There are so few of them, they can be difficult to recall.

There is the Nu-kote facility. Lasko Metal Products is another and there is Apcom, which makes thermostats and other parts for water heaters and employs about 285 people.

With only 3 percent of Williamson County’s economy dedicated to manufacturing, the list of companies here that produce a tangible product is short. The three companies already mentioned are among the biggest manufacturing employers in a county where professional services and trade companies dominate the job market.

via Factory jobs are scarce but crucial | tennessean.com | The Tennessean.

The main problem with this article is that there is such a narrow understanding of what manufacturing and production can really mean.  Just look down the road 80 miles and you will see Huntsville and many types of higher and high tech manufacturing facilties.  Even more, there is a hidden gem not mentioned in this article, Biomimetic Therapeutics, another type of production facility in a much higher value-added production world, life science.

If we are going to have an educated discussion about production, let’s at least talk about what is possible, not what people have done for years that is better produced in a low wage environment.