Captain's Corner

Tax evaders have for years used offshore entities to hide money. Now, the IRS uses extensive data mining and are combing through the data from the Panama Papers, while courts are now handing down prison sentences rather than just financial penalties. IRS has been more focused on egregious cheaters than noncompliant small fry, and pathways exist for Americans abroad who had not paid taxes, for example by opting to file taxes going forward. Such pathways may not be suitable for those who intentionally cheated the IRS by using offshore entities - FATCA has required foreign financial institutions to report tax information to...

Deere & Co. bought Wirtgen Group, a construction-equipment maker who makes road pavers used in markets like China and Brazil. Deere has increased its profit forecast for the year and has been shedding its smaller businesses, signaling expansion of its business in global construction. The deal is subject to close by early next year. https://www.manufacturing.net/news/2017/06/deere-buy-german-road-construction-equipment-maker#.WTFyLHcEEV0.twitter https://blogs.wsj.com/cfo/2017/06/01/deere-leaps-to-germany-to-boost-market-share/ via @WSJ

The Institute for Supply Management said on Thursday that the US Manufacturing inched ahead in May.  Manufacturers are having a hard time finding qualified employees to meet rising production and growth.  US factory activity seemed to have picked up due to stabilizing commodity prices and improving global demand.  Potential stumbling block exists, however, due to political uncertainty such as Trump administration's plans to levy 20% tariff on Canadian softwood lumber. https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-manufacturing-index-held-steady-in-may-1496326653 via @WSJ

Seven rubber myths, debunked Myth 1: Rubber shoes, boots and tires are good protection from lightening. Fact: The myth underestimates the fortitude of a lightening. It’s not just that rubber is insufficient - rubber products are usually a good insulator. However, air is, too, and a lightening bolt pushes through miles and miles of air, which means a half-inch of rubber won’t stop it. (Source: http://stormhighway.com/rubber_shoes_boots_lightning_protection_myth.php) Most people know that cars are good lightening shelters. Contrary to common wisdom, it’s not the rubber tires insulating the car from a lightening, but rather the metal. (Source: http://www.weatherimagery.com/blog/rubber-tires-protect-lightning/) Myth 2:  Rubber flooring is great...

When looking into the overall supply chain in dealing with materials for a given supplier, it is important to look at the overall industry trends. At Rubber Captain, we track the trends in each industry in order to reduce our customer's costs. In 2016 plastisc industry poses several interesting opportunities as well as some challenges. Challenges Among challenges in the plastic industry are the ever increasing costs in human resources, insufficient foreign labor, and energy and transportation issues. The growth of the industry has been affected by the global condition cropping up typically from the economic status in the developed nations such as...