A study by AMR in Q4 2007 compared the percentage of manufacturing revunue for each continent for 2007 and 2012. As expected, it showed that the North American dropping form 83% to 62%, and Asia increasing from 11% to 28%. Not expected, Western Europe increases from 21% to 23%, and Eastern Europe increases from 10% to 17%. Why? I have spent a lot of time working, teaching and presenting in Europe over the last 10 years and, especially, over the last 3 years. At the corporate CIO and COO level, European companies are appling standards-based manufacturing operations systems at the plant and supply chain levels to enable adaptive manufacturing and Lean supply chains. And it is and will pay off for Europe by keeping their companies competitive so they are able to keep the manufacturing jobs. They have been highly innovative and taken a reduction in profit for long-term sustainability. For example, 45% of the membership of the OPC Foundation now is in Europe and only 35% in USA. Please help me find leadership in North America.
