The question we should ask first is: “Did our love for better, cheaper and faster put us in this situation?” Of course it did! Who wouldn't want the same product but cheaper and in one convenient location? And because Americans…
An overview of the status of American manufacturing Before considering how to rebalance your global supply chain, first you should take a look at the changing landscape of manufacturing. Rising costs in China and shifting global economic forces are pressuring…
Failure is hard. Hard to admit, hard to accept and hard to reflect on.. Last month we discussed how to avoid the pitfalls of reshoring. We used "pitfalls" as a kind way to say "How Not to Fail" but really…
Have you ever tried to do too much at one time? Of course you have, we all have. In most cases it works out with very little fallout. In some cases though, time and money can be lost. Years ago…
Ever since Starbucks announced it was returning the manufacturing of its retail coffee mugs to the U.S.A., Rosemary and I have been checking for them. Every time we are in a Starbucks we turn the mugs over to see where…
Growing up the 3R's were Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. When looking for an image for this blog I realized that the current 3R's are Recycle, Reuse and Reduce. Those make more sense than original but for sake of this discussion…
I love it when today's politics and current events end up in popular television. I recently finished the second season of Netflix's House of Cards and my ears always perked up when I heard them mention China. We emphasize Reshoring…
Public opinion is a fickle thing. One minute we love a company for exciting new products and then the next we hear that they are using child labor to make their products and we boycott them. How do you recover…
As we start the new year by packing away our holiday decorations, unpacking our suitcases from traveling to see friends and family, and settling back into our normal routines, it's normal to reflect on the previous year. We, at Blue Silk…
Regardless of your religious affiliation (or non affiliation), December in the United States means one thing: SHOPPING! Since the start of the recession, retail sales numbers have been our way of judging where the economy is headed. Were people lined…