St. Louis Post Dispatch (1/4, Mark Tomlinson, Executive Director of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers) – The dire headlines about the Detroit car companies may have many people thinking that manufacturing in America is coming to an end. However, it is important to note that the auto industry is just a single component of the $1.6 trillion that manufacturing adds to our national economy.
Although there have been significant job losses in certain industries and regions, many areas of the country have been clamoring for skilled employees. Take the Carolinas, for example. They, along with other parts of the Southeast, have seen tremendous growth in several manufacturing segments. Business, government and education worked together following the decline of the textile industry to create opportunities in aerospace, defense, medical devices and alternative energy.
Manufacturing in the United States has moved far beyond Henry Ford's assembly line. Yes, many low-skilled, repetitive factory jobs have moved offshore. Others have disappeared because technology can make things safer, stronger or cheaper than manual labor. But we need to understand that manufacturing goes far beyond our collective image of "factory" work.
Despite the reality that manufacturing offers high-tech, leading-edge well-paying careers, too many Americans believe that "Mamas shouldn't let their kids grow up to be manufacturers." We desperately need to change this mindset. Manufacturing is vital to America's future. It is the primary source of our nation's wealth. No other segment of our economy can combine things in a way that the value of the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
The next time you hear about manufacturing on the news, don't limit your thinking to the automotive industry or the assembly-line process. Instead, ask yourself how manufacturing professionals have affected your life, and let yourself dream about problems they will solve for you tomorrow.
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