COMMITTED TO COLLABORATION: Mary Johnson, left, program manager for Polaris MEP and the Rhode Island Textile Innovation Network, speaks with Michael Woody, president of Trans-Tex LLC and RITIN, in 2018. In the background is Tanya Dumrongmanee, Polaris program consultant. / PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO
MANUFACTURING The trends in manufacturing over the past decade, including lean processes and increased efficiency, took a back seat in the last two years. Innovation and resilience instead became the drivers for many manufacturers. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, employment in the industry that once dominated Rhode Island had been declining. In 2020, the state…
