As the U.S. economy continues to recover, it has been getting some help from an unexpected place. After decades of massive job losses, manufacturing firms have been steadily creating jobs — many of them well-paying. One particularly bright spot is a new generation of high-tech manufacturers.
At a company called Machine Inc. in Stoughton, Mass., a hulking computer-controlled milling machine is making an intricate aerospace component. "It goes in as an aluminum block, and finishes up as a completed manifold," says Richard Mileika, the company's founder.