The Manufacturing Law Blog provides timely commentary on issues of importance to manufacturers and distributors.  Contributors from the law firm of Robinson & Cole LLP are corporate compliance and litigation attorney, Jeff White; environmental, health and safety attorney, Pam Elkow;  and labor and employment attorney, Nicole Bernabo.

One of the publications that I always find time to read is IndustryWeek.  Each year IndustryWeek releases the IW U.S. 500, which is a list of the top revenue-producing manufacturers in the United States.  This year, my attention was immediately drawn to the subtitle of the article, which declared:  “[r]ecord-high revenues reflect the domestic growth U.S. manufacturers are seeing on their balance sheets.” 

As with many things, it was important to read further, however.  The article went on to state that “while overall revenues crept upward, total profits slipped downward 9.16% to $506 billion.”  Significantly, “[t]en percent of the IW 500 companies didn’t turn a profit in 2012. . . .” 

The other part of the article that I found interesting was the “Top 10 Revenue States.”  While it was not surprising to see Texas and California lead the way, several Northeast states appeared in the Top Ten, including New York (#3), Connecticut (#7), and New Jersey (#8).  Ultimately, whether the United States is in the middle of a manufacturing renassisance still remains hotly debated.  Often, I feel like the answer depends on who is writing the article. 

We would be interested to hear about any of your “must read” industry publications.  Just email us at manufacturinglawblog@rc.com and we will circulate them in a future post.

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Photo of Jeffrey White Jeffrey White

I am a partner at Robinson+Cole who handles corporate compliance and litigation matters for both domestic and international manufacturers and distributors that make and ship products around the world. My clients have ranged from publicly traded Fortune 500 companies to privately held and/or…

I am a partner at Robinson+Cole who handles corporate compliance and litigation matters for both domestic and international manufacturers and distributors that make and ship products around the world. My clients have ranged from publicly traded Fortune 500 companies to privately held and/or family owned manufacturers. For those looking for my detailed law firm bio, click here.

I am often asked why I have focused a large part of my law practice on counseling manufacturers and distributors. As with most things in life, the answer to that question is tied back to experiences I had well before I became a lawyer. My grandfather spent over 30 years working at a steel mill (Detroit Steel Company), including several years in its maintenance department. One of my grandfather’s prime job duties was to make sure that the equipment being used was safe. In his later years, he would apply those lessons learned in every project we did together as he passed on to me his great respect and pride for the manufacturing industry.

Because of these experiences, I not only feel comfortable advising executives in a boardroom, but also can easily transition to the factory floor. My experience has involved a range of industries, including aerospace and defense, chemicals, energy, pharmaceuticals and life sciences, nutritional and dietary supplements, and retail and consumer products. While I have extensive experience in litigation (including product liability and class actions), I am extremely proactive about trying to keep my clients out of the courtroom if at all possible. Specifically, I have counseled manufacturers and distributors on issues such as product labeling and warranties, product recalls, workplace safety/OSHA, anti-trust, and vendor relations, among other things. I always look for the business-friendly solution to a problem that may face a manufacturer or distributor and I hope this blog will help advance those efforts.