Who works for a manufacturer?

[TheSpot]

Hi all,

Haven't been here for a while... getting back in touch... just curious if any of you work for a manufacturer in Baltimore area...

If you ask why this thread for the question it got things to do with computing...

Thanks.

[dogstarman]

You'll have to elaborate what the subject is here, or almost nobody is going to bite. I am sure there are several besides me.

[TheSpot]

Well, here's the thing. A mid-sized manufacturer in Newport News, Virginia contracted me to developed a sophisticated Pricing and Quote system for their 9 sales reps to create quotes among others recently and they are pleased with my work. So, it got me thinking maybe other manufacturers have a similar need, then it would be fairly easy to customize my solution. Thanks.

[zenwalk]

Not counting artists, I don't know anybody anymore that makes anything you can hold in your hand.

[demopublican]

Not counting artists, I don't know anybody anymore that makes anything you can hold in your hand.

You need to get out more.

[zenwalk]

You need to get out more.

It's true manufacturing still exists and it's true I need to get out more but excepting for regional differences we really don't make much of anything anymore. If your experience is different then I'm glad to hear it.

[demopublican]

Sure. I visit heavy welding shops in Maryland month. Now "hold in your hand" might be more accurate because we tend to build larger things that would be less cost effective to ship.
CR Daniels in Ellicott City builds custom engineered products: everything from formed industrial parts to simply putting logos on shirts and keychains.
Plus there is a Volvo/Mack engine factory in Hagerstown.

[TheSpot]

@demopublican,

Thank you for all the info. CR Daniel seems to have a long history, founded in 1918... and as you mentioned they are innovating fast... which is a good sign that they may be interested in my solution (highly flexible quote...).
With regard to Volvo/Mack engine factory in Hagerstown, it seems they are growing..."May 5, 2011 – ... add at least 50 jobs at its Hagerstown engine-and-transmission plant. ... transmission for the company's Volvo and Mack trucks in mid-2012.", also a good sign... need to figure key figures at this plant...

[dogstarman]

Manufacturing is still big business here but you need to "re-adjust" what the definitiion of being a manufacturer really is. In a world where supply chains are global, bits and pieces flow from literally everywhere and are assembled into products anywhere, using designs that can come from anybody.

That said, consumer goods (the stuff surrounding you right now) generally aren't the domain of American factories.

Although many changes are market-driven, there really is a problem today with corporations being driven too much by short-sighted bean-counters and execs who are far removed from the concept of work and the joy of actually making things.

This will come back and bite us hard in the not-too-distant future. Right now we have an environment where the best-and-brightest are urged to pursue finance and other no-value paper-shuffling activities, while engineering and skilled labor is continuously pushed into being a commodity whose cost is to be ruthlessly minimized. What this means is that we are systematically "training" our component suppliers and outsourcers into becoming the lean-and-mean system-builders and fierce competitors of the future. Around the time the next generation of execs cashes out, our companies will be the dinosaurs who aren't able to keep up with innovation from the far East and even Mexico (the latest frontier for electronics manufacturing).

[TheSpot]

I feel I owe everyone who has viewed this thread a high level description of the web application for a Pricing and Quote system that I developed for a manufacturer recently, here's its URL,
http://www.knowledgenotebook.com/demo/createQuote2.html

And here's a key function (quote creation) demo url,
http://184.73.76.212/quotes/login3.cfm
(please pm me for login credentials if you would like to login and take a good look at it)

Thanks.

[TheSpot]

If you want to give a try, here's the log in info:
username: raven
password: honey

[Eastside Terp]

used to be in manufacturing years ago but no longer ......

most folks don't think of it as manufacturing but the food industry in america is one of the biggest .........

inedible raw ingredients like #2 corn are processed into all types of food products .......

take raw ingredients, manipulate them in some manner to add value and earn a profit off the finished product .......

the largest 2 crops in america are just raw ingredients to the food processing industry .......

[TheSpot]

Eastside Terp, interesting thought, thanks.

[Eastside Terp]

Eastside Terp, interesting thought, thanks.

thanks, it is pretty interesting stuff .....

if you want more info, The Omnivore's Dilemma is a good book and a quick read that you can pick up used on eBay for a few bucks like I did ........

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Omnivore%27s_Dilemma

Fast Food Nation is a good book (but horrible movie) .......

food inc, king corn and a few other good documentaries are on netflix ......

[grggngll]

There are many commercial software packages available to generate quotes for specific manufacturing activities. Machining, and metal fabrication come to mind. They are integrated with inventory and probably also with accounting software.

[grggngll]

Question for Zenwalk, why would anyone want to set up manufacturing in MD?