Manufacturing Media Consortium Founder Thomas R Cutler Meets in South Africa and China, Supports New Deloitte and MAPI Report

Fort Lauderdale, FL, November 20, 2015 --(PR.com)-- The founder of the Manufacturing Media Consortium, industrial journalist Thomas R. Cutler recently completed member meetings in both South Africa and China. The findings of these meeting are corroborated by a new report by Deloitte and the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI), “Footprint 2020: Expansion and optimization approaches for U.S. manufacturers.” That report examines the trends driving global manufacturing footprint shifts and explores the next generation of locations manufacturers are considering. The report projects where firms will be making investments in their manufacturing footprint in the next five years and how drivers for these investments are shifting.

According to the report, over 50 percent of respondents plan to enter new markets by 2020 and they anticipate a shift toward locations that can support and provide access to the latest technological advances. Access to a strong talent pipeline will also be a major driver of location choice, as measured by a market’s investment in the local educational infrastructure. Since 2008, investments outside of companies’ existing footprint are dominated by countries in Asia and South America. However, countries with a strong talent pipeline that can provide access to the latest technological advances and educational infrastructure are projected to see increased investment between now and 2020. This represents a shift from a traditional focus on regulatory climate and physical infrastructure.

In parallel, China and the United States are expected to receive the highest number of investments by manufacturers planning to optimize operations in countries with existing activities. The report indicates locations emerging as targets for investment include South Africa, Turkey and Vietnam. These markets are increasingly drawing attention due to their growing middle class and rising spending power. Meanwhile, while some respondents appear to lag in terms of their entry into Brazil, China and India, many plan to expand their footprint into these markets in the coming years.

TR Cutler, Inc., the Manufacturing Media Consortium, and Manufacturing Journalist Thomas R. Cutler
TR Cutler, Inc. was founded sixteen years ago by Thomas R. Cutler. Cutler maintains extraordinary relationships with clients, journalists, editors, economists, trendsetters, and key business leaders worldwide and has become a key resource for those writing about the manufacturing sector.

Cutler founded the Manufacturing Media Consortium™ in 1999, which now has more than 6,000 global members including journalists, editors, publishers, and economists, worldwide writing about trends, industrial data, manufacturing case studies, material handling profiles, and robotics feature articles. Cutler works with thousands of media outlets to expand the coverage and importance of the manufacturing media coverage.

Cutler has authored more than 5,000 articles for a wide range of manufacturing periodicals, industrial publications, and business journals each published in leading monthly trade magazines, B2B periodicals, blogs, and marquis publications globally. Cutler is the most published freelance industrial journalist worldwide, and thousands follow Cutler on Twitter daily at @thomasrcutler. Cutler is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, Online News Association, American Society of Business Publication Editors, and Committee of Concerned Journalists. Cutler serves on the advisory and editorial boards of publications focusing on material handling, automation, safety, quality, and lean manufacturing best-practices. Cutler is the President and CEO of Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based, TR Cutler, Inc., (www.trcutlerinc.com), the largest manufacturing communication firm worldwide with four dozen of industry experts and thought leaders on staff.