Joe Lieberman: “the state of manufacturing in this country is mixed. On the one hand our manufacturing productivity is increasing, but…”

“the state of manufacturing in this country is mixed. On the one hand our manufacturing productivity is increasing, but on the other hand we are losing manufacturing jobs by the millions. Manufacturing which once was the life blood of our economy is bleeding jobs overseas. We need to provide the infrastructure that insures that manufacturing flourishes. Some kinds of manufacturing have been experiencing a resurgence in the last decade. This resurgence has been dominated by big business, not by small and mid-sized businesses. I am worried about the 381,000 manufacturing companies of less than 500 workers, representing nearly 12 million employees. Taken as a group, these small and mid-sized manufacturers are the source of the largest number of new manufacturing jobs, and, they represent real growth for our economy. Perhaps most importantly, small and mid-sized manufacturers have become the foundation of our manufacturing industry. Larger manufacturers are no longer self-sufficient. Outsourcing is more and more often the most efficient and competitive way to manufacture. Take the example of a Chrysler car. Typically 70 percent of the final product is manufactured by Chrysler itself, the rest is manufactured by a myriad of smaller suppliers. This web of smaller manufacturers have become the core of the manufacturing industry. When U.S. small manufacturers thrive, our manufacturing industry as a whole thrives, and our economy thrives.”