EVANSTON, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Manufacturers’ News, Inc. -- For a second straight year, industrial employment in Tennessee posted a gain according to the 2014 Tennessee Manufacturers Register®, an industrial directory and database published by Manufacturers’ News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. The report, based on data collected by Manufacturers’ News, states Tennessee gained 4,197 manufacturing jobs from September 2012 to September 2013, or about one percent, in line with the one percent gain reported in last year’s survey, and slightly ahead of the national average increase as reported by the Labor Department.
Manufacturers’ News reports Tennessee is now home to 6,990 manufacturers employing 385,858 workers.
“Like many states in the Mid-South, Tennessee has experienced something of a manufacturing renaissance,” says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. “The state’s business-friendly environment and educated workforce combined with its ideal location for the shipment of goods has been a draw for a variety of businesses, particularly those in the transportation equipment sector.”
According to Manufacturers’ News, transportation equipment has continued gains, with employment climbing 8.7% over the year. Transportation equipment ranks first in the state for industrial employment, employing 47,881.
Several automakers and related suppliers announced expansions over the year, including GM, which plans to expand its Nashville plant; aluminum supplier Alcoa Inc., which expanded its plant in Alcoa; Bridgestone Tire, which recently announced plans to expand its tire facility in Warren County; and Hankook Tire, which will establish a new manufacturing facility in Clarksville. Volkswagen increased production at its Chattanooga plant; Nissan will add jobs at its Nashville plant; ARC Automotive plans to expand in Knoxville; and Akebono Brake Corporation announced plans to add jobs in Clarksville.
Other industrial sectors reporting gains included rubber/plastics, up 7.6%; paper products, up 7.1%; primary metals, up 5.7%; stone/clay/glass, up 4.9%; furniture/fixtures, up 2.1%; and lumber/wood, up 1.9%. Losses were reported in electronic products; down 3.9%; industrial machinery and equipment, also down 3.9%; textiles/apparel, down 3.1%; fabricated metals, down 2.3%; and printing/publishing, down 1.6%.
Industrial locations announcing closures included Brunswick Corp.’s Sea Ray Boats plant in Knoxville; MI Windows and Doors in Smyrna; a Georgia Pacific location in Chattanooga; and Bunge Oils, also in Chattanooga.
According to Manufacturers’ News, Tennessee’s Southeast region accounts for the largest share of its industrial employment with 113,859 manufacturing jobs, up 1.4% from a year ago. Northeast Tennessee ranks second at 112,769 jobs, up a half percent over the year. Southwest Tennessee is home to 82,742 industrial jobs, up 1.5%, while the Northwest is home to 76,488 jobs, up one percent.
Memphis remains the state’s top city for manufacturing employment, home to 36,438 jobs, down 2.5% over the year. Second-ranked Nashville accounts for 27,018 jobs, down 2%. Chattanooga is home to 22,792 industrial jobs, down 2.9%, while jobs in Knoxville rose 1.7%, with the city currently home to 15,293 industrial workers. Kingsport accounts for 14,902 industrial jobs, down 1.1% over the past twelve months.
Detailed profiles of Tennessee’s 6,990 manufacturing companies and 1,214 distributors can be found in the 2014 Tennessee Manufacturers Register® available in print for $122, 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, 27,319 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, and the industrial search engine IndustryNet.com. 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
