Jim Vinoski

Grand Rapids

Contributor at Forbes

Manufacturing writer, speaker, and host at the Manufacturing Talks web show and podcast. Followed by everyone who's cool.

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Articles

Cars, Bleachers, and... Carbines? A Michigan Manufacturing History

6 days ago | manufacturingtalks.substack.com | Jim Vinoski

I had the extreme pleasure of touring the GM factory just around the corner from me in the Grand Rapids suburb of Wyoming, Michigan, yesterday. It’s a huge and amazing place, especially enthralling for a mechanical engineer like me, with its strong focus on advanced machining. I was totally geeking out on the precision manufacturing they do for their engine parts and axles.
Why US Manufacturing?

1 week ago | manufacturingtalks.substack.com | Jim Vinoski

My pal Mark O’Brien flagged a LinkedIn post yesterday to get my comment. I looked into it and replied that the author was just clickbaiting with his post, which on its face seemed beyond idiotic. I will not link to it, because that’s what the author was after–traffic for his media. But since there may be people who actually bought into the notions he expressed, let’s dig into them:Thanks for reading Manufacturing Talks with Jim Vinoski! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
Connecticut’s Chief Manufacturing Officer Aims For Growth, Reshoring

2 weeks ago | forbes.com | Jim Vinoski

Paul Lavoie, whose long manufacturing career included stints in engineering services, hardware and electronics, is now applying his skills to help grow Connecticut’s already vigorous manufacturing base in his unique role as the state’s Chief Manufacturing Officer.
I’m a Committed Free Trader, but Right Now Too Many Free Trade Commentators are Their Own Worst Enemies

2 weeks ago | manufacturingtalks.substack.com | Jim Vinoski

I am a firm believer that free trade among nations is the fastest way for all to prosper. I’m also a firm believer that other aspects of proper national governance must be considered when it comes to our trading policies. Thanks for reading Manufacturing Talks with Jim Vinoski! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
Will America Finally Set A Sane Path Forward For Rare Earth Elements?

3 weeks ago | forbes.com | Jim Vinoski

The good news on rare earth elements is that in the past five years, numerous companies have been laboring to break China’s stranglehold on these vital minerals. The bad news is that the efforts have thus far been too few and far too slow. REEs are critical for applications using the high-powered magnets made from them, in sectors such as tech, defense, automotive, industrial and aerospace. China’s recent imposition of duties and export controls on them should have been a surprise to nobody.
Major Media Narrative of the Day: "Manufacturing Jobs Aren't Coming Back." Don't Believe It For a Second!

3 weeks ago | manufacturingtalks.substack.com | Jim Vinoski

Right on cue, all the big mainstream media players are out with the same headline: “Manufacturing Jobs Aren’t Coming Back,” or some variation of that. Vox, CNN, The Hill, NPR, CNBC, and yes, even Forbes–every one of these outlets has its own version of the new mantra. Every single one gets too many of the basic facts wrong as well. Thanks for reading Manufacturing Talks with Jim Vinoski! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
"Wealthy Nations Become Service Economies" is Just Plain Dumb

1 month ago | manufacturingtalks.substack.com | Jim Vinoski

‘Round about the time I was exhorted by a college career adviser decades ago not to go into manufacturing because it offered no career future, it was also common “wisdom” that the natural progression as nations grew wealthy is that they outsource production and focus on services. There is almost no logical basis for that assertion. Now, manufacturing may naturally make us less of total GDP, as we do less busy work ourselves and rely increasingly on service providers for it.
America's Bike Makers And the Dell Computer Model: Pending Disaster or a Sound Business Strategy?

1 month ago | manufacturingtalks.substack.com | Jim Vinoski

Are the top American bike brands in danger of being knocked off by the Chinese? A little birdie–in this case, a top executive at a big-name bicycle industry company–has been whispering in my ear lately, understandably off the record, about this potential additional trouble in the already turbulent bike business. Thanks for reading Manufacturing Talks with Jim Vinoski! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
Tariffs: Both Sides Are Right... and Wrong

1 month ago | manufacturingtalks.substack.com | Jim Vinoski

In the past few weeks, there has been a steady rise in the numbers of increasingly shrill calls for the imposition of more tariffs to “protect” specific industries. Simultaneously, I’ve seen more and more assertions about the price increases and “inflation” caused by tariffs. There was even one executive who openly called his adversaries in this debate “morons.”Man, I get it.
An Ardent Irishman’s Quest For A More Inclusive Mountain Bike

1 month ago | forbes.com | Jim Vinoski

Noel Joyce is an ex-military guy from Tullamore, Ireland, who now lives in Shanghai and teaches for the NYU branch there. He was paralyzed from the chest down in a mountain biking crash back in 2006. He found himself confined to a wheelchair yet nonetheless wanted to get back out on the trails. But he discovered that the existing products available for that purpose were less than optimal. An industrial design professor by trade, he took the bull by the horns.