For years, Suzanne Berger has been a leading advocate for US industry. Now she’s co-directing MIT’s Initiative for New Manufacturing, a platform to help the country make more goods.
Several years ago, Suzanne Berger was visiting a manufacturing facility in Ohio, talking to workers on the shop floor, when a machinist offered a thought that could serve as her current credo.
“Technology takes a step forward—workers take a step forward too,” the employee said.
Berger, to explain, is an MIT political scientist who for decades has advocated for the revitalization of US manufacturing. She has written books and coauthored reports about the subject, visited scores of factories, helped the issue regain traction in America, and in the process earned the title of Institute Professor, MIT’s highest faculty honor.
Over time, Berger has developed a distinctive viewpoint about manufacturing, seeing it as an arena where technological advances can drive economic growth and nimble firms can thrive.
