| All you nay sayers about Michigan's economy need to stop being so gloomy and smell the roses - or at least understand that many Midwest manufacturers are now stronger than several years ago.
A recent article in the Financial Times was titled US manufacturers restructure and survive claims that we're better positioned now and likely to survive another downturn in the economy. Here's an example they cite.
Mark Schurman, who works for Herman Miller, an office furniture maker based in south-western Michigan, dreads to think what would have happened to the company had it not restructured since the last US recession.
"We lost about 40 per cent of our business in the space of about 18 months between 2001 and 2003," he says. "If we hadn't made the changes we've made, I don't believe we could have survived."
Those changes - chiefly, slashing costs and diversifying internationally - have made the manufacturer more productive than ever and, it hopes, better-placed to weather any economic downturn in the US.
This international business publication acknowledges that the auto industry continues to suffer, but sees overall stability.
Midwest states, where manufacturing is concentrated, are among the most productive in the country.
The top five US states in terms of manufacturing productivity are all in the region: Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio and Iowa.
Our small manufacturing businesses are lean, efficient and know how to make a penny squeak. And that's a good thing - for all of us. |
