Nuclear Manufacturing Opportunities – Workshop Scheduled for June 4 at Detroit's MGM Grand

The Nuclear Energy Institute is hosting a series of workshops in cities around the country and in certain international forums to share information with manufacturers and service suppliers about the needs of the industry. In an economy where half a million or more people lose their jobs every month, these workshops share some encouraging information about the prospects for adding profitable new products and services to a company’s list of profit making activities.

The next work shop is scheduled for June 4th, 2008 at the Detroit MGM Grand. You can find registration information at

Here is a quote from the NEI press release about the event:

“The nuclear industry is poised for resurgence in plant construction, with more than two dozen new-plant license applications pending,” said Anthony F. Earley Jr., chairman and CEO of DTE Energy, which is a local co-sponsor of the workshop. “And with 104 plants currently in operation nationwide, suppliers are needed to support the existing fleet on a long-term basis.”

Earley said the potential construction of a new generation of nuclear power plants presents an excellent opportunity for Michigan-based manufacturers to refocus their capabilities. “The engineering, design and manufacturing talent in Michigan is outstanding and it is positioned today to take advantage of new opportunities at a time when their traditional customers in the automotive sector are scaling back,” he said.

As a former manufacturer, I have a lot of empathy for the current plight of workers and leaders who are watching their hard won skills go unrewarded and their carefully constructed machinery operate at far less than full capacity. It drives me nuts when people talk with glowing terms about a post-industrial economy; from my point of view, the ability to make things that serve a useful purpose is a fundamental part of being human. I think it is terrific to think of using the nuclear renaissance as a way to lead a manufacturing renaissance in America.