Economy

After a wrenching 2009, when parts manufacturers saw precipitous sales declines and orders and sales of machine tools and cutting tools also dropped sharply, the U.S. metalworking industry experienced a relatively strong recovery in 2010. Demand for manufactured products in developing markets, a rebound in the domestic auto market and inventory rebuilding by companies that had been holding off on orders helped fuel the recovery.

Lead Angle is the editorial opinion for Cutting Tool Engineering. The editorial this month examines the myth that the U.S. doesn't manufacture anything anymore.

With a substantial portion of the U.S. manufacturing base in earthquake-prone California, we would be wise to study how Japan orchestrates this recovery, suggests CTE Editorial Director Alan Rooks in his April 2011 Lead Angle editorial.

CTE Editorial Director Alan Rooks ponders the good news about U.S. manufacturing of late.

Cutting Tool Engineering Editorial Director Alan Rooks examines Germany's manufacturing model in his July Lead Angle commentary.

In his August 2011 Lead Angle editorial, Cutting Tool Engineering Editorial Director Alan Rooks addresses whether the plan for the latest U.S. manufacturing initiative unveiled by President Obama will provide a boost to the industry.

CTE Editorial Director Alan Rooks laments the long and winding road to economic recovery in this Lead Angle editorial in the September 2011 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine.

Manufacturing was a star in 2011 and looks to shine brightly in 2012.

As the U.S. strives to become less dependent on foreign energy sources, energy producers are increasingly employing hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” to drill shale deposits and extract natural gas and some oil. That booming market requires a range of parts from shops around the country.

States near the Marcellus Shale, a huge natural gas formation centered in Pennsylvania, are feverishly pursuing a $4 billion ethane “cracker” to be built by Royal Dutch Shell. The cracker will process ethane-rich gas from the Marcellus Shale into ethylene, and the ethylene will be used by the pharmaceutical, chemical and plastics industries. The plant will create 10,000 construction jobs and several hundred permanent jobs.