Manufacturing in the United States experienced solid growth and returned to a respectable profitability level in 2011. Just look at the domestic automobile industry. This was despite a lethargic global economy, a looming debt crisis and relatively high unemployment. Most manufacturing companies are again hiring but find it difficult to obtain talent. This will be the most significant limiting factor to future growth in this country. Historically, wealth creation came from industrialization and manufacturing products! And because we made things that we, and the rest of the world desired, our economy grew strong. People of all types were employed in factories. This supported a vast array of businesses servicing the manufacturing companies and those employed by them. Unfortunately, the United States shifted from production to a service based economy. This has led us to where we are todayin a deep slump from which it has been difficult to recover. Why? We have reduced our capability and desire to make things. Innovation moved off-shore with a significant portion of our manufacturing capability as we searched for lower cost products. With this move, all types of jobs were lost. No matter what your political persuasion, fundamental to exiting the current economic doldrums is a resurgence of the manufacturing base in the United States. We will not pull ourselves up without innovating and producing things that are necessary and/or desired here and abroad. I have faith that we can regain our ability to innovate and make products. We have to overcome many obstacles including a broken education system, fair trade and crushing government debt. This can happen if we create wealth by manufacturing things that people want. This may be an over simplification to some, but in my mind it is the road towards economic stability. – Jeff Clark
We have to manufacture!
