Manufacturing homegrown brands
Manufacturing's job count in Maine has not reached the level where it was even before the recession, and is a far cry from historic levels.
Yet the workforce is growing, helped by some scrappy entrepreneurs.
Senior Writer Renee Cordes writes about three textile companies that are identifying a niche for themselves: Flowfold, American Roots and Hyperlite Mountain Gear.
It's hard not to see the comparisons to Sea Bags, which was founded in 1999 and now has 18 retail locations. It started small. It created its own workforce. And it manufactures products here. The companies Renee profiles combine manufacturing savvy with creativity to get Maine products out to a wider audience.
A few weeks ago, Bill Whittier of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership stopped by the Mainebiz offices to tell us we had to see the new high-tech laser cutter just installed at American Steel in South Portland. Bill's an energetic guy who crisscrosses Maine to advise manufacturers. When he says something is worth our time, I take him on his word.
So I tagged along with American Steel President Sam Blatchford and our correspondent, Will Hall, to get a look at this machine. Now, I've been in the massive U.S. Steel mill in Gary, Ind., with sparks flying and glowing, molten steel being spit out in huge slabs. This is nothing like that. American Steel is processing steel and aluminum and getting into useable forms for clients like Hussey Seating and Bath Iron Works. Its new laser cutter is clean, efficient and, as operations like this go, relatively quiet. A lone operater runs the system from a computer screen. Fewer people, greater productivity. That's the direction manufacturing is going.
Finally, Senior Writer Laurie Schreiber talks to companies that see a commercial future for nanosatellites. These could be the drones of the next decade, and Maine's getting a foothold right now.
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