Enigma of Indiana manufacturing.

• Author: Barkey, Patrick M.
• Position: Statistical data

WHAT PUTS INDIANA on the map in the world's eyes? From an image point of view, it might be race cars, basketball or even David Letterman. But in terms of economic footprint, it is our manufactured products and our goods-making and goods-moving expertise that stands out. We are a world-class manufacturer of everything from rolled steel to artificial limbs, and we employ more people and produce more output in manufacturing, proportionately speaking, than any other state in the nation.

If you don't believe that, consider these facts. Our state produced $67.2 billion worth of manufactured goods last year. Not only is that 39 percent higher than what we produced in 1997, it is a mere $2 billion less than what the state of Michigan whose overall economy is 60 percent larger than ours--produced last year. Even after a painful recession that hit goods producers especially hard, the manufacturing share of Indiana's overall output today remains almost exactly what it was eight years ago.

Being successful has meant walking away from activities and products that in many cases have roots in Indiana communities that are half a century or more deep. That is what I call the enigma of manufacturing in our state.

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But if traditions are dying in manufacturing, the industry itself is still rolling along. Perhaps that's why the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership has rolled out a new initiative to get us collectively thinking about what we can do to keep this vitally important segment of Indiana's economy in our thoughts when we make plans for our economic future.

They call it advanced manufacturing, but in words attributed to Indiana Manufacturers Association president Pat Kiely, that's what you call any manufacturer who is still in business today It's specialized, it's flexible and it's high-tech. And even in the face of competition from abroad, it remains viable for our state...