On October 24th, the Wall Street Journal (sub required) began a four-part series on US Manufacturing. The first piece, by Timothy Aeppel, is titled Still Built on the Homefront. The preface:
“Rumors of the death of U.S. manufacturing have been greatly exaggerated. Even as high-profile manufacturers like American auto makers stumble, a remarkable amount of stuff is still made in the U.S., from construction equipment in North Dakota to high-end ranges in Mississippi, artificial knees in Indiana and pipe organs in Ohio.
While manufacturing represents a relatively small part of the U.S. economy — about 17% of GDP compared with China’s 41% — and the number of plants has dwindled, the U.S. is still by far the world’s largest manufacturer by raw value of the goods produced, $1.79 trillion worth last year, nearly twice its nearest rival, Japan. China produces more of the things most consumers think of as coming out of factories — cellphones, toys, and coffee makers — but the U.S. continues making goods that tend to be more complex, difficult to transport, and time-sensitive.”
