117


BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY: WISCONSIN MANUFACTURING


ful in Wisconsin. Available water resources also made Wisconsin an excel-
lent location for the tanning of leather. By 1890 Milwaukee was first in
the
world in plain leather production, and the leading firm was Pfister and Vogel.
  Machine and foundry industries also expanded in Wisconsin during the
state's early manufacturing days. E.P. Allis built the first major Wisconsin
company supplying equipment for grain milling, lumber milling and power
machinery. Other industrialists who became early manufacturers in Wiscon-
sin include Henry Harnischfeger, John Michael Kohler, Jerome I. Case and
S.C. Johnson.

                   Manufacturing in the 1970s and 1980s
   Few people realize the extent to which Wisconsin relies on manufacturing
for employment. Wisconsin is often viewed as an agricultural state. Our
license plates provide a constant reminder that Wisconsin is AMERICA'S
DAIRYLAND. The state is well known for milk and cheese production, cash
crops, and many other agricultural products. Yet, it is true that manufactur-
ing provides the largest number of jobs for Wisconsin citizens.
   It is also true that manufacturing supports many of the jobs in the service
 sector that has burgeoned in recent years partly as a result of large industry.
 The impact of manufacturing is felt far beyond the number of people em-
 ployed. In a way, Wisconsin's major industries represent the engine that
 drives the remainder of our economy.

            Figure 1: Manufacturing Employment - 1969 to 1985
                Wisconsin, the U.S., East and West North Central Regions


N
x


Shaded areas represent national recessions.
1969 index equal 100.


YEARS


Source: Wis. Strategic Development Commission, The Final Report 1985, p.
18.


I