Giving manufacturers respect
For too long, our manufacturing community has suffered – like Rodney Dangerfield – from not enough respect. Sure, manufacturing jobs are down from many years ago as a percent of the local and national economy. Yet, while the negative story of the offshoring of jobs across the U.S. over the last couple decades has grabbed most of the headlines, quietly, and with great skill and tenacity, our manufacturers have thrived. They've become leaner, nimbler, more focused and hotbeds of innovation. No place is this trend more evident than in the manufacturing community of Central Massachusetts, where the growth in economic output since 2010 has outpaced the nation average – 20 percent growth in gross domestic product vs. 18 percent nationally.
This WBJ edition represents our second annual Focus on Manufacturing, along with our Manufacturing Excellence Awards. The profiled companies represent some amazing stories of success: growth, investment and innovation are happening all over the place – but few people in the community know it. Why are our manufacturing success stories so underappreciated? In large part, because the industry is not located on Main Street or in the mall; most are not big on social media; and they're not buying billboards or in most cases, making everyday products you recognize and use.
While not all manufacturers are growing – many are, like Worcester medical device maker Cogmedix, where sales by were up by 60 percent in 2016. And that growth is creating expansions for many firms as well. F&M Tool and Plastics of Leominster, a plastic storage container maker is renovating a 227,000-square-foot manufacturing plant down the street from its headquarters, and Oyo Sportstoys of Marlborough invested $8 million in expanding its headquarters to increase capacity and employment. MTD Micro Molding of Charlton is planning an expansion; and the merger of West Brookfield's Quabaug Corp. with its new parent, Vibram USA, over a year ago has spurned new investment of its state-of-the-art facilities. These expansions are good for the company, the local construction industry, the towns who grow their tax base, and to the community with an increase in good-paying jobs.
There is a reason area firms are expanding – and it's not because we're a low-cost production state. Our region's manufacturing firms are hotbeds of innovation, in many cases expanding well beyond their original product lines into new markets, and focusing on advanced, innovative solutions for specialized industry niches. Worcester's Kinefac Corp has been able to drive its growth in the highly competitive machine manufacturing space by staying ahead of the innovation curve. Precision components manufacturer Lampin Corp. of Uxbridge, an employee-owned firm, has figured out new ways to partner with area schools and communities that has kept the pipeline of talented young workers flowing, and feeding the company's growth. Seaman Paper has not only distinguished itself with its creativity and innovation in decorative tissues but doubled down on its sustainable practices to become a model of efficiency and green practices.
Every company's got a story, but we think the stories in this issue are particularly compelling, and represent a critical, if not always well publicised, sector of our regional economy.
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