MAPI — Manufacturers Alliance News and Reports — Robots, European Economic Outlook, and More

Issues in the Brief

Argentina: Change Brings Hope
After 12 years and two different Kirchner presidents, it is time for change in Argentina. The October 25 presidential election will mark the end of an era, a time of abundance for an economy endowed with natural resources, but also a period full of policy mistakes that have kept Argentina from setting the stage for sustainable development.

Talking Candidly About a Tough World Economy
This is the most difficult world economic picture that U.S. manufacturers have faced since 2008.

The Robot Revolution
Robots are advancing in capacity and use but will really take off when their power to generalize knowledge becomes a reality.

5 Megatrends That Are Transforming Manufacturing in 2015
Since the turn of the millennium, the manufacturing sector has evolved faster and more thoroughly than at any other time in history. Stephen Gold shares the game-changing components that are altering the industrial landscape.

Economic Update

U.S. Industrial Outlook, September 2015
Manufacturing industrial production rose at a 1.2% annual rate in the second quarter of 2015—a meager recovery from the weather-depressed 0.7% decline in the first quarter.

Manufacturing Activity: September 2015
In this video, Don notes that overall manufacturing production in the United States is bouncing up and down from month to month. In August, the automobile industry suffered the biggest drop in production and the overall sector lost 17,000 jobs — the first employment decline in two years.

European Economic Outlook: Manufacturing Recovery Stalls but Consumers Earn More, Spend More
Europe’s recovery may be slow, but production of consumer goods is accelerating. Within manufacturing, employment, hours worked and gross wages are all increasing. Meanwhile, consumer confidence is showing weakness and capital formation has stalled amid fears of instability.