When politicians have discussed ways to fix the economy, most of the dialogue has been directed at financial institutions, health care and energy. With the exception of the auto industry, manufacturing has largely been ignored by policymakers.

Manufacturing representatives say they hope the Obama administration's newly created senior counselor for manufacturing will put a renewed focus in Washington on manufacturing as a whole.

Last week Obama appointed Ron Bloom to the "manufacturing czar" position. Bloom will "provide leadership on policy development and strategic planning for the president's agenda to revitalize the manufacturing sector," the White House said in a statement.

Bloom has been serving as a senior advisor to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Obama's automotive industry task force and previously worked as a United Steelworkers union executive. Bloom's union ties have raised some concerns that he's a little too cozy with organized labor, but initial response from the manufacturing community has been positive regarding the position's role.

"The most important part of this process is some recognition that manufacturing is important," says Mark Tomlinson, executive director and general manager of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. "I would hope that he would start to have dialogue with factions of manufacturing outside just the traditional automotive sector."

Tomlinson would like to see more emphasis on other industries, including aerospace, medical device and energy-related manufacturing, and increased support for small and midsize manufacturers, he says. Tomlinson says he also hopes Bloom will help manufacturers gain more financial support for capital equipment expenditures and workforce training.

As for the selection of Bloom, Tomlinson says he doesn't have an opinion one way or the other.

"The Society [of Manufacturing Engineers] is more focused on what he needs to do rather than the individual himself," Tomlinson says. "If he has the president's ear, I wish him well. As long as he listens to what the needs are it will be a positive step for manufacturing."

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