Topics like overnight tech startups, health care reform, the re-emerging real-estate sector, and the continual blunders that plague our financial institutions routinely dominate the landscape of daily news and conversation. What most people are not talking about, however, is manufacturing.

Many claim that American manufacturing is dead; that the entire industry is slowly being made irrelevant due to outsourcing and that companies can no longer profitably create goods within the United States. While it may not carry the same sex appeal of Silicon Valley, nationwide manufacturing is poised to grow now more than ever – and Cincinnati, OH has positioned itself to be at the forefront of its resurgence.

Cincinnati is rooted as one of the largest American port cities. The Queen City’s rich history in manufacturing dates back to the birth of Cincinnati Milacron in the late 1800’s and the War Engine of WWII. Within recent years, Cincinnati has looked back to that rich history in order to make local manufacturing highly relevant again. Current nationwide trends indicate that the manufacturing sector provides superior service and value, which enables sustained business growth. The current state of manufacturing within Cincinnati mirrors and exceeds those trends. Cost and quality have become an expected constant in manufacturing, leaving speed and flexibility as one of the few competitive advantages. Shortened lead times will continue to drive revenue for companies who can deliver on these accelerated promises to their customers. These same shortened lead times have been one of the primary drivers of re-shoring to areas like Cincinnati, OH, allowing the Queen City to firmly champion a “Made in America” philosophy.

Cincinnati remains an attractive site for company expansion and re-shoring. Led by an extraordinary Chamber of Commerce- healthy relationships continue to be forged at the Annual Cincinnati Manufacturing Forum. Throughout this forum, manufacturing executives exchange best practices, create community, and continue to declare the lack of candidates for hire as their biggest issue (see the Supervisor Problem). Infrastructure investments in Cincinnati’s downtown area have created an emergence of communities that attract top talent and young professionals from across the nation to live and be a part of a city that is home to 10 of the Fortune 500 and many other small/mid-market companies.

Without doubt, American manufacturing is a topic that must be at the forefront of daily conversation – especially inside Cincinnati. There has never been a better time to celebrate American work ethic and homegrown success within our own city.

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