Industrial Directory Reports Louisiana Manufacturing Jobs Increased Over Past Year
EVANSTON, Ill., June 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Industrial employment in Louisiana increased slightly over the past twelve months according to data collected for the 2012 Louisiana Manufacturers Register®, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers' News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. MNI reports Louisiana gained 533 industrial jobs or less than one percent between April 2011 and April 2012.
Manufacturers' News reports Louisiana is now home to 5,205 manufacturers employing 189,535 workers.
"Following several years of job losses, Louisiana is finally seeing its manufacturing sector improve," says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. "The state's business-friendly environment as well as its stronghold in the oil and gas industry, shipbuilding and chemicals has been a draw for a variety of enterprises."
Bright spots for the state included the opening of Jeld-Wen's new door plant in Winn Parish; the opening of barge manufacturer St. John Enterprises in St. John; Agri Process Innovation's recent establishment of a biodiesel plant, Oswalt Bioenergy, in Lake Providence; and the expansion of Procter and Gamble's plant in Pineville for the production of the company's recently launched Tide Pods. In addition, Honeywell plans an expansion at its Baton Rouge plant; Houston Plating and Coatings plans to build a new facility in Scott; aluminum manufacturer Sapa Extrusions will expand its Delhi factory; and Nalco announced it would establish a polymer production facility at its current location in Garyville.
MNI reports chemical manufacturing employs the most industrial workers in Louisiana, with 24,927 of the state's jobs, down about a half percent over the year. Industrial machinery and equipment ranks second with 23,965 industrial jobs, up 1.9%. Oil and gas extraction ranks as the state's third largest manufacturing sector with 19,218 of the state's industrial jobs, up 1.2% over the past twelve months.
MNI reports other manufacturing sectors that gained jobs over the past twelve months included primary metals, up 8.2%; paper products, up 4%; fabricated metals, up 2.3%; and food products, up 1.9%. Losses were seen in transportation equipment, down 5.9%, due partially to layoffs at Ingalls Shipbuilding. Electronics declined 4.4%; printing/publishing fell 2.7%; and lumber/wood decreased 2.2%, according to MNI.
MNI reports Southeast Louisiana accounts for 96,572 industrial jobs, down 1.1% over the year. Southwest Louisiana accounts for 53,585 manufacturing jobs, up 2.3%. The Northwest region of the state accounts for 28,660 industrial jobs, up 1%, while the Northeast accounts for 10,718, with no significant change reported.
Baton Rouge remains the state's top city by industrial employment, accounting for 15,664 manufacturing jobs, with no significant change reported over the year. Shreveport accounts for 10,032 industrial jobs, down about 1% over the year. Houma accounts for 9,063 industrial jobs, up 3.1%, while New Orleans accounts for 9,005, virtually unchanged over the survey period. Jobs remained steady in Lafayette, with the fifth-ranked city home to 8,983 manufacturing jobs.
Detailed profiles of Louisiana's 5,205 manufacturers and 1,140 distributors can be found in the 2012 Louisiana Manufacturers Register®, available in print for $111, or available online through MNI's subscription-based service at www.ezselect.com. Users may generate custom profiles of manufacturers using a variety of criteria, including area or zip code, county, SIC, sales volume, number of employees, and more. Each profile provides up to 30 facts, including vital contact information (phone, web, e-mail), 75,678 executives by name and title, product(s) manufactured, annual sales, and number of employees. MNI also maintains IndustryNet.com, an industrial search engine designed specifically for locating manufacturers and suppliers nationwide, and has recently launched an expansion and relocation guide for manufacturers.
Manufacturers' News, Inc. is the nation's oldest and largest publisher of state manufacturers directories. For 100 years the company has identified, researched and profiled manufacturing establishments. MNI employs an 85-person editorial staff to scour yellow pages, 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, FAX 847-332-1100. www.manufacturersnews.com. Information is also available on Facebook and Twitter.
SOURCE Manufacturers' News, Inc.
Share this article