Manufacturing a future?--Michigan is a great example of how manufacturing is evolving in the U.S.

摘要

Many in Michigan wish Appalachian State's 34-32 upset of the University of Michigan was their biggest concern this fall. Alas, that's not the case. Michigan is making its way out of an economic slump that started with the recession of 2001 and has been exacerbated with the shrinking of the state's manufacturing base. The Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center (MMTC) in Plymouth, Mich., estimates that the state has lost 257,000 manufacturing jobs since 1998. State unemployment figures suggest a loss of 24,000 jobs just in the last 12 months. Automotive industry observers expect those trends to continue as the Big Three restructure in the face of dwindling North American market share and increased competition from foreign automakers.