As many readers of this blog know and probably knew long before they got here, innovation and manufacturing are tied together. But not all are so enlightened. So to remind people of what’s at stake, we are releasing a new study on February 1 — “US Manufacturing Innovation at Risk.” If you are in Washington, DC on Wednesday, come by the NAM at 9:30 am and hear all about it at our press conference, with author Joel Popkin.

We are the world’s leading manufacturing economy because of the innovative products and processes that Yankee ingenuity spins out year after year. A lot of this creativity and productivity is taken for granted,unfortunately, both by consumers and some politicians. Increasingly, American manufacturers are challenged by rising manufacturing powers in China, India, Singapore and elsewhere. In these countries, they also know about the link between innovation, R&D, productivity and manufacturing. They most certainly don’t take this vital innovation process and manufacturing for granted and, in the future, they could eclipse the United States, with adverse implications for our standard of living. Tune in here tomorrow and we’ll have more information on the new study, including a link to it on our website.