Greetings from London, dear readers. This week, we find ourselves traversing the UK engineering marvel that is “Crossrail.” Crossrail, a product of over a decade of meticulous planning and development, is a new 72-mile train line that burrows under virtually all of Central London, significantly reducing many journey times. The planning team behind it asserts that this mammoth project brings “an additional 1.5 million people to within 45 minutes of London’s main employment, leisure, and business districts.” Crossrail’s construction is an engineering triumph. It took eight powerful tunnel boring machines nearly three years to carve out 26 miles beneath London. Some sections of Crossrail lie as deep as 450 feet below the surface of London, far deeper than the subway or the “Underground.” Despite the hefty price tag of … [Read more...] about Infrastructure: Bipartisan Case for Investment (A Postcard from London)
Industry News
3 Economic Expectations May be False: Importance of Seeking Alternative Perspectives
Whether you’re on the left or right, trust in mainstream news has declined precipitously in recent years, not only because of media bias, but also because much of what existing outlets proclaim will happen ends up being at best, misleading, and at worst, completely wrong. In fact, several well-known prognosticators have predicted that the next Presidential election will, in large part, be determined by podcasts and social media due to the dissolution of trust in traditional news sources. However, when it comes to business topics—especially those involving the US economy and manufacturing—information consumers do not have the same alarm bells built in when consuming news. Nor do many seek out (despite the existence of dozens of great sources) expert analysis that offers conflicting opinions on economics. We believe this means that … [Read more...] about 3 Economic Expectations May be False: Importance of Seeking Alternative Perspectives
China’s Economic Slump: Yes, It Impacts U.S. Manufacturers
In the past, when CEOs mentioned China in earnings reports in a negative manner, it typically centered on supply chain issues such as delayed shipments, quality concerns, counterfeit or substitute materials, increased pricing or related “procurement” considerations. No longer. Despite the debate around trade deficits, IP transference and market economy considerations, China has become increasingly important from a top line perspective as well. And stagnation in segments of the Chinese economy have now impacted the top line of western manufacturers as well, creating a material impact on revenue and earnings. Consider Apple, a Fortune 5 manufacturer, as a case in point. When Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, writes a letter to shareholders blaming Apple’s overall revenue/earnings slowdown on China as he did in early January, it is worth paying … [Read more...] about China’s Economic Slump: Yes, It Impacts U.S. Manufacturers
The Costly, Illegal Secrets of Corporate DEI
As an outgrowth of the recent Supreme Court ruling striking down race-based admissions at two top universities, Corporate DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs are under legal attack for violating non-discrimination and equal opportunity laws. DEI programs extend into company supply chains as well, thanks to supplier diversity programs which have favored specific demographic ownership over others in terms of contract award decisions and even specific set-asides. In the Supreme Court ruling, Chief Justice Roberts observed that the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause may never be used in the negative or operate as a stereotype. In other words, you can’t harm specific classes of individuals by favoring another. The Supreme Court found that The University of North Carolina violated the Equal Protection clause by … [Read more...] about The Costly, Illegal Secrets of Corporate DEI
The Final Burial of Democracy in Hong Kong?
Over two decades ago, I hired an old friend from prep school to lead the Hong Kong office of a fast-growing sourcing tech company I worked for. A Westerner with strong Chinese language skills and a graduate student in Asian history, he took a somewhat eccentric British pride in riding his old Triumph motorcycle around the streets of Hong Kong, the loud bike harkening back to the old days of British rule every time it backfired, perhaps. There is no rumble of that old motorbike anymore. While the latest tariff waves and currency devaluation rumbles have captured the U.S. and China headlines of late – as the overall situation appears to continue to deteriorate, perhaps for the better, perhaps for the worse – what we find just as fascinating and as important to understand China’s ambitions is its continued crackdown on the last … [Read more...] about The Final Burial of Democracy in Hong Kong?
