Lean Helps Company Soar

摘要

The national economic storm that began in the latter half of 2000 has hit many states, but in California alone, more than 300,000 manufacturing jobs have been lost. The aerospace sector, in particular, has sustained some of the heaviest casualties. A November 2002 report by The Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry- called for by President Bush-calculated a national loss of 24,500 aerospace-related jobs from 1996 to 2001. While California still employs a fair number of aerospace workers, states such as Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas and Texas actually gained aerospace jobs during this same period. The emigration of aerospace jobs is no surprise given California's high energy costs, workers' compensation expenses that have skyrocketed almost 100 percent in one year and hefty business taxes that are expected to rise as the state tries to solve its budget deficit.