The DNA of Northeast Ohio is in manufacturing. We make things here, but more and more manufacturing is being shipped overseas. Yet, innovation can revitalize manufacturing in Northeast Ohio if we are nimble and align the interests of business with our economic development plans for the region. One area of convergence is capturing a share of the supply chain for the emerging advance energy market.

“The energy market is projected to grow from five to $10 trillion, and advanced (or alternative) energy will essentially go from zero to a significant portion of that,” Richard Stuebi, BP Fellow for Economic and Environmental Advancement at the Cleveland Foundation, told a group of area manufacturers at a November 8th WIRE-Net event.

“We could become the suppliers to the world in this industry.”

Stuebi and Shilpa Kedar of Team NEO have been meeting with wind turbine companies and pitching Northeast Ohio’s manufacturing strengths. We have a good shot at attracting wind manufacturers because of our region's "value proposition", which Stuebi listed:

1. Materials fabrication – from polymers to molded die casting, Northeast Ohio is an established world leader in manufacturing materials.

2. A deep pool – A large cluster of manufacturing companies here creates a network of knowledge, efficiencies and a pool of available, skilled labor (“if you’re a wind turbine manufacturer, try finding 300 people in Idaho to hire and the specific screws and castings,” Stuebi said.)

3. Central location – Northeast Ohio enjoys the benefit of being geographically centered within 500 miles of plenty of major markets. (“Within a six hour drive, we can find you the right supplier.”)

WIRE-Net and the Cleveland Foundation are focusing on opportunities in five areas of alternative energy for Ohio’s manufacturers:

• Fuel Cells
• Biofuels
• Solar
• Clean Coal
• Wind

“Certain parts of the alternative energy market are growing, but it’s really competitive,” says John Colm, WIRE-Net Executive Director. “Can Cleveland companies position themselves to make high quality components at a competitive price?

“If we could be the supply chain for (alternative energy), I’d be pretty happy. That’s called wealth creation.”

Government support is growing, says Ken Alfred, Executive Director of Ohio Fuel Cell Coalition. “We have (U.S. Senator-elect) Sherrod Brown who wants Ohio to be the Silicon Valley of Alternative Energy, and we have the state investing $50 million in fuel cells as part of the Third Frontier. And we’ve met with (Governor-elect) Ted Strickland and he’s very supportive.”

Share your ideas on how Northeast Ohio's manufacturers can become the supply chain for alternative energy