Industrial Directory Report Georgia Manufacturing Jobs Saw Slight Gain Over Past Year

EVANSTON, Ill., June 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Industrial employment in Georgia remained steady over the past twelve months following several years of losses, according to the 2012 Georgia Manufacturers Register®, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers' News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. MNI reports Georgia gained 447 industrial jobs between April 2010 and April 2011, after losing 21,000 jobs over the 2009-2010 survey period, and 48,904 industrial jobs from April 2008 to April 2009.

Manufacturers' News reports Georgia is now home to 10,170 manufacturers employing 481,448 workers.

"The recovery is gaining momentum in Georgia and across the U.S.," says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. "Georgia maintains a stronghold in the food products industry and its favorable business environment has been a draw for both domestic and international enterprises, particularly within the automotive sector."

Bright spots for the state included Kia's announcement that they would expand production at their newly-opened plant on the Georgia/Alabama border, as well as the opening of automotive supplier Hanil E-Hwa Co., which will supply the Kia plant with parts. Several more plant openings included Algae.Tec's facility in Atlanta, which will assemble photobioreactors; wood pallet production plant Georgia Biomass in Ware County; Sany America's new assembly plant in Peachtree; and Finnish-based FP-Pigments' planned facility in Rome. EFACEC, a Portuguese manufacturer of power substations, opened a new plant in Effingham, and Glock announced plans to expand its Smyrna plant, eventually adding 100 jobs.  

Food products manufacturing remains Georgia's largest industrial sector by employment, accounting for 66,974 of the state's jobs, with no significant change reported over the year. Textiles and apparel ranks second with 57,852 industrial jobs, down 5.6%, due partially to the closures of Propex's Bainbridge plant and Shaw Industries' yarn plant in Tifton, as well as layoffs at Mohawk Industries. Industrial machinery and equipment ranks as the state's third largest manufacturing sector with 43,135 industrial jobs, virtually unchanged from a year ago.  

MNI reports employment remained steady in printing/publishing and chemicals manufacturing, while gains were seen in transportation equipment, up 6%; primary metals, also up 6%; and furniture/fixtures, up 1.2%. Industrial sectors that lost jobs over the past year included lumber/wood down 10.6%; stone/clay/glass down 3.1%; fabricated metals down 2.9%; electronics down 2.9%; and paper products down 2.5%.

Northwest Georgia accounts for the most industrial employment in the state with 290,827 jobs, up 2.3% over the year, according to MNI. Northeast Georgia accounts for the second most with 74,519 jobs, down 3.1%. The South Central region is home to 43,323 jobs, down 5.5%, while the Southeast accounts for 37,128 manufacturing jobs, down 3.2%. Southwest Georgia is home to 35,651 industrial workers, with no significant change reported.

Atlanta remains the state's top city by industrial employment, accounting for 55,004 manufacturing jobs, down 2.1% over the past twelve months. Dalton saw employment decrease 1.4% and is currently home to 23,003 industrial workers. Marietta accounts for 15,999 industrial jobs, with no significant change reported, while Norcross saw jobs increase 8.9% and currently accounts for 15,468 industrial jobs. Fifth-ranked Alpharetta accounts for 15,054 jobs, virtually unchanged from a year ago.  

Detailed profiles of Georgia's 10,170 manufacturers and 1,922 industrial distributors can be found in the 2012 Georgia Manufacturers Register®, available in print for $148 and on CD-ROM from $230. Each profile provides up to 30 facts, including vital contact information (phone, web, e-mail), 36,977 executives by name and title, product(s) manufactured, annual sales, number of employees, and more. Visitors to mnileads.com may generate custom profiles of manufacturers using thirteen different criteria, including area or zip code, county, SIC, sales volume, number of employees, and more. Information is also available on Facebook and Twitter.

Manufacturers' News, Inc., publisher of manufacturers' directories since 1912, compiles and produces manufacturing guides, statistics and databases for all 50 states. MNI also maintains IndustryNet.com, an industrial search engine designed specifically for locating manufacturers and suppliers nationwide. For more information, contact Manufacturers' News, Inc., 1633 Central St., Evanston, IL, 60201, 847-864-7000, FAX 847-332-1100.  

SOURCE Manufacturers' News, Inc.