The Lehigh Valley is a leading manufacturing market in the U.S. and has added manufacturing jobs at three times the national rate, according to recent federal government jobs data. 
Since 2010, the start of the rebound from the Great Recession, employment in manufacturing in the Lehigh Valley has grown by 28.8% compared to 9.6% nationally. This new data compiled by Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation research group will be presented Wednesday (10/1) by LVEDC President & CEO Don Cunningham at the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Lehigh Valley Manufacturing Forum at Delta by Marriott, Breinigsville.
“The Lehigh Valley is a manufacturing success story in America,” Cunningham said. “Not only has the region rebuilt its manufacturing base back to being the largest part of our economy but we’ve outpaced national manufacturing job creation by three times.”
Lehigh Valley is a Top 15% manufacturing market, based on Gross Domestic Product. More than 700 manufacturers collectively produce an output of $9 billion annually, representing 16% of the region’s GDP. Nationally, manufacturing is 12% of GDP.
Cunningham will be a featured speaker at the Manufacturing Forum, which gathers several hundred leaders in manufacturing, business, and government to discuss the region’s manufacturing environment and factors that are influencing it.
When combined with job growth in logistics, the industry of making and moving products in the Lehigh Valley has grown by 70.9% since 2010, also about three times the national rate. Those manufacturers employ 37,197 workers at an average annual wage of $83,583. Combined, the industrial economy of making and moving products is Lehigh Valley’s largest employer, with 73,732 workers.
Success has come from a regional strategy focused on developing employment talent with the right skills, a diversified manufacturing base, quality infrastructure, and a quality of life and place that attracts a growing population.
“We are growing in the Lehigh Valley and in Pennsylvania because we have a long history here and of finding skilled workers, high quality suppliers, training partners, and a business environment that enables us to compete and win in the marketplace,” Rob Albert, CEO of B. Braun of the Americas, Inc., said earlier this month when his company announced a $20 million expansion that will create 200 jobs in Hanover Township, Lehigh County.
The Lehigh Valley’s advantages for manufacturers include a location within a day’s drive of one-third of the U.S., with interstate highways, an international airport with a growing cargo operation, an intermodal center, and proximity to ports in New York and New Jersey.
“Lehigh Valley Industrial Park’s central location and outstanding logistics infrastructure make it an ideal base for manufacturing and distribution as we continue to scale our operations,” said Rick Hoskins, Founder and CEO of Filter King, when the company opened a plant in Bethlehem Township that will create up to 120 jobs to produce HVAC filters.
Eleven colleges and universities graduate more than 10,000 students annually in a wide range of disciplines, and three career and technical schools graduate another 1,000 students annually.
Lehigh Valley’s manufacturing economy is diverse and includes semiconductors and technology; pharmaceuticals and medical supplies; metal fabrication; food and beverages; consumer goods; chemicals; and vehicles, technology, and components for national defense.
Global brands made in the Lehigh Valley include Crayola crayons, Mack trucks, Martin Guitars, and Peeps.
In addition to B. Braun and Filter King, the expansion of the Lehigh Valley’s manufacturing economy has included in recent months:
Kerry Group, a global food and beverage company based in Ireland, opened a plant in Hanover Township, Northampton County, to roast and extract coffee, creating at least 61 jobs.
Kervan USA, a Turkish candy maker, broke ground on a $20 million manufacturing and packaging center in Bethlehem and Lower Nazareth townships that will also serve as the company’s U.S. headquarters. 
Phoenix Tube, which has produced stainless-steel tubing and other metal products in Bethlehem since 1990, completed a 75,000-square-foot expansion.
FLSmidth Cement opened a 122,000-square-foot factory in Allen Township that will employ 60.
Myers Emergency & Power Systems opened a 50,000-square-foot factory in Bethlehem Township to produce backup power sources for commercial buildings.
(Photos by B. Braun, Donna Fisher Photography, Phoenix Tube Co.)