The given profit function is:

$P = -0.2N^2 + 3.6N - 9$

To calculate the value of the profit $P$, you need to substitute a specific value for $N$, which represents the number of items produced in a year.

Could you provide the value of $N$ so I can calculate $P$?

Let me know if you'd like more details or have any questions.

Here are five follow-up questions to expand the topic:

1. What is the maximum profit the manufacturer can achieve?
2. How does the profit change as the number of items produced increases?
3. What does the negative coefficient of $N^2$ signify in terms of profit behavior?
4. For what values of $N$ does the manufacturer break even?
5. How would increasing the production cost affect the profit function?

Tip: The vertex of a quadratic function gives either the maximum or minimum value depending on the leading coefficient.