EVANSTON, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For the second year in a row, industrial employment in Iowa posted a gain according to the 2013 Iowa Manufacturers Register®, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers’ News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. MNI reports Iowa gained 2,487 manufacturing jobs from January 2012 to January 2013 or about one percent.
Manufacturers’ News reports Iowa is now home to 5,421 manufacturers employing 264,440 workers.
“Iowa’s manufacturing sector continues to improve,” says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. “The state’s low business costs, logistics, and abundant natural resources continue to be a draw for new business.”
According to the industrial directory, Iowa’s largest sectors by number of manufacturing jobs all posted gains. Food products ranks first in the state for industrial employment with 57,661 jobs, up about a half percent. Industrial machinery and equipment ranks second with 47,257 manufacturing jobs, up 9.5%, while fabricated metals accounts for 21,110 industrial jobs, up 1.1%.
Several manufacturing companies have announced openings and expansions in Iowa, including Egypt-based Orascom Construction Industries, which plans to open a fertilizer plant in Lee County; Timewell Drainage Products, which opened a location in Sibley, and Monsanto, which announced expansions of its plants in Grinnell and Williamsburg. Valent Biosciences established a biorationals production plant in Osage; Alcoa announced an expansion of its Davenport facility; Sabre Industries opened a new electrical equipment plant in Sioux City; and fertilizer maker CF Industries plans an expansion of its factory in Port Neal.
Other sectors to gain jobs included instruments & related products, up 10.9%; transportation equipment, up 3.9%; rubber/plastics, up 3.6%; printing/publishing, up 1%; and primary metals, up a half percent. Losses were seen in textiles/apparel, down 2.1%; chemicals, down 2% and furniture/fixtures, down 1%.
Manufacturing locations in Iowa that have announced closures included a Hostess bakery in Waterloo; Cargill Kitchen Solutions’ plant in Panora; Larson Manufacturing in Clear Lake; and Beef Products Inc.’s Waterloo facility.
The East Central region of Iowa accounts for the most industrial employment in the state with 92,721 jobs, up a half percent over the year. Southeast Iowa is home to 56,839 industrial workers, down 1%, while the West Central region accounts for 50,665, with no significant change reported. Northeast Iowa saw manufacturing employment increase 4.4% and represents 24,406 of the state’s jobs, while jobs jumped 5.7% in Northwest Iowa, with the region currently home to 23,701 industrial workers. Southwest Iowa accounts for 16,108 manufacturing jobs, with no significant change reported.
MNI’s city data shows Cedar Rapids remains Iowa’s top city for manufacturing employment, with 19,992 jobs, up 1.1% over the survey period. Second-ranked Des Moines is home to 17,935 jobs, up 1.8% in 2012. Waterloo accounts for 12,448 industrial jobs, down 2.3%, while industrial jobs in Davenport remained virtually unchanged over the year, with the city home to 8,664 jobs. Fifth-ranked Dubuque accounts for 8,547 jobs, with no significant change reported.
Detailed profiles of Iowa’s 5,421 manufacturing companies and 744 distributors can be found in the 2013 Iowa Manufacturers Register® available in print for $112, or available online through MNI’s industrial database subscription service EZSelect.com. Users may generate custom profiles of manufacturers using a variety of criteria, including region, SIC, sales volume, number of employees, and more. Each business profile provides up to 30 facts, including vital contact information, 20,441 executives by name and title, product(s) manufactured, and more.
Manufacturers’ News, Inc. is the nation’s oldest and largest publisher of state industrial directories and manufacturers databases. For 101 years the company has identified, researched and profiled manufacturing companies. MNI employs an 85-person editorial staff to scour 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, http://www.manufacturersnews.com
