A simple internet search for manufacturing can produce dizzying results full of articles arguing for and against an industrial renaissance in the United States. It can be difficult to determine what all of the indexes and data really mean when it comes to the health of American manufacturing businesses. The latest reports show growth in factory output this past August, which is a positive sign for sure, but why should the average citizen care about a strong industrial sector?
Manufacturing is a big contributor to economic growth. Without goods and services that are made in the U.S.A., we have to ship in products from other countries and are subject to their costs. When America stops manufacturing, many people are out of work and have less money to contribute to the economy. Whether it’s tiny nuts and bolts, giant airplanes, or spiral cable wrap, the U.S. needs to keep innovating and producing quality goods and services. The manufacturing sector took a big hit from the recession as more and more jobs were shipped overseas for cheaper labor. One thing this country has learned from outsourcing of our manufacturing jobs is that it affects the quality and in the end is bad for business and the economy.
The resurgence of the industrial sector shows that the sweat and hard work that America was built on can and will continue to be the backbone of our economy. Innovation and technology will not make manufacturing irrelevant, they will make it better.