Entries by Bart Taylor

Best of Manufacturing 2018: A short list with outsized influence

CompanyWeek published 236 in-depth profiles of manufacturing companies in 2018, an enlightening portrayal of industry and economy across Colorado and the western U.S. Here’s an industry breakdown (some companies are listed in multiple industries): Industry Profiles Bioscience and Medical 20 Brewing and Distilling 44 Built Environment 24 Cannabis 9 Consumer and Lifestyle 61 Contract Manufacturing […]

Here’s why the Colorado Manufacturing Awards take on deeper meaning in 2019

It’s interesting to watch the shine come off technology’s bellwether brands in the New Year and speculate whether manufacturing will follow suit. Last week’s whipsaw stock market sent mixed messages — as did a weaker-than-expected ISM report on December manufacturing. Manufacturing advocates who take ISM with a grain of salt were rewarded by a strong […]

Small companies working overtime to automate and compete

Ferey Feridian’s excellent column this week on the potential of automation to transform U.S. manufacturing also underscores the gap in the rate of adoption between small and large manufacturers and the “uneven rates of digitization across sectors,” referenced by Feridian that we read about each week. It’s a big deal: Ensuring that small companies are […]

Manufacturing by the numbers: Takeaways from 2018 and a peek at 2019

I’ve been fortunate to participate in CU Leeds’ excellent Colorado Business Economic Outlook the past two years, parsing manufacturing data with capable economists and business stakeholders lined up by Richard Wobbekind’s team at the Business Research Division. The 54th annual Report will be presented December 10 at the Grand Hyatt in Denver. Here’s a first […]

China’s pivot from tariffs a lesson for U.S manufacturing

About half the manufacturers I ask support President Trump’s trade war. The perception seems to be that about half the outcomes have been positive and half not, intended or otherwise. Not a surprising symmetry. For me, the bigger issue is where we go from here. If there’s a grand plan, I’m not aware of it, […]

New manufacturing places promise to accelerate industry development

New manufacturing infrastructure is coming online across the U.S. and the timing couldn’t be better: Interviews with manufacturing executives in Q3 CompanyWeek profiles indicate that real estate/space is today as pressing a challenge as workforce, a first in our data analysis. San Francisco denizens celebrated the opening last week of the Manufacturing Foundry, a four-story […]