Manufacturing in the Knowledge Economy

Perhaps like a lot of other people, you are stumped about how to think about the role of manufacturing in the new economy. If so, you will find this article to be of interest.

A couple months ago, Brad Whitehead from the Cleveland Foundation, Steve Gage from CAMP, Inc. and I had a meeting to discuss the role of manufacturing in the various industry clusters seen as Northeast Ohio's best future growth prospects. We left the meeting puzzled by our inability to clearly articulate how manufacturing fits into the "new economy." We decided that if we were struggling with this issue, then probably many other people were as well. Steve and I decided to give the issue some serious thought.

In February, with funding from CAMP, Inc., I researched and produced a white paper entitled, Manufacturing's Role in Northeast Ohio's Future Knowledge Economy. The paper identifies how to view the manufacturing sector as an integrated aspect of the knowledge economy. The paper describes a new concept called "Manufacturing in the Knowledge Economy," or M@KE. The M@KE concept overcomes many of the analytical and planning problems associated with the over-used and harmful "old economy/new economy" dichotomy. The framework provides a positive way to think about the role of manufacturing in technology and knowledge-based clusters.

Over the past two months, Steve Gage and I have been meeting and discussing M@KE with all who will listen. Most find the concept to be helpful, providing an improved way to think about the role of manufacturing in our changing economy. We would like to share the paper with a broader audience. Your comments are most welcome.

Download the paper here: CAMP_Mfg_Paper_2-24-03.pdf