US Manufacturing Sector
Industry Profile Report
Dive Deep into the industry with a 25+ page industry report (pdf format) including the following chapters
Industry Overview Current Conditions, Industry Structure, How Firms Operate, Industry Trends, Credit Underwriting & Risks, and Industry Forecast.
Call Preparation Call Prep Questions, Industry Terms, and Weblinks.
Financial Insights Working Capital, Capital Financing, Business Valuation, and Financial Benchmarks.
Industry Profile Excerpts
Industry Overview
The 286,493 manufacturing establishments in the US produce goods for direct consumption and use in manufacturing other products. Manufacturing operations use machinery, computer systems, and workers to form, modify, assemble, test, and package goods. Major customers include other manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers, retailers, exporters, and end-consumers.
Competition From China
US manufacturers compete for market share domestically and internationally with producers in other nations – most notably China.
Environmental Regulation Tightens
Manufacturers are required to meet environmental regulations to protect air, water, and soil.
Industry size & Structure
The manufacturing sector is comprised of about 286,493 establishments that employ 12.9 million workers and generate $7.1 trillion in annual revenue, according to government sources.
- The manufacturing sector represents 10.3% of US Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employs 8.3% of the nation's workers.
- The sector is fragmented, with the 20 largest manufacturing firms representing just 18% of revenue
- In addition to employer establishments, the manufacturing sector has 354,200 owner-operated establishments with no employees. Subsectors with the highest numbers of nonemployer establishments are food (14.3%); fabricated metal (11.3%); printing (7.9%); apparel (7.4%); and wood products (7.2%). The owners of nonemployer firms typically perform the work and may outsource support functions like marketing and accounting.
- The manufacturing sector added about 14,350 establishments in 2022, which equals about 5% of existing establishments, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- The manufacturing sector is forecast to shrink its employment base by 0.3% overall in 2021-2031, which is much lower than the national average growth of 5.3% for all jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Transportation equipment manufacturing is the largest manufacturing industry in the nation and 16 states, while food manufacturing leads in 19 states and the District of Columbia.
Industry Forecast
US Manufacturing Sector Industry Growth
Recent Developments
Oct 20, 2024 - Hiring Flat Amid Sector Contraction
- Employment by manufacturing companies was flat in August compared to a year ago, while average industry wages rose over the same period to $27.89 per hour, down slightly from their peak high in July, according to the latest US Bureau of Labor Statistics data. In September, the Institute for Supply Management’s Manufacturing PMI remained in contraction territory, registering 47.2%, unchanged from August. Of 18 manufacturing industries tracked by the Manufacturing PMI, only five reported growth in September, while the rest reported contraction. Looking ahead, sales for the US manufacturing industry are forecast to grow at a 2.9% compounded annual rate from 2024 to 2028, slower than the growth of the overall economy, according to the latest data from the Interindustry Economic Research Fund.
- Declining orders and production at US factories and recovery in the labor market is leaving less work for robots, The Wall Street Journal reported in October. According to the Association for Advancing Automation, orders for factory robots in North America plunged by nearly one-third in 2023 from 2022’s record volume and orders continued to slide during the first six months of this year. The pandemic-induced surge in demand for robots – driven by a shortage of factory labor and rising production as the economy reopened – has fallen steeply as manufacturers cut back on purchases of automation equipment, manufacturing executives told WSJ. The slowdown in electric vehicles production amid soft sales has also cooled demand for robots. US industrial production and manufacturing output declined in September, according to the Federal Reserve, while capacity utilization at US factories stood at 77.5%, compared with August's 77.8%.
- As rising temperatures make it more difficult to cool factory floors, companies are turning to new technologies to protect workers, The Wall Street Journal reports. According to the nonprofit Public Citizen, over 13 million US workers are exposed to extreme heat. To protect employees from heat stress and dehydration and keep them on the job, some companies are adopting mobile apps, wearable devices, apparel made with cooling fabrics, and machines that distribute cool air indoors more effectively, according to WSJ. Beyond traditional air conditions that cool and dehumidify the air, GE Appliances has installed high-tech air handlers at several plants. The new air handlers, manufactured by Trane Technologies and deployed in several locations on the factory floor, distribute the air more evenly and powerfully. Hiring and retention “dramatically improved” after the air handlers were installed, says GE Appliances’ VP of supply chain Bill Good.
- The post-pandemic boom in manufacturing that kept US factories humming is losing momentum, The Wall Street Journal reported in July. Falling sales and orders and swelling inventories are causing manufacturers to lay off workers and trim production. Among those US manufacturers scaling back due to slumping demand, WSJ cited farm machinery giant Deere & Co., which has laid off about 2,100 production workers since November, or 15% of its hourly workforce, as unsold farm machinery piles up on dealer lots. Higher interest rates and operating costs, as well as a strengthening US dollar and lower selling prices for commodities (which reduce farmers’ purchasing power), are dampening activity at factories across the US. Makers of durable goods such as cars, crop-harvesting combines, and washing machines are projecting challenging business conditions for the remainder of the year, WSJ reports.
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