Category Archive: Manufacturing

M & M Box Proudly Participates in MFG Day this October 2nd!

Posted by M & M Box Partitions Co. on September 21, 2015 12:00 am

The upcoming Manufacturing Day celebration is the go-to event showcasing modern manufacturing and was created to inspire those who are either established or starting out in the dynamic and ever-evolving field of manufacturing. MFG Day celebrates the next generation of those who will be leading the way in manufacturing innovation and greatness. Normally this event begins on the first Friday in October, but this year is pushed to October 2, 2015. Mark your calendars!

MFG DAY has several purposes, but arguably the most important is to give those who are in the forefront an opportunity to collectively open wide their factory floors to not only illustrate what modern manufacturing is all about, but to also reveal what are common misperceptions and erroneous assumptions made by those who are not yet exposed to the reality of manufacturing today.

M & M Box & Partitions of Chicago is thrilled to be one of a group of industry sponsors and co-producers supporting MFG DAY. M & M Box understands how vital it is to get the proverbial word out about what individual manufacturers strive to achieve on a daily basis and to join in the collective chorus of manufacturers driven to trumpet the many opportunities for the future. MFG DAY, in a nutshell, is a vehicle for manufacturers to collectively address their common challenges and to help make communities and future generations all the more prosperous.

M & M Box Partitions Company has been manufacturing chip, corrugated and specialty board partitions since 1968. M & M Box has the machinery and capability to deliver on every design need, from cell sizes ranging from 1/4″ to 60″ in length and width to heights from 5/8″ to 24″. Give M & M Box a call today to find out more about its strict quality control program and its various premiere services and products.

Illinois Manufacturing Facts

Posted by M & M Box Partitions Co. on February 9, 2015 12:00 am

In the whole of the United States, manufacturing provides an estimated 17.6 million jobs, which is approximately one in six of the jobs in the private-sector. This means that about 9 percent of the workforce is employed directly in manufacturing. In Illinois alone, manufacturing accounts for a whopping 12 percent of the state’s total economic output with a variety of types of goods being made. This represents a similar figure of 9.3 percent of the total workforce in Illinois being employed in this sector of the economy.

In 2009, there were 14,722 manufacturing companies in Illinois, which represented growth of 83 percent since 2003. Machinery production in general and farm equipment in particular is the largest slice of the manufacturing pie in Illinois, with both Caterpillar and John Deere headquartered here. Other types of manufacturers in Illinois include food and beverage; such as Equal Sweetener, metal products, chemicals, coal, petroleum, print materials (books), electronics, plastics and even sunglasses, with Maui Jim being based in Peoria since 1996.

An impressive 92.4 billion dollars was the total output figure from manufacturing in 2012 in Illinois and represents compensation that is more than $20,000 higher than other forms of non-farm employment in the state. Manufacturers make up a significant driver of the overall Illinois’ economy and are therefore a vital source of employment for so many blue collar workers.

An outstanding example of this bustling activity in the state is M & M Box, which has been manufacturing chip, corrugated and specialty board partitions since 1968. M & M Box has a facility in Illinois that maintains a large inventory of roll and flat stock paperboard and many grades and flutes of corrugated sheets. With the latest in machinery technology, M & M Box capabilities are vast and varied, able to meet practically any and all design needs.

M & M Box is known for its strict quality control program. Call or email us today to discover how M & M Box can help in fulfilling your shipping material needs.

The 8th Largest Economy In The World And On The Verge Of Its Second Awakening

Posted by M & M Box Partitions Co. on January 26, 2015 12:00 am

Manufacturing is the life-blood of a country. Without the continuous growth of this sector, the growth of an economy is far from possible. The United States has always been the home of the brave and the land of the free. As one of the super powers of the world, manufacturing has been an imperative of its government.

The last real boom in the manufacturing sector came in the 1950s when suburban USA woke up to its potential. However in the recent decades despite a whopping 340% increase in exports, manufacturing has sadly been pushed to the back burner. In fact in 1990 the service industry left it behind as a dominant contributor to the national income and the very next year finance, insurance and real estate followed suit.

WHAT WENT WRONG?

The gradual depreciation of the economic value of manufacturing was exacerbated by the trend of off-shoring. Because of the juxtaposition of low minimum wages and a number of lucrative tax benefits, China and other Asian countries beckoned investors and factories. The IT boom also added its two bits and turned the attention towards silicon chips and the ‘rise and rise’ of technology was born.

There has been a lot of ‘passing the buck’ where the apparent decline of US manufacturing is concerned. The fact though remains that without active factories and busy work floors, true economic progress is difficult to achieve.

THE 2007 RECESSION:

After the recent 2007 recession, a second awakening of American manufacturing and the blue collar work force has been in the offing. With the sudden inflow of ready cash from investors looking to develop everything from construction to real estate, manufacturing too has received a major boost. In a golden cycle of shared profits (this is called the Industry Multiplier Effect), manufacturing in return acts as the benign patron for these sectors bumping economic prosperity.

In 2013, manufacturing contributed $2.08 trillion to the economy at the rate of #1.32 for every buck invested.

Presently there are about 17.4 million manufacturing vacancies in the US beckoning both skilled and unskilled workers to make a living.

And topping all achievements, if the collective revenue of manufacturing companies is considered, it is equivalent to the 8^th largest economy in the world.

THE FUTURE:

The future looks extremely promising! Because of several issues (the least of which isn’t a steep increase in hourly wages across China), transportation expenses are no longer being offset by tremendous profits. It is making more sense for industries with a large client base in the US to set up production units within the country.

The productivity of US workers is also phenomenal and surpasses that of any other country.

Manufacturing is truly a slumbering giant. If leveraged and encouraged with passion, the positive signs could well result in an era of abundance and a return to former glory.