Area Development Online
In 2012 U.S. manufacturers contributed $1.87 trillion to the national economy, or about 12 percent of the country’s GDP. According to the Institute for Supply Management’s (ISM) December 2013 semiannual economic forecast, the manufacturing sector is optimistic about growth in 2014. Capital expenditures are expected to increase by 8 percent and hiring by 2.4 percent — key indicators of manufacturer confidence. More