Monday, March 07, 2005
There's a new realism emerging in U.S. manufacturing. The focus is shifting from complaining about largely uncontrollable forces -- the Chinese currency, for example -- to figuring out how to innovate. You can see evidence of the trend in this article from the Bay Area in California.
As one manufacturer notes: "You have two choices. You can complain about it, or try to be three times as good as the next guy."
In the Great Lakes region, a new forum will be focusing on sharing best practices and promoting innovation. Read more.
At REI, we have been working with smaller component manufacturers. In the past, collaboration among these firms has been difficult. In Wisconsin, our colleagues at the University of Wisconsin have been working to improve OEM-supplier relationships by organizing OEMs. Learn more.
Now we are seeing that component manufacturers realize they are competing in a global marketplace. They are now willing to consider collaborations that would have been far more difficult in the past.
posted by Ed Morrison |
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Some Background on EDPro Weblog
The purpose of this weblog is to help economic development professionals -- EDPros -- keep up with the changes sweeping our profession. Strap on your goggles. It's a whole new game. There are no experts any more. The only place to learn about economic development is from other EDPros who are doing it.
One other point: the prevaling approach (paradigm, if you like) in economic development is shifting from competition to collaboration. There are a lot of reaasons underlying this shift, but here's the important insight: You, your community, and your region will do better by collaborating and sharing information.
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Speaking and workshops on Open Source Economic Development
As the idea of Open Source Economic Development starts spreading, more people are asking about it. Visit the I-Open web site to learn more. My colleagues and I are happy to explain the basic concepts in a talk or a workshop. E-mail Susan Alshuler if you'd like to learn more about workshops and speaking.
Background on Ed Morrison
Download some background information on me here.
New realism emerging in manufacturing
