Oakland City issued the following announcement on Oct. 27.
Oakland County Executive David Coulter launched a new economic development strategy for the county which aims to spur innovation, investment and growth through a focus on digitized manufacturing, regional collaboration, environmental sustainability, and increased workforce education and training.
The new strategy operates under the premise that Oakland County is an inviting global destination for world-class talent, investment and jobs. It will be data driven through equitable and inclusive development, with the county involved as a catalyst for collaboration locally and across the region. Key focus areas are educational attainment, mobility, digitizing manufacturing and supporting small businesses.
“Oakland County’s economic development strategy has not been updated since 2004,” Coulter said. “This is a rapidly changing landscape, and our focus must be intentional and directed. For example, we have more than 2,200 manufacturers employing 69,000 people and generating $5.7 billion in goods and services. The engineering talent found in Oakland County is second to none and we must leverage it to ensure we solidify our status as the mobility capital of the world.”
The county, with more than 1,000 international firms from 39 countries, has an international diversity that many states can’t match – an advantage the strategy seeks to further develop. The strategy sharpens county efforts to help local companies attract lucrative aerospace and defense contracts from the U.S. Department of Defense and Homeland Security. It strengthens the mobility/autonomous vehicles sector, helping small manufacturers through Industry 4.0, which brings them into the world of digitized manufacturing, 3D printing, advanced materials, robotics, cybersecurity and internet of all things.
Oakland County recently invested $10 million in Automation Alley to help the county become more resilient to pandemics such as COVID-19, and less reliant on foreign manufacturing for essential goods such as protective equipment for first responders, hospitals and health care workers.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Oakland City
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