Ohio Manufacturing Jobs Remained Steady Over Past Year According to Industrial Directory

EVANSTON, Ill., Oct. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Industrial employment in Ohio remained virtually unchanged over the past twelve months according to the 2012 Ohio Manufacturers Directory®, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers' News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. MNI reports Ohio lost 4,179 industrial jobs or about a half percent between August 2010 and August 2011, an improvement compared to the 3.8% drop recorded by MNI over the 2009-2010 survey period.

Manufacturers' News reports Ohio is now home to 18,068 manufacturers employing 868,948 workers.

"The recovery is gaining momentum in Ohio and across the U.S.," says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. "The state's educated workforce, investments in innovative technologies, and its solid infrastructure have been a draw for a variety of enterprises."

Bright spots for Ohio included the expansions of Dannon's yogurt plant in Minster; Honda's transmission plant in Russells Point; Motoman Robotics in Miamisburg; Latrobe Specialty Steel in Wauseon; and Tenneco Automotive in Milan. Coll Materials Inc. announced it will open a new recycled plastics facility in South Whitehall Township, while CODA Automotive chose to locate its new lithium ion battery facility in Columbus, pending approval of a Department of Energy grant.

MNI reports Ohio's largest manufacturing sectors experienced little to no change in employment over the survey period. Industrial machinery and equipment accounts for the most manufacturing employment with 138,089 jobs, up 374 or virtually unchanged. Fabricated metals ranks second with 101,370 jobs, down 131 or no significant change. Jobs in transportation equipment manufacturing rose 1%, with the third-ranked sector currently accounting for 84,427 industrial jobs.

Industrial sectors that lost jobs over the year included furniture/fixtures, down 11.4%; lumber/wood, down 7.7%; printing/publishing, down 2.5%; electronics down 2.3%; and rubber/plastics, down 2.1%. Gains were seen in instruments/related products, up 5.6% and primary metals, up 1%.

Industrial locations closing over the year included a Mill's Pride cabinetry plant in Waverly; Zumbiel Packaging's location in Norwood; aluminum manufacturer Novelis Inc's location in Mayfield Heights; Newell Rubbermaid's child car seat assembly plant in Macedonia; Silgan Plastics' blowmolding facility in Port Clinton; Pella Corp's exterior door plant in Fairfield; Graphic Packaging International's beverage carton plant in Cincinnati; HPM America's Mount Gilead factory; Ross Sandcasting's facility in Orrville; New Era Ohio's machine parts plant in Bryan; and Nexergy's battery-pack location in Columbus.

Manufacturers' News reports Northeast Ohio accounts for the largest share of the state's industrial employment, with 323,251 jobs, up 779 jobs over the year. Southwest Ohio accounts for 209,109 jobs, with no significant change reported, while Northwest Ohio is home to 124,413 industrial workers, down 2.1%. South Central Ohio accounts for 91,820 jobs, virtually unchanged from a year ago, and the North Central region is home to 83,934, down 1.2%. Jobs increased 1.7% in Southeast Ohio, with the region home to 36,421 jobs.  

MNI's city data shows Cincinnati is the state's top city for manufacturing employment, home to 79,775 jobs, down 1.1% over the year. Second-ranked Cleveland accounts for 61,119 jobs, down a half percent over the past twelve months. Columbus is home to 45,446 industrial jobs, down 1%, while Dayton accounts for 25,758 jobs, with no significant change reported. Toledo is home to 17,864 industrial jobs, down 3.8% over the past twelve months.

Detailed profiles of Ohio's 18,068 manufacturers and 2,320 industrial distributors can be found in the 2012 Ohio Manufacturers Directory®, available in print for $209 and on CD-ROM from $285. Each profile provides up to 30 facts, including vital contact information (phone, web, e-mail), 65,598 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.