Sunday, June 10, 2007
In all the frenzy over dot-coms, the business press missed one of the biggest economic stories in the 1990's: the major surge in manufacturing productivity.
Manufacturing is shifting, as we would expect it to do in an advanced economy. Firms that cometed by producing low cost commodity products -- shoes, underwear -- have largely disappeared. At the same time, more sophisticated production continues to grow, based on lean principles.
Here a good street level view of how manufacturing is changing in North Carolina. Read more.
The transformation is happening elswhere. Here is a good article from Australia about how smaller manufacturers are moving up the vallue chain. Read more.
In Milwaukee last week, the Milwaukee 7, a regional leadership group, released its strategy, based in large part on leveraging the region's strength in next generation manufacturing. Read more.
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.
The shifting character of manufacturing
