I was talking with some colleagues from the supply base recently. Finding the number of high caliber engineers required to develop the new product demanded by OEM programs was an almost universal challenge. The available pool of engineers is not only depleted due to the migration of experienced engineers away from traditional automotive homelands (and many out of the industry), but it is also troubling that new graduates are not enthused by the prospect of joining the industry. And this against the backdrop of SAARs for this year that are keeping pace with predictions that many viewed as optimistic even in Q4 of last year.

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I used to live in Dayton, OH, home of the Wright Brothers, and got to learn much about how the first Wright Brothers plane was designed.  There was no design or stress or manufacturing department to Wright Brothers, Inc. – Orville and Wilbur did it all and accomplished a great feat.  I now live in Seattle and have been to the Museum of Flight where you can see how the early Boeing airplanes were designed.  Great things can be accomplished by people with a passion for an idea. 

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