manufacturing

The Panel of the National Academy of Public Administration finds that the Manufacturing Extension Partnerships (MEP) current model is not geared to address the evolving barriers that face small manufacturers in remaining competitive. It recommends that MEP adopt a new business model with expanded services to small manufacturers that focus on new product development, technology diffusion and supply chain integration.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago sponsored a series of conferences in Detroit to address the current landscaping of manufacturing and the auto industry in the Midwest. The report details the discussions and conclusions stemming from the conference.

The Team Pennsylvania Foundation report shows Pennsylvanias manufacturing sector remains the primary economic driver in the state. Data released by the nonprofit public-private partnership documents the role of manufacturing in Pennsylvania and analyzes the forces shaping the future of the industry.

The report by Minnesotas Department of Employment and Economic Development is a synopsis of feedback obtained during a series of roundtable meetings convened by Gov. Tim Pawlenty in October 2003. The need for tax cuts, reduced and simplified regulations, a well-trained workforce, lower employee health care costs, and a state-sponsored industry advocate are among the top concerns shared by a core group of Minnesota manufacturers.

The Bush Administrations strategy to help revive manufacturing makes 31 recommendations designed to address challenges identified through 23 roundtable discussions that were held across the country.

The report from the National Governors Association examines the state of manufacturing in the U.S., the impact of productivity and global competition on manufacturing jobs, and the prospects for growth.

The report presents data and analyses that The Science and Technology Policy Institute provided to the Presidents Council of Advisors on Science and Technology subcommittee focusing on the information technology sector generally and on computer hardware and semiconductor manufacturing specifically.

The authors analyze the influence of economic geography on the cost structure of manufacturing firms by firm size for eight industry sectors in India. Findings indicate that industrial diversity is the only economic geography variable that has a significant, consistent, and substantial cost-reducing effect for firms, particularly small firms.

The authors examine the dimensions of China’s competitive threat in the 1990s, benchmarking competitive performance by technology and market, and finds that market share losses are so far mainly in low technology products, with Japan being the most vulnerable market. They analyse market share changes and highlight product groups that are directly or indirectly exposed to a competitive threat.

Using entropy indices and associated bootstrap tests, the authors describe the distribution of economic sectors across Western European regions over the 1975-2000 period. It is found that manufacturing has become gradually more concentrated, although the locational bias towards central regions has become weaker.