There’s another side to the doom-and-gloom scenario of empty factories and unemployment lines left over from Niagara’s once-booming large-scale manufacturing sector.

The upside: increased employment; lucrative exports; innovative approaches.

The manufacturing sector may look very different than in days gone by, but it’s still a force to be reckoned with, says new research from Brock University’s Niagara Community Observatory (NCO).

The NCO’s policy brief, “Shifting Gears: Examining the recent upswing of Niagara’s manufacturing sector,” contains statistics on employment and exports, and characteristics of the sector that have evolved to support Niagara’s emerging economy over the past six years.

“The general trend is that manufacturing has been very resilient, has stayed in the region and, in fact, has seen an upswing since 2012, so there’s a bit of a wind in our sails,” says brief co-author, NCO Director Charles Conteh.

He and co-author Sean Calcott, a recent master’s graduate in the Department of Political Science, will be presenting the policy brief at Brock University on Thursday, Sept. 27.

“The sector has made tremendous strides over the past several years,” says Calcott. “Rather than lament where manufacturing has gone, we need to ask ourselves where it’s going to take us next.”

The event, co-hosted by the Department of Political Science Speaker Series, will include a panel discussion with business and Niagara Region representatives.

To register, visit the NCO registration page. 

What: Niagara Community Observatory policy brief release “Shifting Gears: Examining the recent upswing of Niagara’s manufacturing sector”

Who: Brief co-authors Charles Conteh, NCO Director and co-author Sean Calcott; Panelists: Mishka Balsom (Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce), Dolores Fabiano (South Niagara Chamber of Commerce) and Blake Landry (Niagara Region)

Where: Pond Inlet, Brock University

When: Thursday, Sept. 27, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.