Although manufacturers might be slashing costs left and right amidst a weak recovery, they readily acknowledge that’s not much of a long-term solution. Ninety percent of manufacturing executives say that innovation, not cost-cutting, is the key to long-term growth in the manufacturing industry, according to a new report. The report, which surveyed 360 manufacturing executives and was released on Tuesday by its sponsor General Electric, found that although 62 percent of manufacturing executives say that cost-cutting would help in the near term, nearly all of them say innovation is crucial to long-term success. Overall, 61 percent of manufacturing executives said that ensuring a higher quality of production was the strongest safeguard against competition from emerging markets such as China. This article is a linkout, to see the original go to: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/18/manufacturing-innovation_n_1018086.html