Industrial Directory Reports Utah Manufacturing Jobs Up 1.7%

EVANSTON, Ill., Oct. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Industrial employment in Utah increased 1.7% over the past twelve months according to the 2013 Utah Manufacturers Directory^®, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers' News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. MNI reports Utah gained 2,756 industrial jobs between August 2011 and August 2012.

Manufacturers' News reports Utah is now home to 3,771 manufacturers employing 161,121 workers.

"Utah continues to see its manufacturing sector improve," says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. "The state maintains a winning mix of favorable business conditions including low taxes, an educated workforce, access to capital and solid infrastructure."

Several manufacturers operating in the state announced expansions over the year including Pepperidge Farm's cracker facility in Richmond; Vexxel Composites in Brigham City; BioFire Diagnostics in Salt Lake City; and Futura Industries in Clearfield.

MNI reports food products manufacturing remains the state's largest industrial sector by employment with 18,791 jobs, virtually unchanged from a year ago. Second-ranked industrial machinery and equipment accounts for 13,972, with no significant change reported. Third-ranked chemicals manufacturing accounts for 13,955 jobs, up 1.8%.

Employment gains were seen in instruments/related products, up 14.2%; electronics, up 8.4%; rubber/plastics, up 3.1%; petroleum and coal products, up 2.5%; primary metals, also up 2.5% and transportation equipment, up 1.1%.  Sectors that lost jobs over the past year included lumber/wood down 7.2%; printing/publishing, down 3.6%; stone/clay/glass, down 2.1%; and fabricated metals, down 2.1%.

Losses for the state included layoffs at specialty hardware manufacturer Nobilis Luxury's location in Corrine, and the closure of Honeywell's oil filter plant in Clearfield.

Manufacturers' News reports Northern Utah accounts for the most manufacturing employment in the state with 149,417 jobs, up 2% over the year. Southern Utah accounts for 6,224 industrial jobs, with no significant change reported, while Central Utah accounts for 5,480 jobs, down 3.4% over the past twelve months. 

MNI's city data shows Salt Lake City is Utah's top city for manufacturing employment, home to 51,883 jobs, up 1.5% over the year. Second-ranked Ogden accounts for 14,383 jobs, up 1%. Industrial employment in Logan decreased 2.8% over the past twelve months and is currently home to 9,925 industrial workers. Provo accounts for 6,058 industrial jobs, up 3.2% over the year while Clearfield accounts for 5,920 jobs, up 2%.

Detailed profiles of Utah's 3,771 manufacturers and 656 distributors can be found in the 2013 Utah Manufacturers Directory^®, available in print for $102, or available online through MNI's subscription-based service at www.ezselect.com. Users may generate custom profiles of manufacturers using a variety of criteria, including area or zip code, county, SIC, sales volume, number of employees, and more. Each profile provides up to 30 facts, including vital contact information (phone, web, e-mail), 14,166 executives by name and title, product(s) manufactured, annual sales, and number of employees. MNI also maintains IndustryNet.com, an industrial search engine designed specifically for locating manufacturers and suppliers nationwide, and has recently launched an expansion and relocation guide for manufacturers.

Manufacturers' News, Inc. is the nation's oldest and largest publisher of state manufacturers directories.  For 100 years the company has identified, researched and profiled manufacturing establishments. MNI employs an 85-person editorial staff to scour state business registrations, trade journals, financial reports, and many other sources to pinpoint every manufacturing establishment in the U.S. Each manufacturer is contacted throughout the year to update their profiles, including their employee counts. For more information, contact Manufacturers' News, Inc., 1633 Central St., Evanston, IL, 60201, 847-864-7000, FAX 847-332-1100. www.manufacturersnews.com. Information is also available on Facebook and Twitter.

SOURCE Manufacturers' News, Inc.