The Heart of Making Things: JobsOhio Celebrates National Manufacturing Month in Ohio

America makes things. It’s in our DNA. Rough hands, sharp minds, and broad shoulders have fired the furnace of American ingenuity for decades, forging a way of life that inspires pride in our heritage of hard work.

Prosperity and innovation are built on the manufacturing sector in the U.S., and perhaps nowhere in the world is that more boldly illustrated than right here in Ohio. It’s a way of life that spans across the Buckeye State’s big cities and small towns. We can feel it in the blast furnaces of steel mills and the assembly lines of automotive manufacturers.

As we celebrate Manufacturing Month, we honor the legacy of making things right here in Ohio as we continue to look to the horizon. We invest in what has made us successful in innovating for the next generation of manufacturing.

Hundreds of companies, domestic and from outside the U.S., have realized and benefitted from the advantages of Ohio’s powerhouse manufacturing ecosystem. Now, hundreds more find a home here in their quest to push the boundaries of manufacturing – electric vehicles, solar panels, advanced materials, and other new horizons in the journey of making things.

At JobsOhio, we realize the importance of the history and the future of manufacturing as powerful cogs in the wheels of a robust U.S. economy. That’s why we work tirelessly to attract, retain, and support manufacturers in our state. JobsOhio partners with forward-looking companies to create and sustain the long-term growth of their business. We’re obsessed with their success and quickly and comprehensively develop support agreements to help ensure their prosperity.

As the largest of JobsOhio’s defined economic sectors, manufacturing employs more than 600,000 Ohioans, making it the third-largest workforce in the country. We’re number one in glass and rubber parts and number two in Automotive production.

Why do so many companies find success and sustained growth? It’s because of the supportive environment that industry and regulators have built together.

• Ohio is one of the country’s most business-friendly states.
  • Ohio ranks #6 in Site Selection's 2022 Top State Business Climate Rankings. That marks the 20th consecutive year that Ohio ranks among the top 10 states in this annual ranking.
• Resources for manufacturing operations
  • Ohio has plentiful water supplies (ranked #1 by Area Development), low-cost natural gas, and a deregulated electricity market means competitive rates.
• Talent
  • Ohio has the third-largest country’s manufacturing workforce in the U.S., while more than 80 colleges and universities are putting out more than 21,000 engineering and science graduates.
  • The Ohio Manufacturing Association, JobsOhio, and state agency stakeholders are coordinating STEM initiatives across the state to deliver the manufacturing talent to support today's needs and tomorrow's demands.
• Location & Sites
  • Ohio is a well-established base for companies moving goods around the globe and is easily accessible to much of the U.S. and Canada; it’s just a one-day drive from 60% of the two countries’ populations.
  • Ohio’s integrated transportation infrastructure —recognized as one of the best in the U.S.—enables Ohio companies to reach customers and suppliers quickly and cost-effectively in-state and outside of Ohio.
  • Ohio ranks #1 in Site Selection Magazine's 2023 Global Groundwork Index, a measure of strength in economic development, corporate facilities projects, and infrastructure investment.
• Innovation
  • JobsOhio, local and regional economic development organizations, state leaders, industry, and academia are accelerating innovation via a network of strategically located Innovation Districts. This strategy stimulates discovery and new technologies to boost Ohio’s competitiveness.
  • Ohio is the epicenter of Additive Manufacturing (3D printing) in the U.S. and is home to America Makes, the USA Manufacturing Innovation Institute for Additive Manufacturing.
  • Ohio is a Charter member of the USA Manufacturing Innovation Institute for Advanced Composites and is engaged with other institutes, including LIFT, Assure, and NextFlex.
  • First Solar is building a new one-of-its-kind R&D innovation center in Perrysburg. It is expected to accelerate its ability to innovate and maintain American Leadership in thin film solar panels.
  • More than $13 billion is spent annually for R&D in science and technology, making us a leader in patent generation.
• Market Access
  • Proximity to a robust supply chain
  • Ohio’s $116 billion in manufacturing output is the fourth-largest manufacturing GSP in the nation.
  • Ohio is the #2 auto manufacturer, the #1 supplier state to Airbus and Boeing, and home to 50+ Fortune 1000 companies, including Eaton, Parker Hannifin, Lincoln Electric, and GE Aerospace.

As we celebrate the tradition of manufacturing across the country, we must continue to keep a close eye on the next generation of the industry to ensure our place atop the competitive landscape.

As megaprojects such as Intel’s semiconductor manufacturing facilities and Honda and LG Energy Solutions EV battery plant take root in Ohio, we must continue to invest in bringing new companies with leading-edge technologies to our state. Building on the success of the past as the compass points toward the future is the best way Ohio can celebrate Manufacturing Month in 2023.