Phenomenal Gains in Manufacturing ProductivityThe U.S. industrial base has been on a powerful upswing
In 2011 American manufacturing continued to expand, while Germany, Japan and Brazil all weakened in this vital sector.
Our top ranked area, Houston, is one of only four regions that enjoyed net job growth in manufacturing in the past 10 years.
Cheap natural gas, for example, makes petrochemical production in America more competitive than anyone could have imagined a decade ago. Linkages with Mexico in terms of energy as well as autos has made Texas — which is also home to No. 4 ranked San Antonio and No. 15 ranked Dallas — the nation’s primary export super-power, with current shipment 15% to 20% above pre-crisis levels.
Today's factory workers produce more output in an hour than workers in the 1940s produced in a day.
It's hard to overstate how much the efficiency gains achieved by U.S. manufacturing have contributed to the improvements in our standard of living by making manufactured goods more affordable over time. We should spend less time complaining about fewer workers in manufacturing, and more time celebrating the phenomenal gains in manufacturing worker productivity.
http://mjperry.blogs...ufacturing.html