Decline in manufacturing is a bad news, investing in manufacturing technology doesn't stop!

Manufacturing production is in decline is hardly surprising, but the depth and speed of the plunge are striking and, most worrisome for economists. The financial crisis of 1929 grew into the Great Depression: tightening credit and consumer fear reduced demand for manufactured goods in one country after another, creating a downward spiral that reduced global trade.

Although the problems of manufacturers supplying the auto industry and other so-called big iron manufacturers of products like locomotives, jet engines and power turbines have gotten the most attention, makers of a variety of other products, including handicrafts, clothes and jewelry, are suffering too. As a consequence, most firms are cutting workers as fast as they can and are ridding themselves of inventories at a dramatic pace.

In December 2008, Hemlock Semiconductor announced an initial investment of $1.2 billion in to build the new Clarksville polysilicon manufacturing facility which is expected to be completed in 2012.The jobs created by Hemlock Semiconductor and Dow Corning, as well as the related economic impact that will result from this investment, will forever change our community.