Innovation ... and Gen Y

First up, I'm a bit surprised by the results of our current online poll, which asks: "What is U.S. manufacturing's biggest competitive advantage?" (If you haven't cast your vote already, please do!)

As of today, innovation was the No. 1 choice of respondents, garnering 29% of the votes.

Workforce was No. 2, with 21% of the votes, followed by quality with 18%.

Why do I say I'm surprised?

Well, it's not that I'm ignorant of America's rich history of technological and industrial innovation. It's just that lately I've been hearing a lot about how the United States has lost its edge in innovation -- or at least is in danger of losing its edge to countries such as China.

It's good to see that people still believe innovation is a key strength of U.S. manufacturing.