BEDFORD — In conjunction with the observation of Manufacturing Day on Oct. 2, Radius Indiana released a quarterly update to its manufacturing location quotient, which compares the concentration of an industry within a specific area to the concentration of that industry nationwide.
Indiana is home to approximately 8,500 manufacturing operations, according to the Indiana Economic Development Corp. More than 21,000 workers are employed in the manufacturing industry in the Radius Region and an average of 231 employees have been added each year in the past three years.
The new data released by Radius shows a continued concentration of manufacturing in the eight-county region. The location quotient saw an increase from 2.72 to 2.75, demonstrating growth in establishments in the manufacturing sector.
To further its support of manufacturing, Radius created the director of manufacturing and workforce services full-time position to work with manufacturers in the region. Chris May was hired this spring, and the position supports the organization’s increased efforts in workforce retention and attraction, which is a key focus of its 2019 strategic plan.
This new position has worked to support several of Radius Indiana’s manufacturing and workforce projects that are underway, including an investment in the establishment of the Catapult manufacturing training facility on the Vincennes University — Jasper Campus and the wage and benefits study.
In 2018, Radius conducted the area’s first wage and benefits survey across several counties in southern Indiana. The survey gathered employer pay and benefits information to help create a very accurate, up-to-date understanding of what the real-world labor market is like in southern Indiana.
A second round of the wage and benefits survey is in the final stages of completion. The survey covers 18,800 employees across the Radius counties.
“Manufacturing is a large part of our region’s culture and it’s important to make sure Radius is doing its part to keep it growing strong,” said Radius President and CEO Jeff Quyle. “Radius will continue to celebrate manufacturing and all that it brings to our region.”
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