The financial crisis has created much havoc, but it has also forced people to rethink the fundamentals about a number of things. One notion that we are hearing with increasing frequency and emphasis is that America must return to its core competency in making things, that true wealth creation comes when something tangible is produced.
So-called financial engineering, often aided by super-sophisticated computer programs that executives of Wall Street institutions did not fully understand, corrupted the financial markets and led to the loss of confidence that is roiling the economy. The widespread financial engineering produced a great deal of wealth on paper, but much of this turned out to be illusory.
Now, the talk is of returning to the fundamentals of what builds a real and lasting economy, and that's good news for manufacturing.
Source: Managing Automation