“Manufacturers are again investing in plant expansion and new greenfield facilities,” said Brian Gallagher, O’Neal’s director of marketing. “Advances in manufacturing technology and a drop in energy costs are two of the key drivers of the renaissance in American manufacturing.”
Over the next several weeks, NPR will be exploring the history of the manufacturing industry by visiting factories and talking to manufacturing experts. The new NPR series, called American Made: The New Manufacturing Landscape, kicked off when NPR visited Rochester, N.Y. home to Kodak, Xerox and the eye care company, Bausch + Lomb.
While the manufacturing industry has had its challenges, the future holds some promise. Overall, most experts are bullish about U.S. manufacturing, citing these factors:
- Energy. The shale-gas revolution has cut natural gas prices by two-thirds since 2008. That cost advantage is making U.S. manufacturing far more competitive.
- Technology. Wireless intelligence and data analytics are giving manufacturers better control over production.
- Additive manufacturing. In the past, manufacturing involved a lot of cutting and grinding, wasting both materials and energy. With an additive process, manufacturers can layer on materials to build goods, leaving little waste.
