Archive for May, 2021

Mobile Makerspaces Help Entrepreneurs Grow New Manufacturing Businesses

Tuesday, May 18th, 2021

Makerspaces are a good idea for any community that wants to accelerate the development of manufacturing businesses in their region. According to Makerspaces.com, a Makerspace “is a collaborative work space inside a school, library or separate public/private facility for making, learning, exploring and sharing that uses high tech to no tech tools.  These spaces are open to kids, adults, and entrepreneurs and have a variety of maker equipment including 3D printers, laser cutters, CNC machines, soldering irons and even sewing machines.”

Many Makerspaces have been set up in renovated industrial buildings with City Chambers of Commerce or Economic Development agencies or departments as sponsors. However, many community colleges and universities have established Makerspaces on their campuses in recent years. “In 2016,the California Community College Chancellor’s Office, Workforce and Economic Division funded the $17 million CCC Maker Initiative for three years under the Doing What Matters for Jobs and the Economy framework. From January to June, 2017, 35 colleges participated in the Makerspace Startup process. Of those, 28 colleges competed for two-year grants that were awarded to 24 colleges in July 2017.”

Makerspaces are helping to prepare young people with the critical 21st century skills in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).  They provide hands on learning and help with critical thinking skills for students. Some of the skills that are learned pertain to electronics, 3d printing, 3D modeling, coding, robotics, woodworking, and metal fabrication.   Makerspaces are also fostering entrepreneurship and are being utilized as incubators and accelerators for business startups.

I recently connected with Joel Leonard of SkillsTV.net and John Martinsic of Forest Scientific Corporation, and they told me about their collaboration in establishing a Mobile Makerspace program for cities, towns, and even rural areas.

They said, “The purpose of a Mobile Makerspace is “to empower under-served communities whether they be inner city or very rural is the education of youth. Students receiving technology education that includes manufacturing are equipped with problem solving skills and will learn that what they dream can become reality. They need exposure to possibilities to open their minds to new paradigms and

relieve them of limitations that only exist in their mind. In the new economy, entrepreneurs will have an increasing role in the overall job market and these young minds will fuel the economies of their communities where big multinationals are not interested in having a presence. It is great for regional economic development.”

They explained that by sharing a mobile Makerspace, schools, libraries, Small Business Development

Corporations, incubators, and economic and industrial development organizations can serve

more people and develop an interest in using the facilities of a Makerspace before building a permanent site. This can provide more utilization and less down time. Community interest will help with funding and the potential of obtaining corporate and foundation grants. Local manufacturers may realize that a Makerspace may be a good source of acquiring future talent, and entrepreneurs using a Makerspace may grow to the point that they will need their own industrial space, creating more manufacturers in the community, which provide higher paying jobs than retail or service jobs.

John said, “A Mobile Makerspace can also be used for job training and retraining by existing manufacturers in a community. It is also a cost- effective method to find potential employees and retrain

displaced workers. It could also be used to promote your permanent space by placing it out in the community, such as in front of a Walmart, flea market, or special event to educate your community about opportunities at your Makerspace.”

The electronic brochure that John emailed me provides more details about the Mobile Makerspace. It comes in a heavy-duty trailer rated at 9,990 lbs., and doesn’t require a special driver’s license. The trailer has a lower beavertail and a long ramp for easy loading.  It comes with an Etrack system and Ratchet straps for flexibility in securing the equipment. There are custom power options depending on your intended use. It can be configured with 12V DC lighting if being mainly used as a transport vehicle, and 120V AC or 220V AC Shore lines if you will be able to plug it in at your destination. Built -in or portable generators to operate anywhere are also available.  The machines are equipped with tie down hooks and retractable extensions cords.

There are many machine options to choose from for inside the Mobile Makerspace:

  • Mobile Tool Cart equipped with the tools
  • to make or fix nearly anything
  • Mitey Router, Mitey Mill, or Mitey Lathe
  • FabBotATC Router
  • 3D Printer Options
  • Laser Engrave/Cutter for cutting woods
  • Plastics CRP for cutting steel & aluminum
  • And many more in the Forest Scientific catalog

Mobile Makerspace can be utilized in two primary ways:

  1. As a transport vehicle, where the equipment is moved into a building at each destination
    1. Beneficial to share equipment when the climate, especially in cold northern climates is not conducive to having participants outside (especially at schools).
    1. If wired for electricity, it can also be used as a mobile lab.
    1. Usually not finished with a finished ceiling and may have a portable generator or just a shore line to keep the cost down.
  2. As a mobile lab to work in.
    1. Ideal to promote a fixed lab within a community.
    1. Ideal for sharing between Makerspaces and schools because there is little set up work upon arrival.
    1. Depending on the size of the trailer, you may be able to back it into a “shop” space and have little set up while isolating from adverse weather.

The brochure provided several options for configuring a Mobile Makerspace.  Below are examples of three packages:

Explorer Package – Ideal for promotion and working with students

  • Turnkey package including all equipment, computers, and software.
  • Custom 16 ft. trailer with custom graphics
  • Fabbot 2X2 CNC router with full enclosure on maker cart
  • 24X12 Universal Laser on Maker Cart with fume extraction
  • 3D Printer on Maker Cart
  • Three-year warranty
  • initial three-day training for success from day one
  • on-going tech support only a phone call away

Furniture/Housing Package – Wood and Plastic Sheet Production

  • Turnkey package including all equipment, computers, and software.
  • Custom 30’ Trailer with custom graphics
  • Makerfab 4X8 CNC Router
  • Dust collection
  • Maker hand and power tool power tool Cart with inverted router
  • Three-year warranty
  • initial three-day training for success from day one
  • on-going tech support only a phone call away

Manufacturing Entrepreneur Package – Make or Repair Nearly Anything

  • Turnkey package including all equipment, computers, and software.
  • Custom 34’ Trailer with custom graphics
  • FabbotATC 3X2 CNC router with full enclosure on Maker cart
  • CRP Metal cutting up to 1/2” Thick Pierce (Cut steel & aluminum)
  • 24 X 12 Universal Laser on Maker Cart with fume extraction (cuts woods & plastics)
  • 3D Printer on Maker Cart
  • Three-year warranty
  • initial five-day training for success from day one
  • on-going tech support only a phone call away

All Mobile Makerspace trailer packages are available for purchase or lease with a minimum of a one-year lease.  Funding sources for establishing a Mobile Makerspace can be sought through federal Economic Development grants, charitable foundation grants, corporate grants, and CARES Act grants before funds are exhausted. 

If your community wants to grow your manufacturing industry to create higher paying jobs, you should consider establishing a Makerspace.  To ascertain the type of manufacturing your community could grow, it may be beneficial to start off with a Mobile Makerspace. If your community has a well-established manufacturing industry, and the biggest problem is lack of skilled workers to fill jobs available, then you could focus on a Makerspace that would provide job training to students or retrain manufacturing employees in new skills.  If you are interested in either option, you can reach Joel Leonard at Joelskilltv@gmail.com and John Martinsic at johnm@forestcnc.com.

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U.S.-China Trade Policy is Focus of Day Four of CPA Conference

Tuesday, May 4th, 2021

The last day of the Coalition for a Prosperous America conference held on Friday, March 26th, was focused on U.S.-China trade policy. It’s gratifying to me that key elected representatives and officials are finally waking up to the fact that China is not our friend and instead is a threat to our national security.

Dennis Shea, former U.S. Ambassador to the World Trade Organization was the morning keynote speaker of the day in a live video.  He said, “China’s economic system is incompatible with the market rules of the WTO. China has not developed the market economy that was expected.  State-owned companies that are funded by state-owned banks and increased Chinese Communist Party (CCP) involvement in business has expanded in the past 20 years. Professor Mark Wu of Harvard Law School coined the term ‘China Inc,’ but Jude Blanchette, Freeman Chair in China Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has said that ‘China Inc.’ has become ‘CCP Inc.’ The WTO has proved itself incapable of making China comply with WTO rules.  The WTO requires 100% consensus of its 164 member countries, but China will never approve changes in any WTO rules.  The WTO has been a tremendous advantage for China.  There have been administrative changes proposed, but china has been adamantly against these changes.  Where do we go from here?  First, the WTO members need to recognize that there is a problem.”

Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), who is Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in the Senate, was the next speaker. He said, “I have opposed every trade bill that CPA opposed and supported every bill that CPA supported.  The Biden Administration has enacted the Defense Production Act (DPA) to bolster vaccine production and increase the supply of critical PPE.  The Pfizer vaccine is made in Kalamazoo, MI. They are now producing 13 million doses/week, up from 5 million. You can’t be a really great country if you can’t make things. It is important to focus on manufacturing.  There are 58 manufacturing programs spread out over 16 government agencies. I am pushing for a national Institute of Manufacturing, which would give manufacturing a higher profile with other programs. I proposed creating a ‘manufacturing.gov’ website to be a one-stop cite to help manufacturers. I am working to increase enforcement funding to protect small companies from unfair foreign competition and have introduced legislation to have the Department of Commerce help small companies who are being affected by dumping by foreign companies.”

His speech was followed by a panel on “How to Win the Great Power Rivalry with China,” moderated by Jon Toomey, CPA Government Relations Director.  Panel participants were: Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Rep. Bill Posey (R-FL), Roger Robinson, President & CEO of RWR Advisory Group, and Dan DiMicco, former CEO and chairman of Nucor Steel.

Senator Marco Rubio commented, “The 21st Century is going to be about the balance between the U.S. and China. China seeks to dominate all industries and become the superpower of the century.  Our inability to make things leaves us dependent on China.  Dependence can lead to China to millions of Americans achieve the American dream without creating higher paying jobs. It is now possible for an entrepreneur to make products and create wealth with no benefit to American workers. This led to multinational companies moving manufacturing to other countries to create wealth with the loss of jobs to American workers.  It is time for policy makers to step n and ensure that the free market works for the every day American. You can’t be a great power if you can’t make things.  It has been our ability to develop and make things that is important to our national security.”

Roger Robinson said, “President Trump’s E.O. 13959 prohibited U.S. investors from purchasing or investing in securities of companies identified by the U.S. government as ‘Communist Chinese military companies.’ There are now 44 companies listed, but we need to have a list like this for human rights violators. We could put 300 companies out of our markets.  The Secretary of Treasury needs to close the doors of funding for CCP companies. We need to turn off the investment funding for Chinese companies. “ He added, “We need to put China in a box that would be very difficult to get out of like President Reagan implemented against Russia.”

Rep. Posey said, “China has held an anvil over people’s heads. More and more people realize that it is time to do something. We need to use financial and economic measures to put the squeeze on China that we have never dreamed about before. We need to get behind a precise plan to go for the jugular.  But I don’t see any sign of a unified plan now.”

Dan DiMicco said, “There is no negotiating with China, and the meeting in Alaska made that clear. It was a provocative exchange on the part of the Chinese.  I hope the Biden Administration is saying ‘the free lunch is over.’ We have the greatest opportunity in 30 years to come together on our position with China.”

The last panel of the conference was “How Customs Enforcement Can Protect Jobs and National Security,” moderated by Chuck Benoit, CPA Trade Counsel.  The panelists participating were: Vincent Annunziato, Director at Customs & Border Protection, Dan Nation, Division President of Parkdale Mills, and Therese Randazzo, Division Director, Forced Labor at Department of Homeland Security.

Mr. Annunziato said, “The way we collect data is changing. We are using Blockchain to validate the entity data of businesses when we are investigating county of origin for imports that may be violating regulations. We need to ensure that the identity of the manufacturer and the country of origin are correct to be able to apply the correct Harmonized Tariff Schedule.”

Ms. Randazzo said, ‘Enforced labor is any labor conducted under some kind of force. There are 25 million people worldwide who are suffering from forced labor.” She explained that the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 “prohibits all products made by forced labor, including child labor, from being imported into the United States.” She said that her division looks into 11 indicators of forced labor:

  1. Isolation from family and confinement
  2. Physical or sexual violence
  3. Not free to leave
  4. Withholding of wages
  5. Deception
  6. Excessive overtime
  7. Debt bondage
  8. Intimidation or threats
  9. Abusing vulnerabilities of illegal aliens
  10. Abusive language or working conditions
  11. Retention of identity documents

She added, “Our division collaborates with other government agencies and NGO organizations.  There are four phases in the forced labor process: (1) investigate, (2) Issue press releases (3) goods are detailed, (4) issue a finding wherein products are not allowed to be imported.”

Unfortunately, due an appointment conflict, I missed the final video presentation of the day featuring Clyde Prestowitz, discussing his new book, The World Turned Upside Down, America, China, and the Struggle for Global Leadership. You can watch his presentation at this link. I could have watched the video to be able to quote a few comments, but his book deserves my writing a separate article about it after I read it.

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