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EDITOR'S NOTE | MARYBETH MATZEK mmatzek@insightonbusiness.com Looking outside to bring more in HEALTHY BUSINESSES ARE ALWAYS SEARCHING FOR ways to grow – it may be a new product, technique or market. More Wisconsin manufacturers are realizing one way to grow is through exporting – yes, exporting. Just as we read about the nation's soaring trade deficit, some companies are finding ways to be successful sending their products overseas. Take Feeco International, a Green Bay- based manufacturer whose typically giant-sized industrial equipment turns waste or other materials into useable products. During the past five years, the company made a conscious effort to focus more on exports and now sales from overseas represent about 45 percent of all sales. Lora Klenke, vice president of International Business Development with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, says companies involved in exporting tend to do better financially than those that just stay stateside. WEDC stats show exporting companies grew 2.4 times faster than non- exporting companies. Another telling stat: 36 percent of Wisconsin's manufacturing, mining and farming gross domestic product is exported. Where are all of these products going? A lot depends on the product involved, but a growing middle class in places such as China and India is accelerating a lot of the growth. And while companies may think they can't compete against the foreign competition with its lower labor www.insightonmfg.com costs, Klenke says that's a wrong assumption. Wisconsin manufacturers can provide value-added services such as advice or installation that a homegrown company may not be able to. Companies can also succeed by offering unique engineered goods; this is something that MEGTEC Systems in De Pere has found to be a successful option. As companies expand their markets, they oſten need to add extra employees. Northeast Wisconsin Technical College has a unique program in place to find "non-traditional" workers to fill those open slots – think women welders. Read about their career boot camps and workshops in a story written by Kate Baer on page 14. Besides adding more workers, companies may also decide to outsource some of their work, such as prototyping. Writer Barb Axelson takes a look at how companies such as Wisconsin Plastics Inc. and the FAB Lab at Fox Valley Technical College are helping manufacturers try out new ideas and processes. Innovation is an essential part of any business's success story and it's one that keeps on going at businesses throughout the New North. Sharing those stories of success and providing an opportunity for manufacturers to connect and learn from each other is at the heart of Insight on Manufacturing's mission. I'm sure you noticed that this issue is a month earlier than normal – that's because we've decided to go to a bi-monthly publication cycle. There's so much happening, four issues a year can't contain it all. I hope you'll all enjoy being able to read about everything happening with manufacturing in the New North six times a year. F May 2012 • INSIGHT on Manufacturing | 7