For some reason I thought this was a Harvard Business Review post as I was reading it but then I realized it was Seth Godin. It’s not like him to turn so dramatically from a staple of the way our world works – industrial jobs.
There is a misguided belief that has been running wild in our country for the past decade: the US doesn’t do manufacturing. This belief needs to change because it could not be further from the truth.
It’s true that manufacturing jobs moving overseas get the headlines. But so does Lady Gaga, that doesn’t mean that she is the biggest story in American music. American manufacturing can absolutely survive and even thrive even today. Many would argue that if we don’t have manufacturing we’re doomed anyway. (On a side note, if you don’t read Evolving Excellence by Bill Waddell yet, you really should do yourself a favor and start today.)
I’m not going to sit here and claim that manufacturing can work the way that it always has, but let’s look out at the world and understand how vast manufacturing jobs are. Let’s start at the grocery store: most high quality food manufacturing largely can’t be outsourced to China; fruits, vegetables, milk, cheese, wine, beer aren’t going anywhere; also breads and baked goods can’t go anywhere. What about the military? Can’t outsource those manufacturing jobs: high quality textiles, military grade equipment of all sorts, lots of innovative vehicles and technology. Automotive isn’t going anywhere (some would argue it should but it isn’t). Equipment manufacturers that support these industries – someone has to build the press breaks and robots and looms that make all of these happens. American Entrepreneurs who happen to believe that America can compete in manufacturing – every industry you can think of.
Why in the world do we think America can’t do manufacturing anymore? It just isn’t true. It will never be true.
Manufacturing may change, but like they say: the more things change, the more they stay the same. Don’t count us out yet or you’re bound to be disappointed.
Manufacturing is dead. Long live manufacturing!