 |
Tony Affuso
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer |
September marks the start of the school year in many areas around the world, which always gets me thinking about those students who are preparing now for careers as engineers and industrial technologists. This year, students who are getting ready to enter the manufacturing workforce are facing an especially difficult market on one hand and some huge opportunities on the other.
While the economy has hit the manufacturing sector particularly hard it has also created a significant future growth opportunity as companies move to adopt new technologies and advanced manufacturing strategies for greater efficiency. Some are also exploring product innovations that can open new markets for their goods.
Various economic stimuli around the world support this effort to identify and accelerate the use of advanced technology in manufacturing. Here in the U.S. for instance, the government has pledged funding to support, strengthen and grow manufacturing, to encourage new product development and to invest in our next generation of innovators and job creators.
