PRESIDENT’S | LETTER Building a Base MAINTAINING MANUFACTURING by Mike Gramse In my last letter I wrote about leaving on a trip to Sou<strong>the</strong>ast Asia and <strong>the</strong> appreciation I have for my staff who would allow me to be out <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> country for 3 weeks. Now, obviously, we are back from Asia so I thought I would share some observations with you. None <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> places we went to, including Bangkok; Singapore; Vung Tau, Vietnam; Taiwan; Okinawa, Japan; and Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing, China were anything like I had remembered. We only saw a small part <strong>of</strong> each city and for only one day each, but I was amazed at how westernized <strong>the</strong>y have all become, even Vietnam. To me <strong>the</strong>y all looked like any o<strong>the</strong>r big city in <strong>the</strong> United States. They have wide, four lane highways, tall buildings and landscaped boulevards, along with Kentucky Fried Chickens and 7-Elevens everywhere. Everyone dresses like us or better and an unbelievable number have cell phones. It appears to me that much <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> old culture is gone. Their local tours took us to areas that have replicated or preserved <strong>the</strong>ir culture, in a fashion similar to that <strong>of</strong> our pioneer villages. The old stuff seems to be all gone except for a few isolated pockets. I was surprised to talk with <strong>the</strong> local people; <strong>the</strong>y all seem to be pretty pleased with <strong>the</strong>ir lifestyles and <strong>the</strong>ir governments, even in Vietnam. Thailand is bracing for demonstrations and hundreds <strong>of</strong> police <strong>of</strong>ficers and soldiers are getting prepared. That said, I don’t understand how <strong>the</strong>ir economies work. A $40,000 car in Vietnam cost $20,000 in <strong>the</strong> United States and a $30,000 Dodge van in <strong>the</strong> United States cost $60,000 in China. I don’t know how <strong>the</strong>re can be so many cars when <strong>the</strong> average income ranges from $100 to $200 per month. We had spent several days in Beijing 10 years ago, and today you wouldn’t have known it was <strong>the</strong> same city. The old areas They all are building a manufacturing base and we will need to maintain ours in order to not be passed by. and a billion bicycles all have disappeared and have been replaced by four-to-six lane roads, subways, and shopping areas with designer products or replicas <strong>the</strong>re <strong>of</strong>. The Olympic Village buildings are amazing. It seems impossible to complete so much change in just 10 years. But what really surprises me is that <strong>the</strong> economies are growing in all <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se countries. Their standards <strong>of</strong> living are improving and <strong>the</strong>y all seem pretty happy. They certainly haven’t caught up to us, but <strong>the</strong>y are getting closer. If Beijing could rebuild itself in 10 years, how far behind are <strong>the</strong>y really? Our country seems to have been pretty stagnant, or maybe even retracted in <strong>the</strong> past 10 years but, obviously, we are setting <strong>the</strong> standard and it’s going to take a lot <strong>of</strong> something to maintain our position. They all are building a manufacturing base and we will need to maintain ours in order to not be passed by. Preserve <strong>the</strong> Programs. GET ENGAGED. By <strong>the</strong> way, my staff did a great job while I was gone; I had no reason to worry. PM Mike Gramse is president <strong>of</strong> MRG Tool & Die Corp. in Faribault, Minn. He can be reached at mgramse@toolanddie.net. www.pm-mn.com Supporting <strong>Minnesota</strong> in becoming <strong>the</strong> world leader in precision contract manufacturing and related technologies. EDITOR | PUBLICATIONS MANAGER Amy Slettum SALES MANAGER Tim Crolley Designer | Art Director Severyn Skoug <strong>Minnesota</strong> <strong>Precision</strong> <strong>Manufacturing</strong> <strong>Association</strong> 5353 Wayzata Blvd., Suite 207 Minneapolis, MN 55416 952.564.3041 www.mpma.com MPMA Officers President Mike Gramse, MRG Tool & Die Corp. Vice President Bob Miller, Kendeco Tool Crib Treasurer Paul Huot, Huot <strong>Manufacturing</strong> Company Secretary Kim Arrigoni, Haberman Machine, Inc. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Jaime Nolan, CAE associate DIRECTOR Luann Bartley Editorial Committee Chair, Editor-in-Chief Brenda Kyle blk@sppa.com Michelle Gates mgates@bpkz.com Denny Nybo dennynybo@comcast.net Bill Remes billr@ameristarmfg.com Chuck Remillard chuckr@kurt.com Ted Roberts troberts@robertsautomatic.com Andrew Skoog apskoog@gmail.com Fred Zimmerman zimco@visi.com For editorial, advertising or membership information: Voice: 952.564.3041 Fax: 952.252.8096 <strong>Precision</strong> <strong>Manufacturing</strong> (ISSN 0273-7523), is published six times per year by IntrinXec Management Inc., 5353 Wayzata Blvd., Suite 207, Minneapolis, MN 55416. <strong>Precision</strong> <strong>Manufacturing</strong> is <strong>the</strong> only authorized regular publication <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Minnesota</strong> <strong>Precision</strong> <strong>Manufacturing</strong> <strong>Association</strong> (MPMA). Opinions and conclusions expressed in <strong>the</strong> magazine are those <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> individual writer and do not necessarily reflect <strong>the</strong> <strong>of</strong>ficial position <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> MPMA or its <strong>of</strong>ficers. Advertising rates provided on request. Correspondence regarding <strong>the</strong> magazine, including industry news releases, photographs and press releases relating to precision manufacturing should be sent to <strong>Precision</strong> <strong>Manufacturing</strong>, Amy Slettum, c/o IntrinXec Management, Inc., 5353 Wayzata Blvd., Suite 207, Minneapolis, MN 55416. Electronic correspondence, including attached files in Word or plain text formats, may be sent to amy@mpma.com. Unsolicited materials will not be returned. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: <strong>Precision</strong> <strong>Manufacturing</strong>, c/o IntrinXec Management, Inc., 5353 Wayzata Blvd., Suite 207, Minneapolis, MN 55416. Copyright ©2010 <strong>Minnesota</strong> <strong>Precision</strong> <strong>Manufacturing</strong> <strong>Association</strong>. 6 | PRECISION MANUFACTURING July | August 2010
The FEDERATED Insurance Companies Home Office: 121 East Park Square • Owatonna, <strong>Minnesota</strong> 55060 Phone: (507) 455-5200 • www.federatedinsurance.com ®
Change language