Much attention over the last several years has focused on the decreasing number of manufacturing jobs in the United States. While there has been an overall decline, the advanced manufacturing sector in Northern Kentucky has seen growth, partially as a result of the efforts of Northern Kentucky Tri-ED and its partners in the education, government and business communities. The region is creating the right conditions for growth which, in addition to our centralized location, includes a productive workforce, low cost of living, affordable and reliable power suppliers, and available land and facilities that make Northern Kentucky a prime destination for manufacturing operations.
Northern Kentucky is home to over 500 manufacturers in diverse sectors such as aerospace, machine tool, automotive, plastics and the food industry. These sectors employ more than 18,000 people, which contributes to the growth and stability of our area. Givaudan Flavors, HK Systems, Johnson Controls, LSI, Lafarge, MAG Cincinnati, Mazak, Messier-Bugatti USA, OYSTAR Jones, Parkway Products, Ticona, Schwan Global, Wagstaff, and WILD Flavors are just a few of the advanced manufacturers in Northern Kentucky. Additionally, Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing North America offices are located here.
In order to better serve our existing industry base, Tri-ED’s Business Retention and Expansion effort has implemented many innovative programs in partnership with the University of Kentucky Center for Manufacturing, Northern Kentucky University’s Office for Regional Stewardship, and Gateway Community and Technical College’s training areas related to manufacturing.
UK’s Center for Manufacturing provides expertise, research and guidance through their staff engineers who assist existing companies. The Center has worldwide recognition for their expertise in lean principles. Northern Kentucky University and Tri-ED’s BR&E program represent a deep collaboration among regional economic development and university resources to identify impediments to existing companies’ growth and provide resources to those businesses. Initiated in August 2008, this project provides data at the individual company level as well as metrics for the region-wide portfolio of existing companies with national benchmarks.
Gateway Community and Technical College offers workforce training, assessment and continuing education in a variety of programs. Their Center for Advanced Manufacturing Competitiveness, scheduled to open in early 2010, will house state-of-the-art classrooms designed to prepare students for highly-skilled jobs. The cooperation among these partners, as well as many other agencies in Northern Kentucky, contributed to a 7.4% manufacturing job increase over the last five years, while many regions of the country have seen steep declines.
Interested in exploring more about Northern Kentucky’s advanced manufacturing sector? Contact Bob Green at [email protected].
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