Industrial Directory Reports Wisconsin Gained Manufacturing Jobs Over The Past Year

EVANSTON, Ill., Aug. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Following several years of losses, industrial employment in Wisconsin increased by a half percent over the past twelve months, according to the 2013 Wisconsin Manufacturers Register^®, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers' News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. MNI reports Wisconsin gained 3,896 industrial jobs between July 2011 and July 2012.

Manufacturers' News reports Wisconsin is now home to 11,453 manufacturers employing 573,782 workers.

"Wisconsin 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's solid infrastructure, educated workforce and friendly business environment has been a draw for a variety of enterprises."

Bright spots for the state included the opening of Blue Spark Technologies' printed battery plant in West Bend; the planned expansion of Printpack, Inc.'s packaging plant in Rhinelander; vehicle manufacturer LDV Inc's expansion in Burlington; Plexus Corp.'s plans to open a factory in Neenah; the expected opening of Kestrel Aircraft's new headquarters and manufacturing facility in Superior; and Jensen Metal Products' proposed expansion of its fabricated metal plant in Racine. Other locations announcing expansions included Polaris Industries in Osceola; Winsert, Inc's plant in Marinette; Racine Metal-Fab in Sturtevant; and United Alloy in Janesville.

MNI reports Wisconsin's largest manufacturing sectors by employment all gained jobs over the year. Employment in industrial machinery and equipment increased 2.6% over the survey period, with the top-ranked sector accounting for 102,921 jobs. Second-ranked food products accounts for 66,717 jobs, up 1%, while fabricated metals represent 66,409 of the state's industrial jobs, up 2.7%.

Gains were also seen in rubber/plastics, up 2.4%; transportation equipment, up 1.6%; and chemicals, up 1%, according to MNI. Industrial sectors that lost jobs included lumber/wood, down 2.4%; furniture/fixtures, down 2.3%; paper products, down 2.1% and stone/clay/glass, also down 2.1%.

Industrial locations announcing closures included Wausau Paper's mill in Brokaw; Federal Mogul's facility in Schofield; Rock-Tenn Co.'s site in Milwaukee; and Mayville Products Corp.'s plant in Mayville.

Manufacturers' News reports Southeast Wisconsin accounts for over half of the state's industrial employment, with 311,841 jobs, up 1% over the year. Central Wisconsin is home to 180,210, also up 1%. Southwest Wisconsin accounts for 45,946 industrial jobs, down one percent, while employment in Northern Wisconsin increased 1.2% and currently accounts for 35,785 manufacturing workers.

MNI's city data shows Milwaukee is Wisconsin's top city for manufacturing employment, home to 53,558 jobs, down 2.6% over the year. Second-ranked Green Bay accounts for 22,531 jobs, up a half percent. Madison is home to 18,371 industrial jobs, up 3.3% over the year, while industrial employment in Waukesha increased 1%, and is currently home to 15,832 manufacturing jobs. Appleton accounts for 14,221 jobs, up a half percent over the past twelve months.

Detailed profiles of Wisconsin's 11,145 manufacturers and 1,668 distributors can be found in the 2013 Wisconsin Manufacturers Register^®, available in print for $151, 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), 41,905 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.