Plant Start-Ups in Great Lakes Region Decrease 33% for Second Quarter

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The Great Lakes region, despite the troubled times some areas have been experiencing in recent years, is traditionally a region of steady growth annually. The region continues to add new plants to its ranks each quarter despite the plant closures that have occurred across the region. During the second quarter in 2007 some 60 new plants opened their doors in the Great Lakes and while the number is down 33% for the second quarter of 2008, an additional 45 new plants are still expected to begin operation during the coming months, which represents over 5,400 new jobs.

Click on the image at right to see Great Lakes region industrial plants for the second quarter of 2008.

Chief among the industries with plants coming online is the Industrial Manufacturing Industry which not only has the most plants, 14, but also will create the most new jobs at 3,400. The Alternative Fuels Industry, a rising player in the great lakes region, will have an additional 10 plants come online during the quarter but ranks fifth in total new jobs with 279. The Metals & Minerals Industry comes in second in terms of total new jobs during the quarter with 595 followed by the Pharmaceuticals & Biotech industry with 490 new jobs and the Chemicals industry with its 435 new jobs.

An examination of where the new plants and corresponding jobs will land shows that while Wisconsin is the leader in total new jobs at 1,400, it ranks third in total new plants with 7. The states of Illinois and Indiana are tied for first in total new plants with 11 each, while Michigan and Ohio each will add six new plants to the mix and Kentucky brings up the rear with four new plants, but ranks second in total new jobs with 1,300. Indiana holds sole possession of third place in total new jobs with just over 1,000.

Overall the Great Lakes region will have a solid showing in terms of new plants opening their doors during the second quarter. The total number of new jobs coming available is also solid, even though it is slightly lower then the same period a year ago. While the some of the industries within the region are experiencing hard times, especially with the nation sliding into a recession, solid growth is a good sign for the area. With the Alternative Fuels constructing more and more facilities in the corn rich states of the Great Lakes region we can expect the third quarter to show similar new plant and employment numbers as the summer wears on. However, no one is quite sure exactly what affect, if any, a full blown recession will have on the blue collar haven that is the Great Lakes region. The coming months will be very telling in assessing the affects of the recession on the region and its jobs outlook.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is a marketing information service specializing in industrial process, energy and financial related markets with products and services ranging from industry news, analytics, forecasting, plant and project databases, as well as multimedia services.