“The governor has said she will go anywhere, do anything to bring jobs and investment to Michigan,” Boyd said.

“The companies she is meeting with in Italy and Germany hold great promise for investment here in Michigan.”

In Italy, Granholm met with Giuseppe Bono, the CEO of Fincantieri Marine Group, which operates a shipbuilding facility in Marinette, Wis., and is considering further investments in Michigan that could create about 2,630 jobs, according to a statement from the governor.

Granholm also met with Italian Secretary of State Stefania Craxi and officials from Magneti Marelli, an engine supply company.

MSU economics professor Charles Ballard said while Granholm often focuses on diversifying the state’s economy, it also is important to maintain relationships with Michigan’s manufacturing investors, such as foreign auto supply companies.

“Everybody, including Gov. Granholm, agrees we were so heavily dependent on manufacturing, we would benefit from having a more diversified economy, but that doesn’t mean we abandon manufacturing completely,” he said. “We still have comparative advantage when it comes to manufacturing.”

In Germany, the governor met with executives from companies such as the Bosch Group, Daimler AG and electromechanical manufacturer Kostal.

Granholm concluded the trip by speaking to about 100 German executives about Michigan at an event in Stuttgart, Germany, according to the statement.

Boyd said these meetings with auto and auto supply executives are necessary for Michigan to remain “the centerpiece of the American automobile industry.”

“We want to keep the industries we have and grow new ones at the same time,” Boyd said.

The trip seems worthwhile but might not achieve the governor’s goals, said jazz studies senior David McWilliams.

“It’s a good idea, but I don’t know if it will yield any results,” McWilliams said.

“I would rather see investments in green energy manufacturing, but investments in any industry are good.”

Boyd said Granholm has taken previous trips to Austria, Belgium, Israel, Japan, Jordan and Sweden, which resulted in about $1.6 billion in new investments in the state.

In today’s economy, investment trips are not unusual, Ballard said.

“For better or worse, it has become an accepted and expected part of the governor’s job position that you try to lure people to your place,” he said.