Happy New Year!

Jan. 1, 2001
Contributing editor George Weimer lists his manufacturer resolutions for 2001.

Happy New Year!

Let’s welcome the 21st century with some resolutions about our favorite topic: Manufacturing in the Modern World.

So here are my manufacturing resolutions for 2001. Feel free to send a copy to any and all politicians, professors, pundits and people who just irk you by their prejudices about industry.

Throughout 2001: I will continue to focus on quality in everything I make for my customers. I will produce only that which I would be happy to buy myself.

Throughout the year: I will continue to study the latest technologies and techniques and management theories to keep myself and my company competitive and innovative.

All year: I will aim for the most efficient processes and procedures to make sure I am able to provide the fairest — if not the lowest — price to my customers.

I will keep my employees well trained in the latest techniques and skills for their jobs as well as ready for retraining as new technologies come on stream. I will make sure they are rewarded for their crucial part on our company team. They will be rewarded fairly and competitively — just like management.

I will always be ready to listen to our employees and all colleagues as well as customers with appreciation for their criticism. I will always remember that constructive criticism is a gift. It will be welcomed all year.

I will do my fair share and then some to support my industry and its markets by being active in my professional and industrial organizations and by contributing to appropriate joint industry efforts on the political scene.

I will do everything I can, throughout the year, to combat the ridiculous ignorance of so many Americans about manufacturing and economics in general. I will speak out and help out in all appropriate promotional efforts to get the truth out about our central, basic and all-important role in the country and the world.

I will let my pride show.

I will continue to lead my colleagues and employees and friends in my company in our efforts to bring young people into our special manufacturing world by explaining how exciting and rewarding our work is.

Once again, you can feel free to send my humble resolutions to all those folks whose strident ignorance irritated you all last year. Maybe they will adopt one or two of them.

Happy New Year, and let’s make 2001 a great year for American manufacturing!

George Weimer

contributing editor

[email protected]