One can hardly escape the drumbeat of bad news as it relates to Michigan’s manufacturing-based economy. It’s true that Michigan has the highest concentration of manufacturing of all states, and that sector is undergoing a stressful transformation.
But it is also true that manufacturing is not going away.Yes, we are losing low tech, high volume, basic manufacturing to low cost countries. But high tech advanced manufacturing is doing quite well.
In this region, the two new General Motor plants, Demmer Corporation, Spartan Motors, Neogen, Niowave, the Woodbridge Group, Magnesium, Dowding Industries, Emergent BioSolutions, Bekum and Hardtech are all thriving. They are growing and thriving because each has adopted advanced technology, developed new markets, and cultivated a skilled workforce.
These high tech, advanced manufacturing operations are something to behold. They are not the greasy, loud, dirty and physically exhausting assembly operations that my father and father-in-law experienced.
These new operations are quiet, clean, and operated by computers and robots. Instead of toiling to keep up with the assembly line, today’s workers monitor, maintain, and repair the robots, computers and lasers that are the essence of these advanced operations.
Today’s workers are ready and anxious to be trained and retrained, and they constantly interact with management to seek new ways to innovate, increase productivity and serve new markets around the world. The distinction between labor and management is blurred as all employees are expected to be essential members of the team.
The foundation for our successful advanced manufacturing means adopting a culture of innovation, technology and life long learning. It seems simple, but changing a culture is hard work!