Worcester Business Journal

14 Worcester Business Journal • September 28, 2015 www.wbjournal.com M A N U FAC T U R I N G << Central Mass. ramps up for Manufacturing Day C entral Massachusetts manufac- turers and business organizations are ramping up for National Manufacturing Day that will take place on October 2. Manufacturing Day activities in Worcester will kick off a day early on Oct. 1 with a "Made in Central Mass. - Manufacturing Matters" invitation-only panel discussion at the Beechwood Hotel from 4 to 5 p.m. to be followed by a reception. The discussion will be hosted by the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce and its affiliate chambers. The event is intended to empower manufacturers to come together to address their collective challenges in order to help their communities and future generations thrive. Panelists will include Keith A. Poirier, Environmental, Health & Safety Manager of Bonded Abrasives & Superabrasives at Saint-Gobain Abrasives; Bill DiBenedetto, President of the Lampin Corporation; and Leslie Parady, Workforce Development Manager at MassMEP. Stuart Loosemore at the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce can be contacted with any questions about the event. Many manufacturing companies around the country and in Central Massachusetts will open their doors with public tours on the following day. One of those local businesses is AIS in Leominster. AIS, which manufactures commercial office furniture, will host public events on Oct. 2 that will be attended by Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito and Leominster Mayor Dean J. Mazzarella, according to the company. Facility tours, demonstrations, presentations and dis- cussions are planned for the event. Registration is required and available at www.mfgday.com. The celebration of manufacturing comes as the Mass Manufacturing Extension Project (MassMEP) believes Massachusetts is facing a shortfall in skilled workers. Growth in the sector was strong last year, with a 71 percent increase in new hires across the state, according to the group. Statewide, manufacturing com- panies in 2014 had a nearly 67 percent increase in jobs created, according to the group. Additional figures include a 63 percent increase in sales and a 79 per- cent increase in cost savings. Across Worcester County, 31,729 people were employed in manufacturing and nearly 10,000 people had city-based manufac- turing jobs. However, an aging workforce will only increase demand for skilled manufactur- ing workers, according to Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tim Murray. "By 2020, there will be 100,000 people leaving manufacturing [in Massachusetts] because they'll be aging out," he said in a statement. "Even if we didn't add jobs, we need to expand the pipeline." More information about the nation- al event can be found at www.mfgday. com. n BY SAM BONACCI Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer Massachusetts Export Facts Manufacturers help to drive Massachusetts's economy, with $25.75 billion in manufactured goods exports in 2014. That year, a total of $8.08 billion in exports was sent to our free trade agreement (FTA) partners. This helps create jobs in the state, and 30.9 percent of its employment stemmed from exports in 2011. Small businesses comprised 89.6 percent of all exporters in Massachusetts. Sources: MassMEP newsletter, October 2015, International Trade Administration, U.S. Census Bureau Manufactured Goods Exports ($billions, 2014) ............................................................. $25.75 (Percent share of total goods exports) ................................................................................ 94.09% Growth in Manufactured Goods Exports (2009–2014) ............................................ 16.16% U.S. Jobs Supported by Goods Exports (2013) ........................................................... 118,537 Employment from Manufacturing Exports ..................................................................... 30.9% (Export share of manufacturing jobs, 2011) Small Business Share of Total Exporters (2013) ............................................................. 89.6% Manufactured Goods to Free Trade Agreement Partners ($billions, 2014) ....... $8.08 (Percent of total exports, 2014) ............................................................................................... 31.39% Top Five Export Markets (Percent of total manufactured goods exports, 2014) ................................................. 45.64% Canada ......................................................................................................................... (12.4%) Mexico .......................................................................................................................... (8.96%) United Kingdom ..................................................................................................... (8.96%) China ............................................................................................................................. (8.22%) Japan ................................................................................................................................ (7.1%)

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