No one is saying manufacturers have had it easy, but an advocacy group in Cleveland maintains that companies in its region have found the ability to face all the adversity of the past few years and still stand strong.
"COVID turned our world upside down. We faced unprecedented shutdowns, lockdowns and furloughs. Unemployment hit its highest level since the Great Depression," wrote Ethan Karp, CEO of MAGNET, an Ohio agency supporting manufacturers near Cleveland.
"But instead of hunkering down, thousands of manufacturers stepped up to pivot production and make millions of pieces of protective equipment — saving lives, saving jobs and helping the country reopen," he continued.
When supply chains buckled and inflation hit, manufacturers adjusted and adapted, according to Magnet's 2023 Manufacturing Survey.
The group said its members created 10,000 new jobs in the past two years and 70 percent of firms near Cleveland expect growth in 2024, according to Dan Shingler at our sister paper Crain's Cleveland Business.
While that all may sound good, though, Carp noted the survey showed Ohio manufacturers need to do some work to keep up with future competition. Only 28 percent of those surveyed said they use Industry 4.0 technologies.