Ronald V. Kalafsky

An Examination of the Challenges of Charlotte Manufacturers

Abstract Manufacturing employment has steadily declined in the Charlotte metropolitan area, with significant losses occurring in textiles, apparel, and related industries. Production activity remains widespread in the region, however, both in terms of the number of manufacturers and workers and the wide range of industries in which they are involved. Evidence from a survey of manufacturers within the Charlotte region indicates that a number of firms continue to succeed despite various competitive issues on the local and national scales. This article examines these challenges, their implications, and the strategies used to address these issues. Overall, manufacturers across the region are in a period of rapid change.

The Manufacturing Sector in the South Status and Recent Trends

Manufacturing has been in decline throughout most of the U.S., following a pattern seen in most industrialized economies. The southeastern states were once an exception to this trajectory due to factors such as lower costs and business-friendly policies; many domestic and international firms continue to establish operations across the region. At the same time, most states in the South are experiencing an overall decrease in manufacturing employment as production is increasingly relocated offshore. This paper provides a brief examination of the manufacturing sector across the South, including employment and production trends. Many southern states still retain aboveaverage concentrations of manufacturing. Overall employment in this sector is decreasing, yet value-added from manufacturing shows signs of increase and perhaps suggests an industrial transition, especially in many key subsectors. These potential shifts raise questions about sustainable regional economic development.

Trade Fairs as an Export Marketing and Research Strategy: Results from a Study of Korean Advanced Machinery Firms

Manufacturers pursuing information on potential customers in distant, dynamic markets confront myriad obstacles. To address this, many firms attend international trade fairs in order to market their products, to meet with prospective customers, and to tap into buzz related to potential international opportunities. In many ways, moreover, such exhibitions can serve as short-term agglomerations of same-industry activity, particularly important for producer–user interface geared towards innovation. The goal of this paper is to explore how Korean machine tool manufacturers utilise a major global trade show in Seoul to minimise the difficulties associated with accessing a global customer base, inclusive of their activity at this show geared towards innovation. Evidence from firm-level surveys and interviews suggest that the amount of importance placed on trade fair attendance as part of a firms internationalisation strategies is related to export growth. Additionally, a new insight generated is that firms that participate in trade shows as part of their innovation process also demonstrate higher rates of export intensity. Finally, we may be witnessing newly discovered, technology-driven, symbiotic relationships between online portal sites, vendors, and potential customers at these trade fairs, where virtual services are nonetheless augmented by a need for a continued onsite presence at these exhibitions.

Go big or stay home? Korean machinery firms, trade fair dynamics and export performance

With heightened global competition, many manufacturers export as a process by which to increase sales and expand into new markets. South Korean manufacturers export in order to expand outside of a small domestic market, but confront the constraints of many exporters (especially smaller firms), including access to market intelligence and geographically distant prospective customers. This article examines efforts by machine tool manufacturers to minimize the friction of distance involved with exporting through the use of international trade fairs. Analytical emphases are placed on the influence of individual export destinations and on the role of firm size vis-à-vis firm export intensities and overall export strategies and motivations.

Export challenges and potential strategies

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the case of Canadian manufacturers involved in the Chinese market. In particular, it seeks to look at the challenges of entering a new export destination, including access to market intelligence. It also aims to analyze recent performance.Design/methodology/approach – A postal survey of Canadian manufacturers that examined the myriad challenges and strategies for manufacturers serves as the basis for this research.Findings – The findings show that, for these manufacturers, face‐to‐face contact is important in the Chinese market. The group of exporters, on average, was not as dependent on the US market. Perhaps most importantly, export success is not limited solely to larger manufacturers.Research limitations/implications – The small sample size and survey structure limited statistical analysis. Firm‐level interviews need to be conducted in order to examine unique export success strategies in this booming market.Practical implications – The findings show that in‐person ...

Workforce Shortages in the Manufacturing Sector: Evidence from Charlotte

This paper examines skilled labor dynamics for manufacturing firms in a region of rapid economic transformation. Evidence from a recent survey of manufacturers within the Charlotte, North Carolina metropolitan area suggests that for many firms, the skilled labor shortage is a serious competitive concern, especially with regard to high-end positions. Firms located in regions with the greatest job losses in manufacturing are also among those that see the labor shortage as a salient competitive concern. Further results indicate that advanced manufacturers accord importance to higher education institutions as recruitment and training sources. Policy implications of this issue and its future impacts on manufacturing are discussed.

Reevaluating the Position of Southern Exports on the Global Stage

Export-oriented manufacturing is often viewed as an important element of economic development. In recent decades, many states across the southern United States have made concerted efforts to attract exporters and promote this type of industrial policy. This paper uses an evolutionary economic geography perspective to examine recent export trends for several Southern states, across several measures, since the implementation of NAFTA. Overall, the analyses suggest that most Southern states have export intensities that are above the national average, yet positive relationships with state-level incomes are unclear. Additionally, Southern states were found to be remarkably heterogeneous in terms of state-level export performance, dominant export composition, and destination markets, but also point to an overreliance on traditional economic development perspectives which may lead to future difficulties in adapting to inevitable shifts in the global economic system.

Advanced manufacturing as an online case study for global geography education

Advanced manufacturing continues to be an important sector for emerging and industrialized economies, therefore, remaining an important topic for economic geography education. This article describes a case study created for the Association of American Geographers Center for Global Geography Education and its implementation. The international machine tool industry is particularly useful for introducing students to the regional impacts of broader economic processes.

Export Dynamics, Strategies and Performance within Japan's Machine-Tool Industry

Despite increased global market competition, Japan remains a leading producer of metal-cutting machinery. Exporting plays an important role in firm-level strategies, an approach that has occurred with much success in many of Japans capital goods sectors. This article examines the dynamics of exporting within Japans machine-tool sector in the context of recent industry changes and in terms of evolving product make-up. Evidence from a recent series of interviews mainly conducted in 2006 suggests that firms use a variety of strategies to succeed in export markets, with an emphasis on increased precision and service. These strategies continue to keep many Japanese producers in prominent market positions, despite spatial redistributions of world manufacturing activities.

Evolving Growth Prospects?: Assessing the State of the South in the Global Economy

Despite rapid population growth, parts of the southern United States often lag the nation in measures of productivity, wages, and wealth. This paper revisits evaluation of Southern economic readiness for the global era in order to assess the regions contemporary adaptation to the global economy. Moreover, it explores the geographies of economic evolution within the South by measuring relative changes in population, productivity, poverty, education, and foreign direct investment. With the exception of population growth and high school graduation rates, these analyses suggest that the region has regressed relative to the nation in many measures. The findings intimate that this economic decline could be tied to region-wide policy regimes that are reliant on maintaining low wages and present a structural obstacle to economic evolution.Resumen:A pesar del rápido crecimiento de la población, algunas partes del sur de los Estados Unidos a menudo se quedan rezagadas con medidas de productividad, salarios y riqueza. Este documento revisa la evaluación de Glasmeier y Leichenko de 1996 sobre la preparación económica del Sur para la era global con el fin de evaluar la adaptación contemporánea de la región a la economía global. Además, explora las geografías de la evolución económica en el Sur, midiendo los cambios relativos en la población, la productividad, la pobreza, la educación y la inversión extranjera directa. Con la excepción del crecimiento de la población y las tasas de graduación de la escuela secundaria, estos análisis sugieren que la región ha retrocedido en relación con la nación en muchas medidas. Los hallazgos indican que este declive económico podría estar vinculado a regímenes de políticas regionales que dependen de mantener bajos salarios y constituir un obstáculo estructural a la evolución económica.