David Lawrence, the new president and CEO of Milacron Inc., had a positive message to deliver in today's Cincinnati Enquirer. As the story notes, that's a "good thing, because he's taking over leadership of the Cincinnati manufacturing icon during a particularly challenging time." Here's a sample of some of Lawrence's glass-half-full comments: "I don't know what's around the corner... But it's nothing we can't deal with. Nothing other companies aren't dealing with." Later, he notes: "I didn't take this job because I didn't think this company can't survive." Another interesting snippet from the story:
Milacron is embarking on a strategic review of its global operations to determine where it makes the most economic sense to produce the equipment it sells. "Some will be made in the United States, and some will be made in other parts of the world," he said. Milacron has operations in North America and Europe and small operations in China and India. Lawrence said that while U.S. manufacturing is challenging, the company isn't going to abandon production here. "We can't ship jobs offshore and maintain a robust economy," he said.Lawrence is in a position that means a lot to the future of plastics machinery manufacturing in the United States. So it's great to see him take a high-profile, optimistic stance.
