Georgia Manufacturers Add Jobs For A Fifth Straight Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jennifer Ratcliff
Manufacturers' News, Inc.
1633 Central St.
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 864-9440 ext. 241
jratcliff@manufacturersnews.com




EVANSTON, Ill, August 5th, 2015/Manufacturers' News, Inc./-- Manufacturing employment increased in Georgia for a fifth straight year, reports the 2016 Georgia Manufacturers Register®, an industrial database and directory published by Manufacturers' News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. According to data collected by MNI, Georgia manufacturers added 5,555 jobs from May 2014 to May 2015, an increase of 1.1%.

Manufacturers’ News reports Georgia is now home to 9,325 manufacturers employing 487,158 workers.

“Georgia’s industrial base has reinvented itself following the recession’s steep losses,” says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. “The double-digit growth of the state’s transportation equipment sector over the past several years is among the highest in the nation, while its large labor pool and business-friendly environment continue to fuel growth and attract investment in a variety of sectors.”

Job growth was led by the transportation equipment sector, which climbed 6.2% over the year, overtaking industrial machinery as the state’s third largest sector by employment. MNI data shows employment in the industry rose 26% over the past five years, and currently accounts for 45,405 jobs.

Jobs in this sector are expected to rise with German auto components maker Häring’s plans to open a plant in Hartwell; as well as the opening of Marine Products Corp.’s new jetboat facility in Nashville, and a new GEIGER Automotive factory, slated to open in Suwanee.

Other bright spots for the state included the opening of Wells Lighting in Millen; the expansion of American Textile Co.’s facility in Tifton; the establishment of SV Pittie Textiles’ cotton yarn plant in Sylvania; and the expansion of Tyson Foods’ Vienna poultry operation.

The state’s first-ranked sector remains food processing, which also posted a gain, up 1% over the year. The food processing sector currently employs 69,091 Georgia workers. Jobs in the state’s long-ailing textiles/apparel sector held steady over the year, with the industry still ranking second in the state with 53,119 jobs.

Gains were reported across most other industrial sectors in Georgia, with employment in primary metals, up 6%; rubber/plastics, up 5.2%; lumber/wood, up 4.1%; furniture/fixtures, up 4%.

Employment declines were reported in stone/clay/glass, down 6.1%; printing/publishing, down 4.8%; paper products, down 2.2%; and industrial machinery, down 2%.
Industrial locations announcing closures included a Briggs & Stratton factory in McDonough; Tyson Foods’ Buena Vista location; and CNH Industrial’s Calhoun plant.

According to the database of manufacturers, industrial employment in Southeast Georgia climbed 2.7% over the year, with the region currently home to 41,692 workers. Northeast Georgia posted a 2.5% increase and currently accounts for 75,428 of the state’s industrial jobs. Jobs were up 2% in the South Central region, currently numbering 40,822, and were up 1% in Northwest Georgia, which is home to the most workers in the state, at 297,331. Southwest Georgia was the only region to lose jobs, down 4.3%, to its current level of 31,885.

Manufacturing employment in Atlanta rose a half percent over the year, with the city currently home to the most manufacturing workers, at 73,704. Second-ranked Dalton accounts for 21,381 jobs, up a third of a percent, while third-ranked Alpharetta accounts for 18,182, up 5% over the survey period. Norcross ranks fourth with 17,864 jobs, down 1% over the year, while Savannah posted a 4.6% increase in manufacturing jobs, with the fifth-ranked city home to 16,528 workers.

Detailed profiles of all Georgia manufacturers can be found in the 2016 Georgia Manufacturers Register® available in print or online. Established in 1912, Manufacturers' News, Inc. is the nation’s oldest and largest publisher of industrial information. MNI offers a variety of tailored solutions to help customers connect with 430,000 manufacturers and suppliers, from print directories to online subscriptions. MNI’s industrial database subscription service EZ Select: http://www.ezselect.com allows users to tap into a live interactive database of manufacturers, while its industrial search engine IndustryNet http://www.industrynet.com connects buyers and suppliers and allows users to view profiles and obtain competitive quotes. MNI’s traditional print directories are published for each state and include in-depth profiles of every manufacturer in the U.S. For more information, contact Manufacturers' News, Inc. 847-864-7000. http://www.manufacturersnews.com