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Pa. Manufacturing Week spotlights sector’s $79 billion impact

Roger DuPuis//September 29, 2015//

Pa. Manufacturing Week spotlights sector’s $79 billion impact

Roger DuPuis//September 29, 2015//

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As the state observes Pennsylvania Manufacturing Week through Friday — which is National Manufacturing Day — the message being proclaimed by Gov. Tom Wolf and down through the ranks is that the commonwealth’s manufacturing sector is and must continue to be a focus for growth and investment.

Leigh Ann Wilson, marketing manager of York-based Mantec Inc., believes that dispelling old myths about the field is key to promoting that mission.

Among those myths? That manufacturing jobs are dirty, dangerous and don’t pay well. Not so, Wilson says.

“It’s high-tech. It’s clean,” she said. “These are family-sustaining jobs.”

Manufacturing in focus

Manufacturing accounts for $79 billion in economic impact across the state, according to statistics released by Wolf’s office, and employs more than 569,000 people with an annual average compensation of $62,140. That’s more than 18 percent higher than the statewide average for all industries, the governor’s office says.

“It’s important for people to know that manufacturing is hugely important in Pennsylvania,” Wolf spokesman Jeffrey Sheridan told CPBJ in an interview this morning, adding that the governor is promoting initiatives to stimulate workforce development as well as the growth and retention of manufacturing jobs.

According to a statement released by Wolf’s office, the governor’s 2015-16 budget includes these initiatives to build on Pennsylvania’s manufacturing strength:

• To create new, good-paying jobs through the establishment of the “Made in Pennsylvania” Job Creation Program, which would provide $5 million in tax credits for manufacturers that create such jobs.

• The IRC Manufacturing Initiative will provide $5 million to mobilize talents of Pennsylvania research universities to advance manufacturing technology and commercialization.

Statistics reviewed by the Business Journal show that Pennsylvania accounted for about 26 percent of Mid-Atlantic exports between January and June, and that commonwealth exports totaled $20.2 billion between January and June, a 2 percent increase over the same period a year ago.

CPBJ staff reporter Jason Scott will have more on those trends in his weekly CPBJ Extra blog post tomorrow, leading up to Friday’s publication of the Business Journal’s special Manufacturing in the Midstate edition.

Manufacturing Week events

Wolf, members of his cabinet and Department of Community and Economic Development officials are taking part in events across the state this week.

The U.S. Department of Commerce, meanwhile, will be represented at Mantec’s “Proud to Manufacture in PA” gathering, set for Thursday at the Clarion Inn and Conference Center in New Cumberland. There, Mantec will announce the winners of the annual “Excellence in Manufacturing Awards.”

Keynote speaker will be Ross Born, co-CEO of Bethlehem-based candy maker Just Born Inc., which manufactures Peeps and other confections.

Sheridan pointed out that the governor believes workforce training needs to begin early – in high school, for many – and among the events statewide will be factory tours for students and others.

“The point is to have manufacturers open their doors,” Mantec’s Wilson said. “This is an opportunity to see things being made.”