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♦ Bringing manufacturing back to America and eliminating trade deficits
♦ Bringing manufacturing to rural areas
♦ Connecting rural manufacturing areas to big urban centers

Basic Concept of Manufacturing Villages

  • A Manufacturing Village can be thought of as an incubator that never goes away and insures success

  • The visual image of a Manufacturing Village:

satellites 1

  • Manufactuirng villages can be wither retail or wholesale but not both (see below)
  • Since young entrepreneurs, even with a good gut feel for making things, lack the time in today's fast paced environment to learn the technical aspects of running a manufacturing business, the central services will supply all the supporting functionality ensuring the satellite's success. Again, think of central services as an incubator that never goes away assuring 95% success.
  • Central Services, for good reasons of quality control, is a franchise. Since 100's of manufacturing villages will dot the landscape from coast to coast and around the world, the strictest and legal way to bring continuing quality to everyone is the franchise model.
  • No matter with whom I talk or where they are the idea of local investment, local production, and keeping profits locally is of primary importance. Therefore, after the initial investment to create the Central Services franchise and the original manufacturing village all fund-raising will occur locally using the group funding of the JOBS program (Kickstarter is a national example) internal to the franchise.
  • Bringing manufacturing back to the U.S.A. is the only way to bring trade deficits to meaningful levels. Adam Smith didn't like trade deficits; he also likes local investment.
  • The fastest successful way to modern manufacturing. Look for 100's of MV's in the next ten years.
Philosophical Reasons for Manufacturing Villages - mouseover titles below for more information

  • Satellite - 95% Success Rate

    The reason for most failures in small business is lack of structure. Central Services eliminates this issue: the satellite can focus on production, not endless back office tasks.

    1. Central Services also makes sure the satellite has the proper technology installed for maximum production efficiency.
    2. Central Services creates and manages the sales, vast majority being customized products sold direct to the consumer over the internet
    3. Central Services monitors the accounting allowing for continuous monitoring to catch anomalies
    4. Satellites must run an environment/culture allowing employees to feel free to contribute to the company's success
    5. Constant review of operations including monitoring of production machinery for maintenance
    6. Owners of satellite production companies are tested for ability to see everything and get upset if things are not done correctly.

    This all ads up to a 95% success rate making raising local capital easy through crowd fundraising. In fact, I expect the investors to drive to the facilities and give advice (good or bad), sort of like a super-board of directors.

  • Living Company Environment

    Shifting from merely earning a living, the 21st Century finds working environment a critical issue to success, particularly in small manufacturing businesses - ok, so I'm only concerned with manufacturing, the rest of you take care of yourselves. Read more about enjoying your work life...

  • Why a Franchise Model for Central Services

    Reason 1: Maintain quality and consistency 
    Reason 2: Rapid reproduction of manufacturing villages 
    Read how Manufacturing Village are rigorously controlled by Central Services ...

  • Never Lose a Website

    One of the greatest fears of a small business? Losing the "webmaster". Even before that, finding a person or company able to express the "gut" of the business can be amost fearful process. Central Services saves the day! Even if the web designer of an individual MV leaves, the national organization takes up the slack until a new local person is installed. The national level creates forms and questionaires leading to a template leading to presenting either just information or, since we sell directly to the consumer, a really fabulous ecommerce site.

  • Entrepreneur Profile

    If everyone was a capable manufacturer life would be easier. Manufacturing Villages need to be selective of people with the GOOD gut feel: They must not only have a great desire to build, but additionally, a history of making something/anything. Were you the one who fixed your friends' bicycles? Did you have a power drill that fell apart from use? Were you the yearbook photographer and did some of the darkroom work? (Yes, I'm old enough to remember using an enlarger and chemical to produce photos of the sports people who bought the photos.) Are you reliable? Since you will be the boss we can't have you coming in late and leaving early. If your employees need something done will you see it is done. And nothing passes your eagle eyes. No detail is too small if something is not right. I have been assured psychological tests can filter out the people who only talk and find the doers.

  • Growing bigger

    We'll have an entire area in Central Services to transform satellite producers grown too big for a Manufacturing Village to transform into an independent company. Many of the services run by Central Services will be run by a separate company dedicated to larger businesses.

  • Investment - Central Services and Satellites

    Central Services, set up as a franchise for quality control purposes, is funded from select investment funds who believe in the manufacturing villages concept. Individual satellite manufacturing operations are funded in three ways: 1. The entrepreneur has enough wealth to do the entire investment, 2. Crowd funding through our internal JOBS program unit directly for an individual satellite, and 3. From a fund to invest in several satellites. All satellite investment is local money and, moreover, the profits stay in the community. Get your digital check books ready and read more...

  • Mass Customization - a MV Advantage

    I'm stating very explicitly here: Manufacturing Villages are about customization of products for the direct customer. Whether apparel, jewelry, or even garden decorative products, customization using modern technology allows the production of individualized products. Being small manufacturers allows customization a larger company usually trips over its own processes. Read the customized explanation ...

  • Continuing Profits

    Continuing profits keep manufacturing villages in business for the long term through two channels:
    Central services backoffice structures
    Continual auditing of both busienss flow and production
    The intention is a 95% sucess rate through startup to key person issues. If you are not in business you are not helping anyone! Successfully read on ...

  • Keeping the Financial People Away from MV's

    Nothing destroys a business faster than a chief executive from the financial path. Keeping the entrepreneurs in charge ...

  • MV'sw make Employees More Efficient

    Small satellite production with small workforces restrict beauracy which intrinsically means inefficiency. See the efficient article ...

  • Repurpose Malls and Buildings to New Manufacturing

    No, I didn't start the stampede to repurpose old building to residential and retail, yet, small manufacturing without a pollution component is an important part of recalibrating and reconfiguring American real estate. Read more ...

  • Manufacture Anything You Want

    The flexibility of Manufacturing Villages does not limit what can be made except for the size of the product as small sized items are much easier to handle. Products should be able to ship via UPS, Fedex, or USPS. Click here to size up the whole story...

  • MV's Geared for Training

    Training new employees, whether in a school situation or on-job training always remains a necessity. Read how manufacturing villages will pay for training...

  • Repository for New Technology

    Whether back office operations or manufacturing operations a library of new and available technology is important. Just the amount of new technology in the engineering magazines requires a full time researcher to list and document what new products and processees are available for implementation. Learn about our library....

Wholesale and Retail Paths

Manufacturing Villages come in two flavors: wholesale and retail.

Retail is the easiest to describe: customized products sold directly to the customer, mostly via the web.

Wholesale manufacturing villages make small products in mass amounts sold bu someone else or included in a larger assembly. Some examples are light bulb sockets and switches. Extension cords and bungy cords, too. Wholesale products now made overseas should be produced here wwith modern automation and design/production software. 

The basic structure of central services surrounded by satellite manufacturers stays the same. So take your pick: individual customized products, commonly called job-shop production, or set up to crank out thousands and thousands of wholesale products you improve in incremental ways.

  • All manufacturing satellites within close physical proximity
  • Monitoring of businesses and their production processes from central services office
  • Enables close cooperation for negotiating with vendors and shippers
  • Central services provides all non-manufacturing business services
  • Works with local schools for a quality workforce
  • Provides trained employees for bigger businesses
  • MV's bring political force to government's small business neglect

Preface by Richard Pearlman, Chief Engineer of Manufacturing Villages

Leading by example is the future. Manufacturing Villages, the key to changing a downward spiral to an upward climb, brings real world means to a better life for everyone. Click here to read more ...

Basic Concepts Articles