Delaware's Industrial Employment Declines 8.6% According To Manufacturers Directory

Contact: Jennifer Ratcliff
Manufacturers’ News, Inc.
(847) 864-9440 ext. 241
jratcliff [at] manufacturersnews.com



EVANSTON, Ill, August 10, 2009 /Manufacturers’ News, Inc./-- Industrial employment in Delaware fell 8.6% over the past twelve months according to the 2010 Delaware Manufacturers Register, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers’ News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. MNI reports Delaware lost 4,090 industrial jobs and 31 manufacturers between May 2008 and May 2009, the sharpest decline MNI has ever reported in the thirteen years it has been tracking the state’s industry.

Manufacturers’ News reports Delaware is now home to 824 manufacturers employing 43,359 workers.

“As with the entire nation, the recession continues to affect Delaware’s industrial employment, with the auto industry and sectors related to the housing market taking the biggest hit,” says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company.

The transportation equipment sector saw one of the worst drops in employment over the year, down 44% following the closure of Chrysler’s Newark assembly plant and GM’s assembly plant in Wilmington. Lumber and wood saw a 26% drop.

MNI reports Delaware’s top industrial sector remains chemicals manufacturing, accounting for 12,300 of the state’s jobs, down 2.4% over the year. Second-ranked food products accounts for 9,061 jobs, with no significant change reported, while printing/publishing represents 2,463 of the state’s manufacturing jobs, down 9.8%.

Losses were seen in most of Delaware’s industrial sectors and included paper products, down 54%; textiles/apparel down 30%; stone/clay/glass down 17%; furniture/fixtures down 6.4%; primary metals down 4.5%; primary metals down 4.5%; fabricated metals down 3.5% and rubber/plastics down 1.3%.

Bright spots for the state include the expansion of petrochemical company LyondellBasell Industries, and the expansion of a Kraft Foods plant in Dover that resulted in 40 new jobs.

MNI’s city data shows Wilmington is the state’s top city for manufacturing employment, home to 13,761 jobs, down 2.7% over the year. Second-ranked Newark accounts for 5,865 jobs, with employment down 19% over the past twelve months. New Castle is home to 3,549 industrial jobs, down 11% over the year. Georgetown accounts for 2,748 jobs, down 3.6%, while Milford is home to 2,402, down 2%, with no change reported.

Detailed profiles of Delaware’s 824 manufacturers and 193 industrial distributors can be found in the 2010 Delaware Manufacturers Register, available in print for $67 and on CD-ROM from $81. Each profile provides up to 30 facts, including vital contact information (phone, web, e-mail), 3,123 executives by name and title, product(s) manufactured, annual sales, number of employees, and more. Visitors to mnileads.com may generate custom profiles of manufacturers using thirteen different criteria, including area or zip code, county, SIC, sales volume, number of employees, and more.

Manufacturers’ News, Inc., publisher of manufacturers’ directories since 1912, compiles and produces manufacturing guides, statistics and databases for all 50 states. MNI also maintains IndustryNet.com, an industrial search engine designed specifically for locating manufacturers and suppliers nationwide. For more information, contact Manufacturers’ News, Inc., 1633 Central St., Evanston, IL, 60201, 847-864-7000, FAX 847-332-1100.