Jonathan Lemire

Associated Press

Trends in Manufacturing: Insights from 750 Leaders

Trends in Manufacturing: Insights from 750 Leaders

Despite manufacturers’ best forecasts, no one could have predicted what 2020 had in store. For many manufacturers, the destabilizing force of the pandemic exposed weaknesses along the value chain. It also highlighted opportunities to justify larger-scale.

In this Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019 file photo, Albert Bourla, chief executive officer of Pfizer, prepares to testify before the Senate Finance Committee hearing on drug prices, on Capitol Hill in Washington. On Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020, Bourla wrote to Pfizer employees that he's “disappointed” the timing for a vaccine to be available was politicized during Tuesday night’s presidential debate, saying the company won’t succumb to political pressure.

Pfizer CEO Pushes Back on Vaccine Timing

He's disappointed that the company's work is being politicized and reassured staff that he won’t bend to pressure to move more quickly.

President Donald Trump boards Air Force One as he departs Thursday, May 21, 2020, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. Trump will visit a Ypsilanti, Mich., Ford plant that has been converted to making personal protection and medical equipment.

Trump Heads to Ford Plant in Mich.

It's the factory that was repurposed to manufacture ventilators.

President Donald Trump speaks as Vice President Mike Pence, left, and FEMA Administrator Peter Gaynor look on during a coronavirus task force briefing at the White House, March 22, 2020.

Rescue Package Talks Continue

Negotiations continued through the night on the nearly $2 trillion proposal.

President Donald Trump speaks during a press briefing with the coronavirus task force, in the Brady press briefing room at the White House, Monday, March 16, 2020, in Washington.

Trump Addresses Virus Impact on US Economy

U.S. businesses large and small are reeling from shutdowns, cancellations and public fear.

President Donald Trump speaks with business leaders at a roundtable event at Roosevelt House, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020, in New Delhi, India.

Trump Says Coronavirus 'Very Well Under Control' in US

President wants an additional $2.5 billion to shore up defenses 'in case something should happen.'

In this April 23, 2014 file photo, a man smokes an electronic cigarette in Chicago.

Trump Backing Off Banning Vaping Flavors

Officials say Trump has since grown reluctant to move forward after becoming convinced such a step could alienate voters he needs for re-election.

Trump Won't Impose Uranium Quotas

The decision is unusual for Trump, who has pointed to national security concerns in calling for restrictions in trade negotiations.

A worker walks up steps to the right of an avionics truck parked next to a Boeing 737 MAX 8 airplane being built for TUI Group at Boeing Co.'s Renton Assembly Plant Wednesday, March 13, 2019, in Renton, Wash. President Donald Trump says the U.S. is issuing an emergency order grounding all Boeing 737 Max 8 and Max 9 aircraft in the wake of a crash of an Ethiopian Airliner.

Grounding Shows Limits of Boeing's Power

The aerospace giant is a juggernaut, but the company's clout only goes so far.

South Korea Volkswagen Ap

Trump Teases Car Import Tariffs

Countries that send cars to the U.S. have taken advantage of the country for decades, he said.

In this Nov. 26, 2018, photo, President Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Biloxi, Miss. Trump said Tuesday, Nov. 27, that he was “very disappointed” that General Motors was closing plants in the United States and warned that the White House was “now looking at cutting all GM subsidies,” including for its electric cars program.

Trump Tests Limits in GM Threat

He added that his administration was "looking at cutting all GM subsidies, including for electric cars."

Chinese workers stand in front of a loaded cargo ship docked at a port in Qingdao in east China's Shandong province, Sunday, April 8, 2018. Amid falling markets, President Donald Trump's new economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, says there is no trade war between the U.S. and China. Another administration official, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, takes a different tack, saying he's 'cautiously optimistic' that before any threatened tariffs go into place the two nations will reach an agreement. Global financial markets have fallen sharply as the world's two biggest economies square off.

Trump Complains About 'Stupid' Trade

Trump asked, 'Does that sound like free or fair trade.' Then answered, 'No, it sounds like STUPID TRADE.'