Keeping the future manufacturing enterprise secure is critical and should be a high priority for all manufacturers, although it is not currently at the top of the list for most companies. In future, environmental pressures will increase in importance. This increase in importance will not be driven by EPA alone, but will be driven by regulations being implemented by our trading partners. The product take-back legislation mentioned earlier is an example of overseas markets driving environmental concerns in the United States.

In conclusion, all of these paradigms and many others are shaping the future of manufacturing in the United States. The companies that will succeed are the ones that envision the future and start preparing now. As the great hockey player Wayne Gretsky said, “You don’t need to go where the puck is, but where it is going to be.”