WHY ADVANCED MANUFACTURING?
- Portland’s strengths in metals and transportation equipment have built a strong concentration of traded sector companies which sell a high percentage of products outside of the region ,bringing revenues from those sales back to the regional economy.
- Portland’s advanced manufacturing jobs pay on average $55,288, 30% above the metro regional average.
- Advanced manufacturing firms employ 30,900 in this region which represents a considerable percentage of the area’s good-paying jobs.
- Nationally, each $1 worth of manufactured goods creates another $1.43 in other sectors. Oregon ranks 5th in the U.S. by manufacturing’s percentage of the state’s GDP. The manufacturing GDP for the state was $30.2 billion in 2008 – accounting for 18.7% of Oregon’s economy.
| ADVANCED MANUFACTURING CLUSTER SNAPSHOT | |
|---|---|
| Total Regional Employment (2009) | 30,900 |
| Average Annual Wages | $55,288 |
| Employment Growth (2007-09) | -18% |
| Portland Share of Regional Employment (2009) | 23% |
PORTLAND ADVANTAGES
- Cluster businesses have incorporated lean processes that have improved product quality, increased efficiencies, enabled faster turn-around times and have led to re-shoring of previously off-shored products.
- An impressive number of Portland companies are recognized by industry peers for being in the top 1-10% of their industry. This solid reputation drives national and international sales of products and parts produced by Portland advanced manufacturing companies.
- Portland companies have developed strong reputations and niches in the manufacture of flatbed railcars (Gunderson), streetcars (Oregon Iron Works), industrial trucks and tractors (Daimler), mining equipment (ESCO), aircraft parts (PCC Structurals), and shipbuilding and repair (Vigor).
TOP PDC INITIATIVES
| What is PDC doing? | Why and How? |
|---|---|
| Harbor ReDI brownfield reclamation | Advanced manufacturing in this region requires available industrial land to flourish. The PDC is working closely with city, Port of Portland, county, METRO, state and private partners to get unoccupied and underutilized industrial land back into productive operational use. |
| Enhance the regional manufacturing supply chain | Enhancing the regional supply chain creates jobs, increases local wealth and reduces the impact of national economic downturns. We are using the Northwest Connectory buyer-supplier database to stimulate the regional supply chain on two fronts: 1. To build local industry knowledge of regional suppliers of products, parts and components. 2. To help large firms and government agencies such as wind power firms and the Department of Defense identify and purchase from suppliers in our region. |
| Expand lean manufacturing and eliminate waste | Businesses that have received lean consultations from PDC’s lean consultants, the Oregon Manufacturing Extension Partnership (OMEP), have experienced a 40%-60% increase in efficiencies. These efficiency improvements have led to increased profits, increased employment, reduction in facility requirements, tenant improvement investments into facility expansion, investments in machinery and equipment, and increased employment. PDC provides up to 50% of the cost for lean consultations for advanced manufacturing firms in Portland, contingent upon budget availability. |
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