The new face of Maryland manufacturing
(October 4, 2018 – ROCKVILLE, Md.) While National Manufacturing Day celebrates modern manufacturing in the United States and its impact on job creation and economic growth, its goal is also to bring inspiration to the next generation of manufacturers.
Maryland’s deep manufacturing history goes back to the early 1800s when Baltimore’s shipyards were a focal point of commerce. Both ironworks manufacturing, which made the parts needed to build ships, and shipbuilding spawned new businesses and created jobs. It also set the stage for Maryland to be a future leader in the manufacturing sector.
Steel, auto parts, spices, apparel and solar panels are just a few of the products that have been critical to Maryland’s economy. According to the National Association of Manufacturers, total output from manufacturing in Maryland reached $20.67 billion in 2016. This translates in 106,800 manufacturing employees in Maryland with an average salary of $84,969.
Today, nearly two-thirds of the state’s 3,900 manufacturing businesses are part of the next generation of this story. They are “advanced manufacturers” that use science and technology to improve manufacturing products and processes. Maryland Chamber member Emergent BioSolutions – a global life sciences company that develops products that address public health threats, is one of them.
Emergent’s growth is directly connected to successfully embracing and investing in its advanced manufacturing capabilities. Since 1998, the company has gone from producing a single product to eight products and grown from a single location to 13 locations, five of which are in Maryland, with more than 1,300 employees. Manufacturing is one of Emergent’s core competencies—both for its own products and as a contract developer and manufacturer that produces 20 commercial products for other companies. Emergent has participated in National Manufacturing Day since its inception in 2012.
“Emergent joins manufacturers around the country in inviting the public to free events throughout October to learn about the importance of manufacturing and to showcase manufacturing careers,” said Sean Kirk, Emergent’s senior vice president for manufacturing operations and CDMO business unit head. “At our Baltimore manufacturing facilities, we open our doors to students for tours, hands-on experiments, poster sessions and panels about career opportunities, as well as networking events with employees. This exposes students to what a career in manufacturing looks like. As a company we believe it is essential for the next generation of workers to consider job opportunities in manufacturing.”
Nationwide participation in National Manufacturing Day has grown by more than 1,000 percent since it started in 2012. It is estimated that its events reach nearly 600,000 people throughout the country, according to the National Association of Manufacturers. Four of Emergent’s seven manufacturing sites —Camden and Bayview in Baltimore, Lansing, Mich., and Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada—celebrate Manufacturing Day. Company employees participate and embrace the opportunity to promote advanced manufacturing by educating the communities where they live and work on the benefits of pursuing this promising career path, which according to the National Association of Manufacturers, include:
- One of the lowest employee turnover rates (2.3 percent) among all private-sector jobs, yielding an average tenure of 9.1 years.
- Require sophisticated technical and problem-solving skills, as many manufacturing jobs are high-skilled, high-tech positions.
- Earnings of nearly $20,000 more than the average employee working in other industries.
Emergent understands the importance of manufacturing. Manufacturing Day is an opportunity to showcase its work, commitment to Maryland, and interact with students and the community about the benefits of the industry. The company will continue to promote the importance of manufacturing for the state on Manufacturing Day and throughout the entire year.
