Announcing Pennsylvania’s Manufacturing Competitiveness Playbook

The manufacturing sector is fundamental to Pennsylvania’s economic success, can compete more effectively, and offers a growing number of good-paying jobs, but the sector needs the commonwealth’s help. That’s the findings from a new report released by the Pennsylvania Manufacturing Advisory Council, a nonpartisan partnership of manufacturers and public support organizations, supported by Team Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania’s Manufacturing Competitiveness Playbook identifies three game changers for Pennsylvanian manufacturing and offers ten actionable strategies to help make Pennsylvania’s manufacturing economy more robust and resilient.

Manufacturing contributes $113 billion to Pennsylvania’s GDP and employing some 563,000 Pennsylvanians. Pennsylvania’s Manufacturing Competitiveness Playbook includes recommendations developed by a group of 25 manufacturing and public leaders with the help of recommendations and insights offered by more than 500 manufacturers from across the Commonwealth.

“Over the course of the past year, the Council conducted industry roundtables, one-on-one interviews and surveys to learn directly from manufacturers what statewide policy, programmatic or procedural changes would most immediately and dramatically enhance their ability to compete, win and grow in today’s economy, and the Council’s report reflects that knowledge and insight,” said Eric Joseph Esoda, President and CEO of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center and Council Co-Chair.

The Playbook recommends three game changers for improving Pennsylvania manufacturing’s
competitive position:

• Recapture Pennsylvania’s manufacturing competitive advantage by aggressively pursuing manufacturing growth sectors to drive prosperity.
• Invest in the factory of the future to boost the performance of small and medium-sized companies, improve the quality of manufacturing jobs, and provide better career options for more of Pennsylvania’s citizens.
• Unleash the power of advanced manufacturing to drive regional prosperity through policies and services that are more responsive to the needs of manufacturers.

“It’s vital that we do more for manufacturing because it represents one of Pennsylvania’s largest sectors, pays better than most others and offers good benefits,” said Dan Fogarty, COO of the Berks County Workforce Development Board and Council Co-Chair. “The Playbook is a great first step toward coming together around how we can be there for the sector and for communities across the Commonwealth that both support and benefit from our great industrial employers,” he added.

The Playbook builds on Pennsylvania’s historic strengths in manufacturing and captures a vision for Pennsylvania’s future as a global leader in advanced manufacturing.

The full report can be downloaded at the Manufacturing Advisory Council’s website.