Following several years of losses, industrial employment in Michigan increased by 1.6% over the past twelve months, according to the 2012 Michigan Manufacturers Directory.
Michigan gained 10,252 industrial jobs between February 2011 and February 2012.
The state is home to 14,286 manufacturers employing 638,336 workers.
Highlights of the year include the expansion of GM's casting plant in Saginaw, as well as the planned expansion of Panasonic Automotive Systems. Auto-supplier Hirotec America opened two plants while Plasan Carbon Composites opened a new plant as well. Teijin Advanced Composites' expanded its facility while Hearthside Food Solutions expanded its breakfast bar plant . Benteler Aluminum plans an expansion of its extrusion facility and Meijer will expand the dairy plant it acquired from Bareman's.
Transportation equipment manufacturing remains the state's largest industrial sector by employment with 125,746 jobs, up 1.7% over the year. Industrial machinery and equipment ranks second with 118,418 jobs, up 1.7%. Third-ranked fabricated metals accounts for 77,547 jobs, down 1.2% over the survey period.
Sectors that gained jobs over the year included electronics, up 9.1%; chemicals/allied products, up 7%; instruments/related products, up 5.3%; stone/clay/glass, up 3.5%; furniture/fixtures, up 2.2%; rubber/plastics, up 1.9%, and textiles/apparel, up 1.7%. Losses were seen in printing/publishing, down 4.8%; lumber/wood, down 2.7%; and paper products, down 1.2%.
Industrial locations closing down included Bosch-Rethrox Corp.'s plant as well as Medtec Ambulance Corp.'s manufacturing facility. Durcon Inc.'s also closed a facility.
Southeast Michigan accounts for the most industrial employment in the state with 370,192 jobs, up 1.8% in 2011. Southwest Michigan accounts for 199,919 jobs, up 2.9%, while Northwest Michigan accounts for 32,300, up a half percent. The Northeast region is home to 20,683 industrial workers, virtually unchanged over the year, while employment also remained steady in the Upper Peninsula, with the region home to 15,242 manufacturing jobs.
Grand Rapids remains the state's top city by industrial employment with 39,410 manufacturing jobs, with no significant change reported. Detroit accounts for 32,031 industrial jobs, down 2% over the year. Jobs increased by 12.9% in Auburn Hills, with the third-ranked city home to 23,024 industrial workers, while Warren accounts for 15,763 of the state's jobs, down 1%. Fifth-ranked Holland accounts for 14,679 jobs, up 1.5% over the survey period.
