Manufacturing

The Opportunity

Pennsylvania has been and must continue to be a national leader in manufacturing. Manufacturing is the Commonwealth’s largest economic sector in terms of contribution to state GDP, comprising 13% of Pennsylvania’s economic output. Manufacturers employed 9.5% of Pennsylvania workers in May 2022, about 562,700 people in total. A strong manufacturing sector is critical to Pennsylvania’s economic growth and essential to the economic success of its residents. Ensuring the continued strength and growth of the sector, including the transition to advanced manufacturing and the increased use of new technologies in production and distribution, requires public policy attention through cross-sector collaboration at the highest levels of Pennsylvania government.

Pennsylvania Manufacturing Competitiveness Cross-Sector Collaborative

In May 2023, Team Pennsylvania launched a Manufacturing Competitiveness Cross-Sector Collaborative to tackle these issues. The Collaborative will build on the work of the Pennsylvania Manufacturing Advisory Council and the Council’s Manufacturing Competitiveness Playbook, which was released in September 2022. One of the Playbook’s ten recommendations is to institutionalize an industry-led, statewide group that provides a unified voice for manufacturing in public policy, advises the Governor and state legislature on the needs of manufacturers, and works in partnership with state agencies to help manufacturing prosper in Pennsylvania. The Manufacturing Competitiveness Collaborative will play this role in the commonwealth.

What is a Cross-Sector Collaborative?
A Cross-Sector Collaborative is an action-oriented partnership that brings together business and government, with support of nonprofit, academic institutions, and organized labor, to realize economic opportunities through collective action. A Collaborative works on topics that are difficult for any sector or organization to address independently; accelerates economic opportunities to position Pennsylvania as a leader in the U.S. and globally; maximizes impact for Pennsylvania; and creates economic opportunity for all Pennsylvanians.

The Collaborative is a:

• Public-Private Partnership: Driven by private sector leaders and champions from state government who share a commitment to strengthening and supporting innovation in Pennsylvania’s manufacturing sector. Nonprofit, labor, academic and regional organizations also play important roles in driving the Collaborative’s action agenda.
• Catalyst & Enabler: The Collaborative drives action around growth and innovation in manufacturing, creating the conditions for investments to be made in Pennsylvania through compelling messaging as well as policy and regulatory frameworks.
• Driver of Sustained Commitment: The Collaborative is designed to mobilize and sustain the long-term, public-private commitment needed to realize the economic and technological opportunities of manufacturing in the Commonwealth.

 
 
Interested in learning more about our manufacturing work or getting involved with our manufacturing initiatives?

Contact manufacturing@teampa.com.