ATLANTAManufacturers that compete based on innovation in products and processes rather than on low cost earn higher profits and benefit from higher wages.
According to a biannual survey of Georgia manufacturers conducted by the Georgia Institute of Technology, annual wages were, on average, $10,000 higher at innovative manufacturing companies than at companies that compete on price. In addition, returns on sales were almost a full percentage point higher at innovative manufacturers than at low-cost companies.