Originally
posted on Hack Alley.
Manufacturing
has long been a big part of the American economy and way of life. When you
think of our history as a country, images of industry abound. Cotton and
textiles production was very important early on in our history. Mining
influenced the nation’s westward expansion. Steel production shaped the United
States’ economy leading up to and after the turn of the century. Henry Ford
revolutionized industry with the introduction of the assembly line, forever
changing the way manufacturing processes would be developed. Yes, it’s hard to
imagine our country being what it is today without the huge part industry has
played in our development.
With
industry and manufacturing playing such a big part in the United States’ past,
it is interesting to consider the future of manufacturing in our country.
Companies like Cambelt are continually offering products to support new methods
of manufacturing and materials handling, so industrial innovation is definitely
still a big part of the American way—just checkout www.cambelt.com. Political
people are promoting a vision of the United States taking the lead as the
world’s number-one manufacturer, but what are the current trends?
Over
the last decade, United States jobs in manufacturing have dropped by a third.
While this may seem like a scary indication that the United States isn’t
manufacturing as much, you have to take into account the fact that technology and
automated processes have substantially reduced a lot of the need for human
interaction in manufacturing processes. What people are no longer doing,
machines now are. While America is still doing alright with all our traditional
manufacturing and is still in the top three for overall manufacturing, Asia is
by far dominating the technology product manufacturing market.
While
manufacturing trends are shifting, there is no indication that the United
States will not continue to be a major player in worldwide manufacturing.
