For those looking to do business with manufacturers, it helps to get a handle on this dynamic and ever-changing sector by knowing its key players and latest trends.
As we head into 2020, multiple reports point to a continued slowdown in manufacturing. Yet, a number of new plant announcements were also made in recent months, suggesting that although growth in the sector has stalled, there are still segments within the sector that are still flourishing.
The Federal Reserve’s monthly report on manufacturing production found output in the sector all but stalled in October; durable goods orders are on the decline and hiring in manufacturing continues to slow. Just yesterday, the ISM reported it’s gauge of manufacturing activity edged down again.
According to IndustrySelect’s database of 400,000 U.S. manufacturers, 4.7% of the nation’s industrial companies have reported either sales or employment growth over the past year.
In recent months, we’ve also seen some promising growth in the machine tool industry and in states like Massachusetts and Wisconsin. Manufacturers in the U.S. continue to break ground on new facilities and announce expansions.
Today we're going to take a look at some notable new plants and expansions in recent months, encompassing twenty-one manufacturing companies and five states.
In November, Connecticutt welcomed an announcement from Amgraph Packaging of its plans to open a new flexible, environmentally-friendly packaging plant in Watertown, adding to the company’s presence in the state.
Other major announcements in Connecticut included
• Fluoropolymer Resources unveiled plans to open a new plastics production facility in Windham.
• Stanley Black & Decker announced it would establish a major advanced manufacturing center (dubbed “The Manufactory”) in downtown Hartford.
• G-Con Manufacturing will expand its pharmaceutical coating plant in Groton.
In Minnesota, life sciences company Bio-Techne Corp announced they would be building a new manufacturing facility in St. Paul, with aims to create 100 new jobs over the coming five years.
Meanwhile, major construction equipment manufacturer Doosan Bobcat announced a $26 million expansion of its plant in Litchfield, hiring 200 new employees and adding 140,000 square feet of manufacturing space.
Related: 10 Fastest-Growing U.S. Construction Equipment Manufacturers
Minnesota has had a good year overall. In May, Protolabs announced the opening of a new mill & lathe manufacturing facility in Brooklyn Park, while Rust-Oleum opened its new floor coating production plant, also in Brooklyn Park.
New Mexico made the news recently when Boston-based medical devices company BioDirection opened a new plant in Albuquerque, where it will make biosensor devices for traumatic brain injuries.
This is one of many announcements made in New Mexico over the year, including the welcome news that the Intel plant in Rio Rancho has finally turned the corner, expanding hiring after years of layoffs.
Meanwhile, 3-D printing innovator Jabil Inc. is going forward with plans to build a $36 million facility in Albuquerque.
Related: 5 Trends Disrupting the U.S. Medical Device Industry
Pennsylvania often makes manufacturing headlines, and in recent months we’ve seen several new projects launch in the Keystone State.
Among the more memorable announcements was Stuffed Puffs’ plans to open a new facility in Lehigh Valley. Stuffed Puffs makes a chocolate-stuffed marshmallow product dreamed up by a former college freshman ten years ago, now slated to bring in $18 million in sales over the coming year.
Meanwhile:
• A massive new polyethylene chemical processing facility is being constructed by Royal Dutch Shell in the site of a former zinc smelting plant on the banks of the Ohio River northwest of Pittsburgh. This is no small undertaking, with the investment totaling $6 billion.
• Boeing established a new military aircraft facility near Philadelphia.
• Steel container company Custom Container Solutions has announced plans to expand its presence in the state, establishing a new facility in Milton.
Everything is bigger in Texas, and manufacturing is no exception. Some major wins for the Lone Star State included the news that a subsidiary of Aisin AW Co is building a new manufacturing facility in Cibolo.
The new plant will supply the San Antonio Toyota plant with automatic vehicle transmissions for its line of Tundras and will eventually employ 900.
In November, we also saw United Soft Plastics announce they would be establishing a new plant in Houston, for the production of thermoplastic elastomer materials.
Texas’ manufacturing sector is the nation’s largest and continues on an upward trend. According to advanced criteria available to IndustrySelect subscribers, 6% of Texas manufacturers reported sales or employment growth to IndustrySelect in the past year.
Other good news for the state included
• Cargill announced a $34 million expansion of its existing feed mill in Temple
• Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies opened its 60,000 square-foot gene therapy manufacturing space in College Station.
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