The producers: MFGCON, North Carolina's premier conference for manufacturing and innovation, returns in September for its third consecutive year.

AuthorKinney, Ben
PositionUPFRONT - Manufacturing conference

North Carolina has a long, proud tradition of making things, from furniture to textiles, Cheerwine soda to Texas Pete hot sauce. It's one of only three states in which manufacturing makes up more than 20% of total economic output, according to the National Association of Manufacturers. That's a double-edged sword, as we've also experienced the ups and downs of being industry leaders. North Carolina has ridden the crest of success when the sector was booming and new infrastructure was created. We've also experienced hard times, including workforce cutbacks, because of recessions and greater competition from abroad.

But one of the great things about our state's manufacturing industry is its ability to adapt to change, learn from challenges and emerge as a stronger player in our economy. When times were good for manufacturing, new investments in infrastructure and logistics created an expanded, improved transportation industry. When times were bad, we invested in a highly regarded community-college system that creates retraining programs for displaced workers. Manufacturing companies have evolved and adapted to ever-changing economic and technological conditions to improve their services, workflow and other factors critical to their success.

The payoff for our state has been huge. Manufacturing is still big business in North Carolina. According to the national trade group, North Carolina manufacturers employed 10.6% of the state's workforce, or more than 460,000 employees, and reported...

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