The Economy & Land of Confusion: The economic year of 2003 provided limited prosperity and echoed days of the early 1980’s. If one remembers, it was a time when America left behind days of high interest rates under Jimmy Carter and turned to "Reagonomics", higher fiscal spending and government deficit that produced fixed job growth and higher earnings for companies. The key that has differed since President Reagan’s era besides George Bush in the White House is the uncertainty of this era. Almost three now years since the attacks of 9/11, America was hoping to enjoy brighter days again under the Bush Administration, a hope President Bush was counting on for him to win the election beside the fall of Iraq & Afghanistan. With the passage of his tax-stimulus plan, increasing capital budgets, a booming housing market and increased government spending, stock prices are on the rise and analysts are optimistic. Yet, despite higher stock prices, there is even more reason now to speculate the future. The trend for downsizing workforces has taken its toll, for over millions of people have been laid off over the last 3 years, a trend started in early 2000. Many corporations have cut costs to meet forecasts and expectations but at cost, leaving few companies to re-hire many of its staff back to work. At the same time, the growing trend of globalization and outsourcing, which has allowed many companies to remain not only competitive but also functional, has left many companies seeking employment overseas and at a lower costs. Furthermore, an election approaches with candidates that cannot properly gauge the economy, leaving the heart of American enterprise faces serious doubt.  So, for many Engineering and Technical Services companies, the strategy may appear confusing and diluted.  But at On-Board, we see opportunity rather than confusion.

Engineering Sector: The 21^st century continues to reflect a period of change and uncertainty for the Engineering sector. With companies losing clients due to lack of capital budgets or workload, the period has ushered a new era of "as need" and "on-demand" services, especially for Engineering. The engineering profession, once deemed a career for the bourgeois, has drastically changed, leaving days of stability and long term projects a distant memory for many companies. Worse still, it has forced many companies to sell out or to close their businesses, seeking other careers & professions. This atmosphere has forced the remaining players in the Engineering field to become more flexible and efficient in order to provide quality services as well as cost reductions for their clients. Such factors for success advocate impossibility or failure but here at On-Board, we come together and turn chaos into symmetry.