The coming change could be likened to the electrification of America in the early part of the 20th century, when the nation began switching from the steam power to electricity, said Theodore DeWitt, University of Massachusetts Boston professor of management.That change required factories that no longer needed giant steam engines in the middle of their plants to retool, but it also created new jobs, including ones that didn’t exist before, such as electrician. For a time, that became largest occupation in the country, DeWitt said.“I don’t think there is a case for industrial transformation where we haven’t lost jobs and created others,” DeWitt said. “There will be jobs that didn’t exist before.”The transition is already creating opportunities. GM and South Korean-based battery maker LG Energy Solution announced in April they would build a $2.3 billion battery plant in Tennessee to supply the automaker’s electric vehicle. Bill Lee, the state’s Republican governor, said it was the “largest single investment of economic activity in the state’s history.” QUOTE Just the beginning for COB. IMO.
