2014: An Exciting and Challenging Time for American Manufacturing

2014, the Manufacturing Industry Advisor’s inaugural year, marked an exciting but challenging time for American manufacturers. In our final blog post for the year, we will highlight some of the trends and developments we noted in 2014, with links to our earlier observations.

Here, at Foley & Lardner, we aim to do more than monitor important developments and trends</A>; we also want to provide you with insight to improve your businesses. This year, we covered a variety of issues, ranging from trade secrets to international investments. We also outlined how to improve supply agreements and acquire assets from bankruptcy.

A classic adage—location, location, location—rings true today. While we hope you are “home for the holidays,” this year, we sought to point out advantageous locations for manufacturers. For example, Puerto Rico merits strong consideration, and Argentina offers a venue for favorable intellectual property deals. Meanwhile, traditionally favorable environments for manufacturing have experienced changes as of late.

As this past year comes to a close, we must acknowledge that the future awaits with its own challenges. For example, although American manufacturing has recently experienced a resurgence, our country’s infrastructure must be addressed in conjunction with that resurgence. Fortunately, this year, leaders from the public and private sectors worked together to address many of the challenges facing manufacturers. Many of these efforts will hopefully impact manufacturers for years to come, as seen through the manufacturing hubs and innovation institutes announced this year. These collaborative efforts have and will work toward developing solutions for common problems, such as the “skills gap,” a challenge encountered by many incorporating cutting-edge practices. Stay tuned to our blog to continue monitoring these developments in 2015.

It’s been an exciting year connecting with you, and we look forward to a great 2015! On behalf of Foley and the Manufacturing Industry Advisor’s editorial board, thanks for following our blog, happy holidays to you, and enjoy the new year!