Manufacturing Growth Needs Realistic Energy Approaches
Randy Wolken, President & CEO

Manufacturing is under-appreciated in New York State. Why is this? One of the main reasons is there’s a negative perception of manufacturing as an industry that is dirty, polluting, and low-skilled. This perception is blatantly false! Manufacturers are real innovators in protecting our environment and building sustainable facilities and they make meaningful progress every year in becoming even more sustainable and environmentally friendly. They go even further with their leading-edge investments in renewable energy sources, energy efficiency measures, and cleaner production processes. As a result, manufacturing and tech companies serve as crucial leaders in transitioning to a greener and cleaner economy.

This refocused importance on the industrial sector requires us to invest heavily in our energy production and electrical infrastructure. Massive investments in new transmission lines and substations and the deployment of energy storage systems will be necessary to achieve a carbon reduction while enhancing our economy. It is not possible for the industry to do this alone, massive Federal and State support will be required. This will ensure that energy, and especially renewable energy sources, are available. Recent planned investments by the manufacturing sector in new nuclear, and biofuels like clean hydrogen and renewable biodiesel helps our communities move toward sustainability. There are many advantages to updating our fuel sources to green and renewable types that support economic growth and long-term sustainability.

However, transitioning to a new energy and carbon-neutral future will take time. Manufacturers certainly will need to make investments in capital-intensive operations. They need safe, available, reliable, quality, and affordable energy. For instance, many of their processes require natural gas today and will for the foreseeable future. The natural gas pipes may one day carry renewable hydrogen gas. Also, carbon-free nuclear power is an excellent source of transition fuel. If we want manufacturing jobs, we must make these accommodations. This will require realistic timelines and public support to create the energy grid of the future. Our current grid has been built over the last 100 years. The new grid will take decades to develop and deploy.

What makes this worth our effort is that the industrial sector provides a solid foundation for the economy by creating high-quality jobs, generating wealth, and supporting other sectors of the economy. The technical jobs of the manufacturing sector can begin at any time in a person’s lifetime. Manufacturers will hire you out of high school, after two years of community college, or after your bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate degree. Earn-and-learn approaches are more available in tech and manufacturing jobs than in any other industry. These community-sustaining jobs are the lifeblood of thriving communities.

For those of you who work in the advanced manufacturing companies of our community, we need you to share your experience in working in manufacturing with your neighbors, policymakers, and political leaders. Help us at MACNY tell the story of the transformation of manufacturing in our state. We are on the cusp of rapid and significant growth in these jobs and will need the entire community to support our efforts. To get involved in telling the story of modern manufacturing, please reach out to Tiffany Latino-Gerlock, our Director of Government Relations, at [email protected] or me at [email protected]. Together we can tell the real story of exciting industries that will grow our communities over the next fifty years and beyond!