The Lafayete Journal & Courier has an article on Gov. Daniels remarks to a Purdue University summit on manufacturing. Gov. Daniels says that advanced manufacturing is important to Indiana’s future. It’s not a surprising statement, given his audience, but it’s nice to hear the Daniels administration endorsing manufacturing and technology rather than agriculture as important to the state’s future.
“We’d better find ways to advance manufacturing. We don’t have an economy without it,” Daniels said during a keynote speech at Purdue University to 400 people attending Manufacturing Summit IV: Advancing Manufacturing in Indiana.
“To the extent that public policy can advance manufacturing, we’re willing to do it. Yes, we are more dependent on manufacturing than any other state. But we must never lose sight that it is the backbone of our economy and had better stay that way.”
The article also mentions that Sen. Bayh has announced $1.5 million worth of pork allocated to Purdue’s Center for Advanced Manufacturing. The money is appropriated in a Defense Bill which has not yet been approved by the Senate or signed by Pres. Bush.
The article also has a snapshot of manufacturing in Indiana:
A look at manufacturing in Indiana
* Employment: Accounted for 573,039 direct jobs in 2003, which is 20 percent of the state’s total work force, but represents a 6 percent decline from the 609,000 direct jobs in 1990.
* Wages: Provided an annual salary-per-job of $45,459, which is 36 percent greater than the state’s non-farm average salary of $33,379.
* Economy: Contributed $53.7 billion to Indiana’s gross state product, which represented 30 percent of the state’s 2001gross state product.
* Tax base: Supported more than $2.5 billion in state and local income tax payments by individuals, which represented 53 percent of all state and local income taxes paid in calendar year 2002.
* Source: Report released in January titled “What Indiana Makes, Makes Indiana.” Contributors were Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, Indiana Manufacturers Association and the Indiana Department of Commerce.
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