘C-‘ grade. Eleven categories of infrastructure fared even worse, earning a D+ or less. But President Biden’s ambitious infrastructure investment plan could change all that. ASCE Executive Director Thomas Smith examines the consequences of America’s crumbling roads, airports, schools and so much more and what Biden and Congress need to do now to avoid catastrophe.

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When Oxford Pennant Co-Founder Dave Horesh last joined The Manufacturing Report in March 2020, the world had just turned upside down, and pandemic pressures were threatening to close small businesses nationwide. And yet, 2020 was the wool felt pennant maker’s most successful ever. The key to their success? Tapping into the conversation. Here’s how they did it.

Listen to Horesh's March 2020 interview: https://soundcloud.com/keep-it-made-in-america/oxford-pennant

Photo courtesy of Oxford Pennant

The Biden administration is preparing to reinitiate trade negotiations with an evermore aggressive Chinese government. Clyde Prestowitz, a veteran U.S. trade negotiator and presidential adviser who served as a leader of the first U.S. trade mission to China, contends that the U.S. must first seriously invest in its own manufacturing base.

In his new book, "The World Turned Upside Down: America, China, and the Struggle for Global Leadership", Prestowitz details how America can reclaim its critical role as the workshop of the world.

Photo courtesy of Yale University Press