Supply chains and logistics are an integral and important part of a successful manufacturing operation. They have always been so, but with the advent of the COVID-19 virus and its having shut down the world’s economy for a time during a period of global quarantine, supply-chain issues have since taken center stage for consumers and manufacturers alike.

Yesterday I bought a simple, gas-powered Craftsman lawnmower with a Briggs & Stratton engine. It wasn’t very fancy, it wasn’t self-propelled and it didn’t have a lot of “bells and whistles.” It did, however, happen to be exactly what I wanted – a basic workhorse lawnmower to cut grass at my daughter’s rental property.

As an editor in business-to-business media, I have watched for more than 30 years as good-paying manufacturing jobs slowly disappeared from the United States toward foreign countries eager to build up their economic prospects through basic manufacturing and job creation.

Welcome to my inaugural column in Industrial Heating. I have long been listed as a contributing editor for IH, and I am happy and privileged to make my columnar debut. 

It has been a year and a half since the first warnings about COVID-19 forced the United States onto an economic path that defied precedent and experience.

In late July 2021, an announcement was made by the U.K.’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) that it would launch an offer to acquire Sheffield Forgemasters International Limited (SFIL). The agreement was to allow the government to refinance and take control of the company to secure the supply of components critical to the military and security interests of the MoD, as well as to secure future defense programs.

The infrastructure of the United States is a critical component of the lifestyle of its people, the smooth and seamless working of its economy, the national security of the nation and the general welfare of our entire society. Without its working infrastructure, the American dream soon turns into a nightmare.

As a sign of the times we live in, it is hard to ride around these days without seeing signs in front of restaurants, service establishments and other types of businesses seeking applicants for immediate employment for all shifts.

On Oct. 4, 1957, a polished-metal sphere 2 feet in diameter with four antennae was launched by the Soviet Union into a low elliptical Earth orbit. It was called Sputnik I, and it became the planet’s first artificial satellite.

During my decades in business-to-business publishing, I have borne sad witness to the gradual export of this country’s manufacturing sector and its many jobs to overseas sources.