Making Things
Makes a Comeback
But is the celebrated return of
manufacturing already stumbling?
Jason Hagey
On the heels of a national survey revealing
serious misgivings about the outlook for
manufacturers, Washington Business checks
in with some Washington state employers,
who report similar concerns. Over-regulation,
they say, is holding back the economy.
One of the few positive consequences of the Great Recession is the spotlight it
shone on America’s manufacturers.
Manufacturing, once the bedrock of America’s economy, had seemingly fallen
out of vogue during the boom years of the late ’90s, fed by a soaring stock market
and an Internet bubble, and the subsequent housing bubble of the mid-2000s.
But it made a triumphant return following the 2008 collapse of the economy.
As the long, slow recovery began, it was America’s manufacturing companies
leading the nation out of recession.
Economists and lawmakers began talking about the importance of manufacturing
every chance they got. President Obama vowed to double foreign exports. Gov.
Chris Gregoire wanted to boost state exports by 30 percent.
Just like that, it was fashionable again to make things.
Now, as lawmakers flirt with a potential economic disaster known as the “fiscal
cliff,” and worrisome indicators pointing to a slowdown