The book to give Illinois manufacturing a lift

Forced into a new situation by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center in Park Ridge decided to try something new.

The IMEC decided to write a book, for Illinois manufacturers, by Illinois manufacturers, at least in part.

The book - Made in Illinois: A Modern Playbook for Manufacturers to Compete and Win, available on Amazon - not only is a new concept to the IMEC, it's something similar organizations in other states haven't tried.

"This book is just about the spark to ignite more and more ideas for improvement in manufacturers so they get more and more globally competitive," said David Boulay, IMEC president. "We just see this being the beginning of much more to do to help Illinois manufacturers and our workforce to remain vibrant."

It's also a good way for the IMEC to celebrate its 25th anniversary.

Released last month, the book features suburban companies: Schaumburg-based Motorola, G & W Electric in Bolingbrook, GAM Enterprises in Mount Prospect and Ace Metal Crafts Company in Bensenville.

Robert Barnett, former executive vice president for Motorola, has a chapter in which he asks leaders how they define excellence.

That participation is important to Boulay, who emphasizes the peer-to-peer nature of the book. This is no lofty academic white paper, he said. It's a practical guide to trying to find answers for the future, for how to rebound and reset after the pandemic. Look elsewhere for a book on manufacturing theory.

So far the book is getting good reviews.

"We're getting plenty of feedback, all of it very positive," Boulay said less than two weeks after the book's release.

"So the feedback coming back is, this is grounded, this is relevant," Boulay added, noting one person suggested the book should be added to college curricula' on manufacturing.

"This is how we need to think about our day to day, and we may be doing certain things really well and this reinforces that we are as a manufacturer," he said. "And then here are some things we're not doing well but now we can get some tips and ideas to be improving."

The book examines subjects such as design of workplace, how manufacturers conduct work, effects of the pandemic, constantly changing new technology skills and supply chains.

Needed in Illinois

It's a big deal here in Illinois, where there are more than 12,000 manufacturers, 99% of which are small or mid-size companies, Boulay said. Some are as small as 20 employees.

"These are the family-owned businesses. They're in our communities," he said.

The supply chain is an important subject to Boulay, who notes the book includes a chapter titled, "The Modern Supply Chain as a Competitive Edge." It's how manufacturers of all sizes get their goods around the nation and around the world. And it's why manufacturing thrives in Illinois and particularly in the Chicago area, where there is easy access to transportation via roadways, riverways and railways.

Of course, O'Hare Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world with flights going everywhere, also is a big piece in the global supply chain. That matters to manufacturers throughout the state.

"The connection points that we have are incredibly powerful," Boulay said. "The access to the natural resources, incredibly abundant. The workforce, incredibly abundant. So there's a lot of powerful assets that tie into the tradition of fabricated metal in the suburban area, of food manufacturing.

"So there are many pieces of the puzzle that have really set the condition well and also set us poised to continue to be a strong manufacturing area."

Boulay also points to the state's diversity of manufacturing, including aerospace, automotive, food, farm machinery. The suburbs, he said, are every bit as strong and as diverse in manufacturing as the rest of the state.

That's the book on Illinois, and the IMEC believes this is the book to make Illinois manufacturing even stronger.

Entrepreneurship on the rise

Not all economic indicators point upward in Illinois, but here's one that looks positive.

According to an analysis from Lending Tree, Illinois in 2020 saw the fourth-largest jump in business applications in the United States, up 45%.

There were 170,090 applications in Illinois last year, up from 117,340 in 2019. The trend nationwide was positive last year also, with a record 4.3 million new business applications, according to the analysis of U.S. Census Bureau Business Formation Statistics data. Retail was No. 1 in the national data, followed by transporting and warehousing.