Surely, there were many factors involved, but Harley-Davidson’s decision to remain the face of manufacturing in York County sent a major signal: Pennsylvania still matters on the manufacturing front.
While the recession cost the sector significant jobs here and nationwide, there are a number of success stories, both small and large, that give even the most skeptical observer enough hope to believe Pennsylvania can regain much of its manufacturing might.
Elsewhere in Central PA, there are new players, like startup smart-materials technology manufacturer Piezo Resonance Innovations of Bellefonte. International Battery bolstered the Lehigh Valley when the Allentown company’s large-format lithium battery factory, the first of its kind in the U.S., applied for major Department of Energy funding to operate at maximum capacity. In Northeast PA, a focus on sustainability drove Dickson City-based Commonwealth Energy Group toward a new production facility that will manufacture energy efficient light fixtures and create 240 jobs.
Statewide, organizations are helping prop up PA’s manufacturing base. The Mercer County Career Center is campaigning at school districts throughout the region to develop students’ skills to meet the industry’s needs, and the Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center continues to educate young people and assist manuacturers throughout Southeastern PA.
When Armstrong World Industries, the Juniata building supplies powerhouse that only emerged from bankruptcy last year, announced in October it would expand its cabinet manufacturing division and add 125 jobs within three years, it sent another clear message: Pennsylvania is equipped to rebound from most any pitfall.
Source: Keystone Edge
Writer: Joe Petrucci