Some industries, such as silicon chip or computer manufacturing, are considered high-tech. They are involved in the creation and production of high-technology products. Other industries are considered more basic.
Having looked at manufacturing statistics and competitiveness in our last two columns, our series continues with a global look at manufacturing and how it is changing.
In my last column we had a look at the U.S. manufacturing sector with respect to its shrinking share of GDP and its declining share of the overall economy
For three decades now I have been
observing and writing about manufacturing processes and what manufacturing
means to an economy. For one such as me, watching what has happened to
manufacturing in this country during the past 30 years has been a painful
experience.
Do you remember a time
when a member of Congress was someone you could actually look up to? Do you
remember when the art of compromise by politicians was recognized as a
leadership quality? Do you remember when elected officials actually put the
good of the country and its people before the good of their party? If you
answered “yes” to any of these questions, you are probably a Baby Boomer headed
toward retirement.
In my 20-plus years of experience covering assorted metalworking industries, I have observed countless petroleum pricing cycles as they waxed and waned their way through the domestic economy. Along with these cycles, politicians would discuss how important alternative-energy technologies and infrastructure were to America’s future.