US Manufacturing Research Articles

Characterizing disproportionality in facility-level toxic releases in US manufacturing, 1998–2012

The relationship between economic activity and environmental pollution is a topic of extensive research. Although a proportional relationship between the two is often the default assumption, emerging scholarship suggests that polluting releases are disproportionally distributed across units of production. This paper examines if proportionality or disproportionality best characterizes the production of toxic pollution in US manufacturing from 1998 to 2012. Examining US Environmental Protection Agency Toxics Release Inventory data from over 25 000 facilities in 322 industries, we find consistently high levels of disproportionality across facility-level toxic releases within industries, even when controlling for facility size. Moreover, high levels of within industry disproportionality are remarkably stable over the fifteen-year study period. In other words, year by year a small handful of egregiously polluting facilities account for the vast majority of toxic releases within a given industry. Our findings suggest that disproportionality should be understood as the default pattern of pollution generation rather than an exceptional case and that policymakers should seek to reduce pollution via carefully considered targeting strategies rather than broad-stroke decision making.

PNS129 HOW DO US MANUFACTURERS BENEFIT FROM EUROPEAN SCIENTIFIC ADVICE? A CASE STUDY

The reimbursement processes differ between the US and Europe (EU). Manufacturers would ideally adjust their clinical development plan (CDP) strategy to the EU health technology assessment (HTA) requirements, and obtain integrated scientific advice (ISA) to inform their CDPs. ISA, gained through parallel consultations with regulatory (European Medicines Agency [EMA]) and HTA agencies, can provide valuable insights to inform the generation of relevant evidence for patients, clinicians, regulators, HTA bodies and payers. The aim of this study was to explore how US manufacturers could benefit from EU ISA. We reviewed internal case studies of ISA focusing on processes and results. The goal was to assess the advantages and potential barriers for US companies in engaging ISA based on our experience. Disease and market access landscape assessments identified the current treatment pathway, unmet needs, competitor CDPs and evidence gaps in the disease area. Alignment was achieved on EMA and HTA, and HTA-only questions on the CDP and economic analysis for a briefing book (BB). The key ISA areas of value were identified: de-risking the CDP and addressing uncertainty, managing internal expectations and eliminating the ‘silo-ing’ of teams by promoting early cross-functional collaboration and understanding of payer value drivers. Potential barriers identified were: the lack of HTA agencies able to provide advice within the set timelines, change in the treatment landscape between the time of seeking advice and the actual submission, and most agencies expecting to receive the BB before the start of Phase 2/3 studies. Finally, the ISA is not binding and could be considered both as a barrier and an advantage to the manufacturer. In the context of a complex and challenging regulatory and HTA environment, the results of EU ISA includes internal buy-in, an aligned company strategy, timely advice and project management with long-term optimisation for US manufacturers.

A Qualitative Exploration of Shift Work and Employee Well-Being in the US Manufacturing Environment.

Describe manufacturing workers' perceptions of the effect of shift work, following the Framework for Worker Well-Being. Eight focus groups and 43 interviews were conducted across four large manufacturing plants. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data within each of the five domains of the Framework: physical environment and safety climate; workplace policies and culture; health status; work evaluation and experience; and home, community, and society. Respondents described shift work as detrimental to well-being across four of the five Framework domains. The exception was in the workplace policies and culture domain, where some respondents described shift work as necessary, fair, and financially beneficial. Shift work negatively influences worker well-being in a holistic way. Employers could consider reconfiguring workplace wellness benefits to transcend the boundaries of the workplace and better support workers and their families.

Ill health and distraction at work: Costs and drivers for productivity loss.

Employer-sponsored health insurance is the most widely spread form of medical coverage in the United States. Substantial portion of the premiums’ costs is covered by employers, thus contributing to labor costs for organizations. Although worker health and well-being have become increasingly important for businesses, most of them do not see a direct link between their health and well-being investments and work output and quality of work of their employees. This study aimed to estimate the cost of inefficiencies at work with emphasis on their internal causes, i.e., sick-related absenteeism and distraction at work. With data from 3,258 employees (2,775 office and 483 manufacturing) from a major US manufacturer with revenue of $6 billion, monetary loss in productivity due to sick-related absenteeism and distraction among office and factory floor employees was assessed. The Work Productivity and Activity Impairment scale and the Health-related Lost Productivity Time tool (both already validated) were used to estimate the cost of productivity loss. Survey data on health-related absenteeism and distraction time at work, together with company pay records, were used. A secondary analysis, using survey data collected from 615 Polish apparel factory workers at a major global brand complemented with their payroll records (absenteeism and salary), was conducted to validate the main findings. Results of the primary analysis indicated that annual productivity loss to the organization amounted to approximately $300 m. Distraction contributed to 93.6% of the annual productivity loss of the US manufacturer, while only 6.4% resulted from health-related absenteeism, implying that distraction at work cost this organization almost 15 times more than health related absenteeism, reducing the overall return on sales by over 6 pp. The secondary analysis corroborated the dominance of distraction induced productivity costs over the cost of health-related absenteeism. Evidence from the regression analysis conducted on cross-sectional data indicated that regardless of the type of work, work engagement and auditory privacy were evidently highly bound with productivity loss. For manufacturing workers, job security was also negatively correlated with productivity loss, while for office employees, better social relationships and lack of work-family conflict were positively associated with productivity. Despite being based on two case studies, our results are informative of the magnitude of distraction and health related productivity costs. They also show that workers with deficiencies in their well-being at work present a substantial opportunity for growth to companies in terms of reduced efficiency.

From the Collection

George Andrews (ca. 1765–1816) was one of the earliest US manufacturers of composition ornament. His widely disseminated molded product, which substituted for wood carving in bas relief, helped spr...

Minerals at risk of supply shortages

Almost two dozen minerals required for new and emerging technologies are at risk of supply shortages, according to a new study of the US manufacturing sector (Sci. Adv. 2020, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aay8647). The minerals are used in alloys, batteries, catalysts, ceramics, and other applications. A research team led by Nedal T. Nassar of the US Geological Survey’s National Minerals Information Center developed a model to look at three factors that put mineral supplies at risk: US manufacturers’ dependence on foreign supplies, the chance of a foreign supply disruption, and manufacturers’ ability to continue working through a disruption. After examining the use of 52 minerals from 2007 to 2016, the authors found the greatest risk of a supply disruption for 23 minerals, including rare-earth elements, platinum-group elements, cobalt, niobium, tantalum, and tungsten. While federal policies are driven by year-to-year supply fluctuations, the researchers found that these 23 minerals were at risk consistently

First Reported Use of Artesunate Adjunctive Therapy for Severe BK Polyoma Virus Hemorrhagic Cystitis (BKPyV-HC)

BKV is ubiquitous with 80-90% seropositivity. BKV establishes latency in kidney tubular epithelial/urothelial cells but is shed in urine. Reactivation may cause interstitial nephritis (BKV-IN) after renal transplant (Ktxp) and hemorrhagic cystitis (HC) and/or BKV-IN after allo-HSCT. BKV-HC occurs 2-8 wks after HSCT. Diagnosis requires: cystitis, macroscopic hematuria and urine (U) BK VL >7log10 copies/ml. High-level BK viruria occurs in >80% post allo-HSCT but only 5-20% develop HC. Plasma (PL) VLs are elevated in 60% and declining PL-VL correlates with improvement. Re-activation risk factors include young age, male sex; high risk donor; HSCT conditioning with CTX, busulfan, TBI; and grade 2-4 GVHD. Therapy is supportive. There are no FDA approved agents for BKV. Cidofovir (CDV), leflunomide, and FQs have in-vitro BKV activity but clinical use is not supported by rigorous trials. Pooled IVIg contains BKV antibodies. Reduction of immunosuppression improves BKV-IN in Ktxp recipients but is ineffective in allo-HSCT BKV-HC. For >30 years 1st line therapy for malaria has been Artesunate (ART), an artemisinin derivative with a good safety profile. ART has an antiviral spectrum including herpesviruses, HBV, HCV, HIV and BKV. ART inhibits BKV replication in human renal tissue culture via activation of transcription factors NF-κB / Sp-1 and concentration dependent down regulation of phosphorylation by kinase PI3K without cellular cytotoxicity. In-vitro, ATV is synergistic and/or additive with CDV, GCV and Maribavir. Case reports/series of ART use in CMV, HHV6, and resistant HSV-2, are published. CASE: A 22yo M w R/R (see table) T/HRLBCL IIIB underwent a haplo-SCT in PR. At week +8 he developed gross hematuria, cystitis (9-10/10 pain), and urinary outlet obstruction. U-/PL-BK VLs were >100,000,000/ 7.9 mg/dl). PL-BKV VL rose to 196,537copies/ml and both ureters obstructed necessitating bilateral nephrostomy drains. We requested ART via an eIND from the FDA and current US manufacturer. ART load (2.4 mg/kg IV Q 12H x2) followed by 2.4 mg/kg/d administered x 14 d. Cystitis pain fell from 9-10 to 0-2/10 by day 4. U-/PL-BKV VLs fell to 91,980 / There was a strong temporal association between ART treatment and clinical response. CDV and IVIg therapy may also have contributed to the observed improvement. ART therapy may be an emerging option for BKV-IN and HC and further research is warranted.

Labelling accuracy in low nicotine e-cigarette liquids from a sampling of US manufacturers.

To assess labelling accuracy for low nicotine concentration e-cigarette liquids. Nicotine concentration in twelve e-liquids, available in 3 and 6mg/ml strengths, was assayed (5 replicates each) using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Average nominal concentrations of nicotine were lower than reported in 23/24 products tested, with 2/12 products labelled 3mg/ml, and 3/12 of the 6mg/ml products showing statistically significant differences from controls. Despite the emergence of a global regulatory environment for e-cigarettes, inaccuracies still exist in nicotine concentration labelling, which may affect user habits and reliability of products used in smoking cessation.

Have investors learned from the crisis? An analysis of post-crisis pricing errors and market corrections in US stock markets based on the reverse DCF model

ABSTRACTThe traditional discounted cash flow (DCF) model is generally used to estimate the present value of an enterprise or its equity based on expected future parameters such as cash flows, growth rate and discount rate. In the last decade, the reverse DCF model has gained popularity. With this approach, the valuer uses the current market capitalization as a fixed input and seeks those ‘critical’ values of individual valuation parameters, which – assuming all other parameters remain unchanged – result in a value equal to current market value. This provides a point of comparison for the company’s realized performance and may provide insights regarding over or undervaluation. In this study, we develop a novel DCF model and conduct empirical analysis using data of 1001 US manufacturing, service, retail and financial companies. We examine pricing errors and market corrections in the post-crisis era based on the critical cash flow ratio defined in our reverse model. We find evidence of a general undervaluation in US stock markets with different pricing error patterns across industries. Our results confirm market correction mechanisms have worked properly in the post-crisis era with an average reaction time of 2 years, suggesting investors have learned from the crisis.

Rise of trade protectionism: the case of US-Sino trade war

In recent decades, China experienced the fastest economic growth by opening its economy and focussing on trade and is now the second largest economy surpassing Japan. The widening of the US trade deficit with China raised tensions between the two largest economies of the world. Although China is gradually opening, it is still protecting some of its industries and engaging in unfair trade practices. Trump administration argues that trade deficit hurts US manufacturing and promised to cut them. Previous administration used the WTO process to challenge China for abusing intellectual property rights, import restrictions, and subsidising its industries. Protectionism hurts both countries. USA is the largest trade partner of China and US tariffs can slow its growth. China’s tariffs on US goods also are raising prices for consumers. Moreover, studies indicate that unilateral measures of imposing tariffs neither reduce deficits nor create jobs.

Wetland microbe detoxifies PFAS contaminants

Toxic fluorinated chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) present a public health challenge because of their widespread contamination of drinking water. Some scientists have dubbed these compounds “forever chemicals” because they have been virtually immune to microbial degradation—until now. A new study reports that over a 100-day period in the lab, a wetland bacterium removed the fluorine atoms from up to 60% of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), rendering the substances harmless (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2019, DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b04047). The results suggest that sites contaminated with PFAS could potentially be cleaned up using bioremediation. PFOA and PFOS—two out of more than 4,700 fluorinated surfactants in the PFAS family—were once used in firefighting foams, nonstick coatings, and stain repellents. US manufacturers phased out the two compounds after scientists linked them to cancer and endocrine disruption. But they remain the most common P...

Long-term firm growth: an empirical analysis of US manufacturers 1959–2015

Abstract Firm growth is an essential feature of market economies, shaping together macroeconomic performance and the evolution of industry structures. As a potential indicator of organizational “fitness” within a competitive environment, firm growth is also a central concern to both the practice and theory of business strategy. Despite both its theoretical and practical importance, though, growth remains a poorly understood property of firms. While previous studies have documented the fat-tailed nature of firm growth rates, we know far less about the patterns of growth rates over long periods of time. For instance, do “fast growers” tend to maintain their relative growth rates advantages over long periods or is superior growth a transitory phenomenon? Is, as predicted by evolutionary and capability-based theories of the firm, the process of firm growth path-dependent or is it more akin to a random walk? The answers to these questions are central to building a robust theory of firm growth. This article attempts to address this gap in our empirical knowledge of firm growth using a dataset that spans 50 years, which allows the abandonment of the assumption, common to all incumbent studies, that the stochastic paths of all firms stem from the same generating process. These exploratory results indicate that growth rate persistence is there and may be even substantial for some firms, but it is rare. We also study the links between the micro-properties of firm growth within sectors and the patterns of aggregate growth of these same sectors. Indeed, we find circumstantial but widespread evidence that heterogeneity across firms correlates with industry dynamism.

New CEOs’ previous experience and acquisition performance

PurposeThis study aims to investigate how new CEOs’ previous experiences in other organizations and other industries create value in acquisitions. Drawing on the upper echelon perspective, this study theorizes that the multiorganizational experience of new CEOs is positively associated with acquisition performance and, in particular, that the multi-industry experience of new CEOs leads to better performance in diversifying acquisitions than in related acquisitions. While new CEOs without multiorganizational experience undergo a cognitive entrenchment in firm-specific experience, new CEOs with multiorganizational experience can lead acquisitions with more flexibility and agility.Design/methodology/approachAcquisition and organizational data were drawn from the US manufacturing industries (SIC 20-39) between 2008 and 2010. The event study method was used to test hypotheses. In 346 acquisitions made by 139 firms, acquisition performance was measured according to cumulative abnormal returns.FindingsConsistent with the hypotheses, the multiorganizational experience of new CEOs was positively associated with acquisition performance and, in particular, the multi-industry experience of new CEOs led to better performance in diversifying acquisitions than in related acquisitions.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the CEO literature and acquisition literature by suggesting that the multiorganizational experience of new CEOs can be a valuable source of competitive advantages, particularly when implementing corporate strategies involving interorganizational integration processes.

The decline of the labor income share in Mexico, 1990–2015

• Mexicós labor share fell from 1990 to 2015 because of reductions in formal sectors. • Stagnant productivity in the self-employment sectors held real formal wages back. • With formal wages anchored, formal productivity gains accrued to profits. • Slow economic growth had a crucial role in the decline of the labor share. • A remaining puzzle is why a rising profit share failed to stimulate growth. The paper studies the decline of the labor income share ( LIS ) in Mexico during the period 1990–2015. The decline is mostly explained by reductions within the economy’s major sectors (including manufacturing, tradables, and non-tradables) rather than by a recomposition of value added towards sectors with low labor shares. In contrast to agriculture—where LIS fell due to a shift of labor force from self-employment to wage-employment—in other major areas of the economy the fall in LIS is explained by reductions within the wage-employment sector. Econometric estimations indicate that parallel declines in the wage share and relative productivity of non-tradables and in the US manufacturing labor share all played a large role in the reduction of the manufacturing wage share in Mexico. More generally, the analysis suggests that the lagging productivity of the economy’s informal non-tradable sector—itself a reflection of the country’s low aggregate rate of economic growth—is a crucial factor in the fall of LIS in the formal sectors. The paper concludes by discussing possible explanations for the paradox of the slow rate of economic growth in Mexico despite the rise in the profit share.

Structural change and relative demand for skilled workers: new evidence from the US manufacturing

Abstract The present paper empirically investigates the effects of structural change—change in labor productivity fueled by labor reallocation across industries—on relative demand for skilled workers, using the NBER-CES Manufacturing Industry Database for the period of 1958–2011. The measures unveil that the US manufacturing sectors had experienced dramatic structural change since the 1990s when labor was reallocated from high-productivity to low-productivity industries. Furthermore, we find the evidence that the growth-reducing structural change impinges positively on relative demand for skilled workers and is therefore another driving force of rising wage inequality, apart from high-tech capital investment and outsourcing activities, in the US manufacturing sectors.

Living in a modern way in The Moon is Blue (1953, Otto Preminger): mid-century modern architecture, interiors, and furniture

This article focuses on The Moon is Blue (1953, Otto Preminger), a light-hearted romantic comedy starring Maggie McNamara as an aspiring young actor, Patty O’Neill, and William Holden as architect Donald Gresham. The first Hollywood movie largely set inside a high-end Mid-Century Modern domestic interior, it features some top-quality machine mass-produced furniture by leading US designers and manufacturers. After considering the design production team, I discuss the ways in which the film promotes the furniture and the performance of modern ways of living. I also discuss how the film uses the interiors in a neighbouring apartment as a counterpoint to that of Gresham.

The service economy: U.S. trade coalitions in an era of deindustrialization

Services dominate the US economy and are increasingly traded across borders yet little is known about service firms’ trade policy objectives or lobbying activities. We fill this gap by examining services’ political engagement on trade policy as manifested through lobbying, public positions on trade, and reports issued by U.S. Industry Trade Advisory Committees. We document for the first time that service firms are highly active in the politics of US trade agreements and, compared to firms in goods-producing industries, are much less likely to disagree over trade. Instead, service firms are almost uniformly supportive of US trade agreements, which we explain by focusing on the stark US comparative advantage in services. Service firms are therefore a key constituency for deeper international economic cooperation, helping to explain the present era of global integration despite tough times for uncompetitive US manufacturing. We expect service producers to join the defense of global economic order against emergent populism.

ANALYSIS OF THE STUDIES RESULTS OF EMISSIONS OF POLLUTANTS BY USED CARS IMPORTED INTO UKRAINE FROM THE USA

It`s given an analysis of the distribution of wheeled vehicles regarding values of mass specific emissions of pollutants obtained from the results of tests in the European driving cycle (NEDC) the group of 1109 used (second-hand) vehicles of category M1 of various brands (equipped with gasoline engines, which at the time of production were in accordance with federal environmental requirements of the USA), and imported into Ukraine from North America. The analysis included in particular distribution of pollutants specific mass emission vs. total mileage of 3 main vehicle`s brands of tested group consisted mainly of VW, Mazda and Ford. It`s also included statistical frequency distribution of whole tested group and for aforementioned brands individually in comparison with EU (“Euro-5”) and US (T2B5) emission limits, used for type approval and as OBD thresholds, including Ukrainian limits used for second-hand vehicles that does not approved in accordance to EU legislation or within the 1958 Agreement concerning the Adoption of Uniform Conditions of Approval and Reciprocal Recognition of Approval for Motor Vehicle Equipment and Parts. The analysis gives opportunity of comparison of established in tested group of one of the key European, Japan and US manufacturers of passenger vehicles regarding its emission values distribution based on NEDC test procedure results. It`s given the rationale for amending the current procedure for assessing conformity of this category of vehicles (“Approval of the design of vehicles, their parts and equipment”, approved by order of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine No. 521 dated 17/08/2012), taking into account cancellation at the end of 2018 (according to the Law of Ukraine No. 2612-VIII dated 11/08/2018) of "Euro-5" standards as the minimum requirements for the first registration in Ukraine of used (second-hand) vehicles of heading 8703 of the Ukrainian classification of goods of foreign economic activity. Keywords: wheeled vehicles, passenger cars, emission of pollutants, regulation, setting of norms, certification, import of vehicles from the USA.

Corporate Social Performance, Financialization, and Real Investment in US Manufacturing Firms

In recent years, the global financial and economic crisis are rewriting the relationship between business and society, focusing, among other things, on the role of the process of financialization, not only in the economy as a whole but also within non-financial companies. Shareholder value maximization, together with the commoditization of business, has led to a general short-term approach at the expense of capital accumulation and core business activity, to the detriment of not only firms’ competitiveness and productivity but also of human capital, strategic innovation, business ethics, and long-term growth. Within this framework, this study investigates the role of corporate sustainability, analyzing the nexus between financialization, accumulation of real capital, and corporate social performance, an issue that has been neglected so far. Using a sample of US manufacturing firms from 2002 to 2017, we found that, while financialization was negatively correlated with corporate real investment, the environmental and social firm performance positively impacted corporate capital accumulation. Our results support the belief that a focus on environmental, social, and governance standards, fostering real investments, may enhance a firm’s long-term growth with a positive effect on its long-term value.

Inolex expands US manufacturing capacity with new plant

Inolex expands US manufacturing capacity with new plant