How Manufacturing and Infrastructure Are Intertwined

The manufacturing industry and the nation's infrastructure are closely intertwined, and economic progress depends heavily on the success and continued development of both. Manufacturers rely heavily on infrastructure to ensure that raw materials and finished goods reach their destinations, and the growth of jobs is closely tied to available roadways and functional bridges. Other key pieces of infrastructure, including sewer lines and power grids, further drive activity in manufacturing industry facilities.

A focus on infrastructure at the state and national level helps promote growth in manufacturing by ensuring that the necessary utilities and raw materials can easily reach plants. Many large companies looking to expand their operations closely examine road access and the availability of adequate power, sewer and waste utilities to ensure that any new factories have everything needed for success. Failing to invest in these key areas can drive potential manufacturing industry leaders to seek better alternatives in other states or nations, and power outages or other utilities failures can have dramatic negative effects on the success of manufacturing facilities.

National infrastructure does more than simply deliver raw materials to factories. The manufacturing industry relies heavily on roads and bridges to move finished products to the distributors and, ultimately, the end users who purchase the products. A lack of national infrastructure planning can result in delivery delays as unexpected maintenance or emergencies occur, costing manufacturers money and driving up prices. This can stagnate otherwise successful markets and become a drag on the overall economic productivity of the manufacturing industry. With fewer tax dollars coming in due to economic productivity loss, state and national utilities begin to feel the strain of budgetary concerns.

One of the most important ways that infrastructure and the manufacturing industry are linked lies in human resources. Many manufacturers struggle to find workers, and poor infrastructure makes it even more difficult for commuters to get to work. This includes those who regularly travel by air as well as by car, bus or train to reach their destinations. Investment in high-speed railways and further development of aerospace technology, much of which is driven by American manufacturers, can help ensure that workers arrive on time and give those in the manufacturing industry access to potential employees in a larger area. Delays due to repairs on a fragile and neglected transportation network can have devastating effects on productivity in key facilities.

The close ties between infrastructure and manufacturing make it necessary for states and the nation as a whole to continue developing new technologies and maintain existing networks for delivering utilities, raw materials, finished goods and workers to their destinations. Healthy economic expansion is likely to rely heavily on strong infrastructure and the growth of the manufacturing industry as a whole.

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