The Future Of American Manufacturing Maintaining Americas Competitive Edge

Over the last century, manufacturing was the engine of America's prosperity. Henry Ford's assembly lines were a model of industrial efficiency, providing jobs and good pay to American workers at the turn of the century. During World War II, Americans' prowess and productivity turned the tide of the war and cemented our place as the world's largest and most dominant manufacturing economy. After the war, the world watched as America continued to build, make and create. Great American icons, like General Motors and Boeing, grew and prospered. American manufacturing became synonymous with ingenuity and American know-how. The jobs it supplied grew our economy. A large, vibrant middle class was born. But today's manufacturing sector is a shadow of its former self. In the last decade alone, more than 5 million manufacturing jobs have disappeared and 57,000 factories have closed.