There are two articles of interest to manufacturing and controls people today in the New York Times. The links are below.
First is an article about Texas Instruments and its supremacy in analog chips. As many of us in manufacturing know, the growth of digital systems has not spelled the end of analog, it has in fact spurred growth. With increasing microprocessor power, we can control more things at lower cost and lower power requirement. Therefore, we can bring even more analog inputs into control systems. Back when I was covering embedded systems, I was amazed at how integrated and powerful the chips and software from TI and Motorola had become. Products like advanced cell phones are a direct result of this technology.
Just don't forget your analog.
The second article discusses the current state of manufacturing jobs. The July jobs report of only 32,000 new jobs sent the stock market reeling. It's great election year drama. But, some additional data suggest that jobs created by and large pay less than those lost in the "recession."
I think that those of us who have been around manufacturing know anecdotally that wages for operators and unskilled labor in manufacturing have dropped since the 1980's. Top paying manufacturing jobs in western Ohio (aside from the Ford plant) are barely over $10/hour. In the early 1980s, most factory jobs in the area started around $12 and many were at around $15. That's a net loss not even accounting for inflation.
There are jobs that pay $15 or more, but those require education. This reiterates the fact that we must motivate people to continually improve skills and education if they wish to have a better income. It just doesn't pay to be unskilled anymore.
A Digital World With Analog as Its Workhorse. Ironically enough, the digital revolution is driving strong demand for advances in analog electronics. By By BARNABY J. FEDER. [The New York Times > Technology]
http://nytimes.com/2004/08/09/business/09jobs.html
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