Day: August 31, 2022

Latest LG Energy Solution expansion in Holland further bolsters its relationship with Michigan as leaders in battery production. Does America have a rare earth metals strategy?

Latest LG Energy Solution expansion in Holland further bolsters its relationship with Michigan as leaders in battery production. Does America have a rare earth metals strategy? Visualizing 10 Years of Global EV Sales by Country: https://lnkd.in/gDxDRtQC. https://www.michiganbusiness.org/news/2022/03/lg-energy-solution-and-michigan-leading-the-battery-evolution/ China tops the list for mine production & reserves of rare earth elements, w/ 44M tons (>20x the U.S.) in reserves (38% of global total) & 140K tons of annual mine production (3x the...

Secretary Miguel A. Cardona called college rankings “a joke,” & took aim at selective colleges’ obsession with them…You think? I have been talking to high schoolers & the parents also appear to be too focused on rankings.

Secretary Miguel A. Cardona called college rankings “a joke,” & took aim at selective colleges’ obsession with them...You think? I have been talking to high schoolers & the parents also appear to be too focused on rankings. Pay attention to what matters most- not rankings!...especially at the undergraduate level. https://www.chronicle.com/article/college-rankings-are-a-joke-education-secretary-says?cid=twitter&utm_campaign=20220812&utm_content=providing_for_students%E2%80%99_b&utm_medium=chronicle&utm_source=twitter "Students who are able to build strong relationships with professors are far more likely to find engaging work after graduation." https://lnkd.in/gSuzhcjP -those...

Greenhouse: It’s pretty much a tie between #1) transportation (short flights or driving “alone” are the most carbon-intensive) & #2) power plants & #3) factories.

It’s pretty much a tie between #1) transportation (short flights or driving "alone" are the most carbon-intensive) & #2) power plants & #3) factories. Electricity: 60%, comes from natural gas & coal plants, w/ nuclear, renewables, & other sources making up 40%.  https://www.visualcapitalist.com/sp/visualizing-u-s-greenhouse-gas-emissions-by-sector/ Comparing the Carbon Footprint of Transportation Options:https://lnkd.in/gKk_ekdJ Oh America, Oh Michigan (#1, thank you Canada?). Each American produces 1,700 pounds of waste/yr, the world’s most wasteful country. https://lnkd.in/g4YqQNZ2...

U.S. productivity posts biggest EVER drop in 2nd quarter. This is a very complicated calculation, but it is very concerning. Has how we managed the last 2+ years caught up to us?

U.S. productivity posts biggest EVER drop in 2nd quarter. This is a very complicated calculation, but it is very concerning. Has how we managed the last 2+ years caught up to us? This not only will make inflation harder to beat, it contributes to inflation. In the past, any time America had inflationary pressure, it was our productivity that bailed us out. https://www.piie.com/blogs/realtime-economic-issues-watch/record-us-productivity-slump-first-half-2022-risks-higher Note, in the quarter after Sept. 11th,...

The producer price index (decreased .5% in July, the first month-over-month decrease since April 2020!)

U.S. Supplier Inflation Logs Slowest Pace Since Last Fall. In the Fall, we will be looking at raw material market data from multiple sources, we will visualize & analyze historical pricing scenarios, & do some simulating on planned purchases & what-if scenarios against forward price curves. It beats manually updating giant color coded excel spreadsheets. https://lnkd.in/ghjfe3ghhttps://lnkd.in/gMuhMNf6https://lnkd.in/gQZ7HfWb https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-producer-prices-eased-in-july-as-energy-costs-fell-11660222561 Stay tuned for some white papers from the WMU SCM program: Some of our...