About WonksAnonymous

WonksAnonymous is a research publication on the economics of work, production and automation. It helps readers answer three questions: why invest, how to cost it, and when it is worth doing.

What we publish

The site is organized around the costs and trade-offs of running production, with a focus on packaging and other repeatable manufacturing work.

We write about three topics, each with its own hub page.

• Production Economics: unit costs, effective output, labor, bottlenecks, downtime and scrap.
• Automation Investment: payback, total cost of ownership, installed cost and utilization.
• Trade and Supply Chains: landed equipment costs, import logistics and spare parts.

All of our writing is listed on the analysis page. Calculators and data pages are in preparation and will be published only after testing.

Who it is written for

Owners of small and mid-sized manufacturers keep returning to one question: does current order volume justify buying a machine? We write cost models and risk scenarios for that decision.

Operations and production managers want to know how cycle time, changeovers, scrap and downtime change real output. Finance and purchasing leads ask what else sits behind a quote, and how sensitive the result is to each assumption.

Writers and researchers need data with clearly defined terms and methods. We try to state definitions and limits so that a figure can be cited accurately.

What we do and do not do

We show our formulas and label illustrative numbers as illustrative. When automation does not pay, we say so. A conclusion such as “current volume does not justify the machine” is a normal result here.

We are not a product catalog, a quote service, a university or nonprofit think tank, or an independent rating agency. We do not rank suppliers, and we do not claim authority we cannot document. Every worked example shows its arithmetic, so you can rerun it with your own volumes, wages and downtime.

Who writes it

Pieces are published under the byline “WonksAnonymous Editors”. We do not invent staff names or credentials, and we name a reviewer only when a qualified person actually reviewed a piece.

Our rules on commercial relationships, supplier data and sponsorship are on the Disclosures page.

The name and this address

Links from other websites show that around 2008 and 2009 this address hosted a blog about economics and public policy, written by other people. The current publisher has no connection to those authors. Our archive page explains what we are doing about the old addresses.

How we work

Our Editorial Policy sets out how we choose evidence, label numbers and use AI tools. If you find a mistake, see Corrections. To reach the editors, use the Contact page.