Job One for Obama or McCain: Manufacturing Jobs

Add comment September 16th, 2008

This has been bumped up in case you missed it the first time….how will their policies affect Rockford’s manufacturing economy?  Let’s hear from you…..

As Barack Obama and John McCain move into the next stage of the Presidential campaign, there’s one economic question they won’t be able to escape: What should Washington do to reverse the decline in manufacturing jobs? How each candidate answers that question might help decide which one wins.

Manufacturing’s political importance in this election year depends partly on geography. The crucial swing states of Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania have seen their manufacturing bases implode. Altogether, they have lost 200,000 factory jobs in the past two years alone.

Read further….

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_26/b4090042435180.htm

More new Manufacturing Jobs in the U.S.

Add comment September 16th, 2008

While not directly impacting the Rockford region, here is another example of the growing trend of international companies locating their manufacturing in the U.S.   The investment level is about the same as Hyundai’s newauto facility inAlabama a few years ago.

Source : The Manufacturer US Published : 16 Jul 2008 15:52

Volkswagen (VW) has chosen Chattanooga, Tennessee, as the location for its new manufacturing facility. The decision is likely to provide $1 billion (£498 million) into the local economy.

The site was selected in preference to locations in Michigan and Alabama.

VW made the decision to expand its US manufacturing due to the rising value of the euro against the dollar, which has made manufacturing in Europe and exporting to the US increasingly expensive.

The news has been welcomed by the troubled US automotive industry, which has been suffering in the current economic climate.