Recently, a survey came across my desk that I think you’ll be interested in. It was conducted by Mitch Free, who manages the online site, MFG.com. In order to confirm some of the anecdotal information flowing to him from member companies, especially about American job shops being at full capacity, he created a survey to drill down to what is really going on.
While the data reports that about 9 percent of shops are at full capacity (Question 2) the trend is moving upward, which is a good thing. The overarching issue, as reported in comments aside from the survey, is the continuing vexing problem of finding skilled workers, and the frustration that little action from government entities is being directed to alleviation of this problem.
The survey also reveals that, according to Mitch, 40 percent of the shops that responded to the survey report they have benefited from work being reshored to the U.S. (Question 8). This is a very encouraging sign for sustainability in the upsurge in domestic manufacturing that is helping lead the economy from the morass of the last few years.
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