Sept. 26 – Oct. 2 is Michigan Manufacturing Week, culminating Friday, Oct. 1, in National Manufacturing Day. Manufacturing Week highlights Michigan’s continued leadership in manufacturing and tradition of resilience, innovation, and ingenuity.
A proclamation issued by Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Sept. 27 recognizes Michigan’s more than 11,000 unique manufacturing firms, which account for 626,000 jobs and $98.64 billion of total output annually.
“Michigan is home to hundreds of thousands of hardworking people who are dedicated to making our state home to countless innovative products we rely on every day,” Governor Whitmer said. “Our storied manufacturing industry plays a critical role in the MI New Economy plan that’s focused on supporting small businesses, creating better-paying jobs, and investing in our communities. This Manufacturing Week, we celebrate the manufacturing workers, the union men, and women, and the innovative companies who made invaluable contributions making Michigan the place that put the world on wheels, served as the arsenal of democracy, and built the middle class.”
Michigan has been the heart and soul of manufacturing in the United States for decades. The state has diverse manufacturing sectors in automotive, metals, machinery, chemical product, food and beverage, computer and electronics, natural resources, furniture, and many others.
Michigan has created more than 162,000 new manufacturing jobs in the last 11 years – an increase of 42.8 percent – remaining the national leader in manufacturing job creation and outpacing all other states.
Michigan leads in other areas as well:
- Manufacturing represents one-fifth of Michigan’s gross state product, according to Bureau of Economic Analysis.
- More than 626,000 men and women are directly employed in the manufacturing industry.
Michigan has the nation’s highest concentration of mechanical engineers and ranks #2 in industrial engineers #4 in electrical engineers.
“Now more than ever, Michigan continues to focus on building an economy driven by technology, innovation, and our manufacturing heritage,” said Quentin L. Messer, Jr., CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and Chair of the MSF Board. “And as the national leader in manufacturing job creation, Michigan has more manufacturing talent and know-how than any other state, and manufacturing companies will continue to make investments here that will ensure a championship economy for all Michiganders.”
Industry 4.0
Last year, the MEDC launched a statewide Industry 4.0 initiative to ensure 50 percent of Michigan small- and mid-sized manufacturers – or 6,200 businesses – are prepared to adopt Industry 4.0 technologies at some level by 2025. The initiative continues to build in Michigan’s rich manufacturing heritage and technological know-how to develop the innovative, high-tech products of the future. With the fifth-largest advanced manufacturing workforce in the country and more than 13,000 workers employed in industries related to Industry 4.0 and automation – the most in the nation – this effort also secures continued opportunity and stability for Michigan’s manufacturing workforce for years to come.
Just this week LIFT, the Detroit-based, Department of Defense-supported national manufacturing innovation institute, announced that it has begun developing a Digital Twin Smart Factory Showcase at its Corktown facility in conjunction with the MEDC and Siemens Digital Industries through an Industry 4.0 Regional Programming Grant that is part of the MEDC-led statewide initiative.
Click below to watch a video and learn about how Ann Arbor-based Autaza is utilizing Industry 4.0 technologies to reduce costs and modernize quality control.
National Recognition
Business Facilities magazine recently ranked Michigan as the top state for Automotive Manufacturing Strength in its 17th annual Rankings Report for 2021, a ranking that reinforces the state’s manufacturing expertise. In addition to maintaining its leading position in automotive manufacturing strength, Michigan also held steady in the top 5 states for manufacturing relative to employment (#4) as well as manufacturing output (#4). This national recognition of Michigan’s strength in the manufacturing sector, in spite of the impacts of a global pandemic, demonstrates the advantages Michigan offers as companies look to strengthen supply chains here in the U.S.
And in June, Area Development magazine awarded Michigan a 2021 Manufacturing Gold Shovel award, affirming the momentum and strength of job creation around new and expanded manufacturing facilities in the state. Area Development looked at the 10 top job creation and investment projects initiated in Michigan in 2020 – projects that accounted for 2,619 new good-paying jobs for Michiganders and $441.8 million in private investment, further cementing the state as a national leader in manufacturing and automotive R&D.
To learn more about why manufacturing businesses are choosing to invest and grow Michigan visit www.michiganbusiness.org/industries/advanced-manufacturing/.
For more Michigan economic development news, visit michiganbusiness.org/news.
About Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)
The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is the state’s marketing arm and lead advocate for business development, job awareness, and community development with the focus on growing Michigan’s economy. For more information on the MEDC and our initiatives, visit www.MichiganBusiness.org. For Pure Michigan® tourism information, your trip begins at www.michigan.org
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