A 'Central' priority: manufacturing is everbody's concern.There's been a lot of talk about manufacturing lately and with good reason. Like it or not, this is a manufacturing state and the Detroit Region is the Automotive Capital of the World. If it weren't for manufacturing, I wouldn't be writing this after one of the most successful auto shows An auto show, or motor show, is a public exhibition of current automobile models, debuts, concept cars, or out-of-production classics. It is commonly attended by automobile manufacturers. Most auto shows occur once or twice a year. to date, and moving into the next big event, the Society of Automotive Engineers SAE International (SAE) is a professional organization for mobility engineering professionals in aerospace, automotive and the commercial vehicle industries. The Society is a standards development organization for the engineering of powered vehicles of all kinds, including World Congress in March. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] But hosting successful events doesn't mean it's a successful industry. Over the past three years, Michigan lost 150,000 manufacturing jobs. Tier 1 and 2 suppliers are getting squeezed out of profits. A lot of this has to do with the technological changes taking place; we applaud these changes as most of them originated in our region (even so, nearly one fifth of the state's workforce is in manufacturing). Because of these changes we don't look to manufacturing as a growth industry, but we do need to find ways to sustain and maintain the jobs we do have. This has become a priority for our governor and our president. It's also a priority for the Detroit Regional Chamber. At Gov. Jennifer Granholm's Manufacturing Summit, seven key issues were identified as critical to the future of manufacturing: health-care costs, tax costs tax costs n. a motion to contest a claim for court costs submitted by a prevailing party in a lawsuit. It is called a "Motion to Tax Costs" and asks the judge to deny or reduce claimed costs. , labor costs, foreign market manipulation Market manipulation describes a deliberate attempt to interfere with the free and fair operation of the market and create artificial, false or misleading appearances with respect to the price of, or market for, a stock. , education/workforce, burdensome regulations and legal barriers. For those of you not in manufacturing you're probably thinking they're critical to your industry, too. You're right. In fact, the Chamber has been addressing most of these issues for decades but we're stepping up our efforts. This includes opposing government mandates on health care and supporting generic drug generic drug, a drug sold or prescribed under the nonproprietary name of its active ingredients or under a generally descriptive name rather than under a brand or trade name. programs to reduce costs, supporting R & D tax credits and lowering the capital gains tax, developing a workforce strategy unique to the industry and phasing out the Small Business Tax and the reduction or phase out of the Personal Property Tax. And, this year we'll be developing Manufacturing Central (in conjunction with our other "Centrals" found on our Website at www.detroitchamber.com). This Central will serve as a clearinghouse of current issues, best practices and resources for the manufacturing industry. With all the changes taking place in terms of technology, we believe it's important to continue to be not just a manufacturing state, but also the best and most efficient manufacturing state. RICHARD E. BLOUSE JR., CCE CCE Cornell Cooperative Extension CCE Corporate and Continuing Education CCE Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. CCE Commission de Coopération Environnementale CCE Centre for Continuing Education CCE College of Continuing Education CCE Certified Computer Examiner President and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. Detroit Regional Chamber The Chamber will be addressing our region's global competitiveness regarding manufacturing and other sectors of the economy at this year's Mackinac Policy Conference, June 3-6 at Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island Mackinac Island Island in the Straits of Mackinac, southeastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan, U.S. It is 3 mi (5 km) long. It was an ancient Indian burial ground called Michilimackinac when the British built a fort there in 1780. After the U.S. . For more information, visit www.detroitchamber.com. |
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