A lot of people have heard the pundits and statistics claiming that the Great Recession is finally drawing to a close; that job creation and consumerism are on the verge of returning to their pre-2009 levels. Here in our own metro area, a certain level of optimism pervades. In one recent survey, 63% of Milwaukee businesses forecasted stronger sales for Q2, and just over 50% expect to be hiring more workers. There’s also talk these days on the national level about how manufacturing is spearheading the revival of the economy. Again, Milwaukee, with its long-standing portfolio of heavy industries, seems to be at the front and center of American manufacturing’s renaissance. In another recent survey, 82% of manufacturers predict significant sales growth for the 2nd quarter of 2012.
While it’s one thing to hear the good news from pundits and statistics, it’s another thing entirely to see the actual story unfold from the ground level – or in this case, from our own factory floor level. Here at Exacto Spring, we can attest to our own company’s strong growth not only by having the sales figures to prove it, but by the fact that we’ve recently 10% increase in the workforce to handle growth. New machine operators, onsite quality inspectors, and machine set-up personnel are all some of the new workers here. We’ve also made new machine purchases that will, we anticipate, increase our production output considerably.
In short, business is booming again here in Milwaukee. The time may soon come when the rest of the nation follows suit.
