Much more to manufacturing than

Boeing

Puget Sound Business Journal - by Steve Wilhelm

Date: Thursday, April 7, 2011, 2:13pm PDT

• Steve Wilhelm

• Staff Writer

• Email:

 

Manufacturing in Washington state is much stronger than many people realize, partly because the state has become a key equipment builder for resource development around

the Pacific Rim.

That’s the take of

Council of Seattle. Some of his analysis is reflected in a piece called

Numbers,”

  

Gering’s piece looks at the period from 1994 to 2008, a long snapshot intended to yield a

broader view of the trends here, apart from the recent recession.

For instance, while many people think that nearly all manufacturing in the region is Boeing

-related, Gering points to numbers from the state Department of Revenue that indicate

Boeing and suppliers have made up less than a quarter of manufacturing here.

In 2008, Boeing and aerospace accounted for about $29 million of the $132 billion in

revenue here.

“A lot of the rest of the manufacturing world in our city and region is driven by resources

and commodities, and those tend to be really high value, and they tend to consume tons

of industrial equipment and supplies,” he said. “Think agriculture, seafood, construction,

mining, timber, oil and natural gas development; We sit in the absolute epicenter of that

activity, geographically.”

Dave Gering, executive director of the Manufacturing Industrial“Manufacturing by thejust published by the council.

swilhelm@bizjournals.com