“Manufacturing Matters Illinois” Tour Stops at American Flag Maker Ahead of July 4th
BATAVIA– The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association (IMA) continued its “Manufacturing Matters Illinois” tour on Monday with a stop at FlagSource/J.C. Schultz Enterprises, Inc., which has been busy producing American Flags ahead of the July 4thholiday. The tour includes stops at communities across Illinois this summer to highlight a new study detailing the integral role manufacturing plays in the Illinois economy.
The analysis found the manufacturing industry in Illinois generates $304.8 billion in output each year, which amounts to 12 percent of the Gross State Product – the single largest contribution by any industry. Statewide, manufacturers directly employ 592,200 women and men. These are good paying, middle-class jobs with an average salary of $88,691, providing a total of $52 billion in wages and benefits across Illinois.
“As the state’s largest economic engine, Illinois manufacturers feed the world, make life-saving products, power our jobs and businesses, build our infrastructure, transport people and products around the globe, and provide for our nation’s defense,” said Mark Denzler, president and CEO of the Illinois Manufactures’ Association. “Manufacturing makes the world a better place to live every single day and is integral to the story of Illinois and the United States.”
Manufacturing is particularly important in the suburbs, with DuPage, Kane and Lake counties joining Cook County as the top four locations for manufacturing employment in the state. In DuPage County, manufacturing directly supports more than 56,000 jobs, generating $21.3 billion in economic output. In Kane County, manufacturing directly employs 34,200 people, generating $13.5 billion in economic output which amounts to 16.7 percent of the county’s Gross Domestic Product. Manufacturing employs another 50,700 people in Lake County at an average salary of $146,877. The industry generates $35.7 billion in economic output, contributing to more than 27 percent of Lake County’s Gross Domestic Product.
Cook County is home to the largest concentration of manufacturing jobs, where 192,458 people are directly employed by the industry, generating $87.5 billion in economic output. One manufacturing job in Cook County supports 1.2 other jobs in the county.
“Manufacturing is the solution to many of the challenges facing our state if the right policies are put into place,” Denzler added. “Our elected leaders should choose policies that will build upon our best-in-class workforce and create a pipeline of qualified workers for the future. Let’s create a better Illinois that is the best place to invest, the best place to innovate, and the best place from which to export.”
The analysis was conducted by the Center for Manufacturing Research in partnership with INFORUM, Interindustry Forecasting at the University of Maryland. For more information, including a full copy of the report, please visit https://ima-net.org/2019economicanalysis/
About the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association (IMA)
The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association is the only statewide association dedicated exclusively to advocating, promoting and strengthening the manufacturing sector in Illinois. The IMA is the oldest and largest state manufacturing trade association in the United States, representing nearly 4,000 companies and facilities.
# # #
