Recent data finds the U.S. manufacturing sector continues to make progress in its slow climb back from pandemic lows. Manufacturing activity, including new orders and production, is firmly in expansion territory, though hiring has been lagging behind other key metrics in recent months.



Read more: The Big Picture Look at U.S. Manufacturing Business Conditions (Sept. 2020)



We�ve been reporting on new plant announcements and expansions through most of 2020 and September was a strong month, with some major announcements made in transportation, PPE, food products and the burgeoning cannabis industry.

Due to fears about the transmissivity of COVID-19, remote interaction has become the method of choice for everything from schools to manufacturing.



Controlling and operating complex design, construction and assembly of various products with limited human interaction has forced an industry-wide reset.



Here are some of the things that manufacturers discovered in their move to embrace automation at scale.

Using email as a method of prospecting to industrial companies can be challenging. Over 75% of prospecting emails are ignored or deleted without being read. This type of treatment can be avoided simply by attempting to establish a real relationship with your prospect. Here's how.

Industrial machinery and equipment is a popular industry for many users of IndustrySelect's live database of 500,000 industrial companies. Currently, there are 45,876 industrial machinery and equipment manufacturers listed in IndustrySelect's database.



But which U.S. states account for the most industrial machinery manufacturers? Today, we're going to take a closer look at the industry and list the top 15 states for industrial machinery manufacturing.

MNI is pleased to announce the launch of the North American Cannabis Industry Business Database, the most comprehensive compilation of businesses in the fast-growing and lucrative cannabis industry of its kind.



Profiling 11,000 businesses and 13,000 decision-makers, the Cannabis Industry Business Database is the result of more than twelve months of firsthand research by MNI�s 80-person data research team.

In order to integrate IndustrySelect with the most commonly used CRMs among our userbase, we recently turned to our thousands of customers in industrial sales, marketing, and business development to find out what CRM they used to manage interactions with their industrial clients. The results of the survey were very revealing, and we thought we would share these results with you today.

COVID-19 has caused a number of cutbacks across the manufacturing industry. One area that is experiencing exponential growth is the medical and pharmaceutical supply industry. For staffing agencies currently looking for opportunities, this is a sector that offers them en masse.



The number of companies involved in medical and pharmaceutical supply is relatively high compared to many other sectors. Based on data provided by MNI, there are nearly 1,500 medical supply companies across the United States and over 14,500 chemical supply companies. The latter are companies that produce chemicals that may be used for pharmaceuticals or other purposes. Together, these sectors provide almost 170,000 jobs at present. However, this number is growing as the industry catches up with demand created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

New data released by the Bureau of Labor statistics shows the U.S. added 1.4 million jobs in August and the unemployment rate fell to 8.4%. This is roughly in line with 1.8 million jobs added in July.



The U.S. manufacturing sector added jobs in August as well, but hiring was far softer than in other sectors.

COVID-19 has thrown a wrench into the plans of companies nationwide, with the most unfortunate having to shutter operations and others having to drastically change their planned course. Gallup polls indicate that manufacturing and production jobs have decreased by up to 15%, with at least 32% of workers experiencing reduced hours.



This has rippled into the staffing industry as many segments of manufacturing now have a far lower demand for employees. As a result, industrial staffing is slated to drop by 22% in 2020.



Despite these dismal figures, North America represents the fastest-growing region globally for staffing and recruitment.

Recent data finds the U.S. industrial sector continues to show signs of life, with new orders, employment and production all showing steady improvement following the historic lows recorded at the height of the pandemic.



Furthering this cautious optimism, new plant announcements and expansions have accompanied the recovery, making headlines throughout the month of August.

Time-tested companies are restructuring, new entities are emerging to capitalize on new opportunities and others are either downsizing or folding altogether.



Companies need to pay close attention to what others in their field are doing in order to stay ahead in this complex game.

Springs are elastic objects that can store or release mechanical energy. They are used in countless devices to assist with motion control.



The spring manufacturing industry is comprised of 413 companies, almost half of which (40%) are located in the Midwest.



The South, West and Northeast host 22%, 18% and 20% respectively. A full 50% of all spring manufacturers distribute domestically.

New data released by the Bureau of Labor statistics shows the U.S. added 1.8 million jobs in July, while the unemployment rate fell to 10.2% from June�s 11.1%.



The U.S. manufacturing sector added jobs but at a far slower rate than in previous months. The Department of Labor reports the sector added 26,000 positions in July, a far cry from the staggering 356,000 jobs it added in June (or the 225,000 gained in May).

"Where can I find more like you?"



We've all said it, whether in reference to a star employee or reliable vendor. And most of us have said this about our customers. Where do we generate more B2B leads that possess the same set of needs for our products and services as do our best customers? We know they are out there, but how do we find them?



It is (and literally can be) the million-dollar question.

Now that the U.S. manufacturing sector is beginning to emerge from the long shutdown period brought on by the pandemic, the headlines are filled with better news for the sector, including a sharp rebound in manufacturing activity and increased hiring.



New plant announcements and news of expansion have accompanied the recovery and have dominated manufacturing headlines in July. In fact, from the looks of all the new manufacturing plant openings and expansions announced this month, you'd think July was the new January. Some new and expanded operations are focused on high-demand pandemic-related items such as PPE or pharmaceuticals, while others run the gambit from electric vehicles; flooring; lumber; plastic injection molding; snack foods and aviation.



This post will explore the many new plants and expansions announced in July on a state-by-state basis. Encompassing 20 states, these are the major new or expanded manufacturing operations announced in July.

You might have a strong sales pitch, a quality product and a competitive price, but sales might elude you until you find the right audience for your message.



Identifying new opportunities for growth is often a matter of figuring out who needs the products or services you're selling.



Read on to learn how.

The forestry and lumber industry is a key element of the U.S. rural economy. In fact, the paper and pulp sector is predicted to reach nearly $680 billion by 2027.



Additionally, the National Association of State Foresters is currently seeking an additional $500 million in the form of a COVID-19 stimulus package to support the forest products supply chain, forest management and job creation in this industry.

The HVAC industry is poised to become a $367.5 billion market by 2030. Although this sector is currently feeling the effects of COVID-19, there is a promising future for refrigeration and heating equipment manufacturers.



Marketing your products and services to these manufacturers is a viable strategy, but it's important to understand the unique opportunities and challenges linked to COVID-19.

If you are searching for a resilient industry to market to, look no further than refrigeration and heating equipment.



Properly storing food and maintaining safe and comfortable temperatures inside buildings are the main responsibilities of this sector.



By creating custom microclimates, it is possible to provide livable structures anywhere in the world. This has had substantial effects on population distribution, health and urban development. The same technology has also drastically reduced food spoilage and associated waste. Because of these factors, this industry is relatively insulated against even the biggest global upheavals.

Despite the overwhelming majority of manufacturing companies being privately held, it does not mean that they are not part of a corporate family. For our purposes, family does not refer to ownership by people who are related to each other. We are referring to parent companies that acquire and retain smaller businesses, usually in a related field.



Understanding company hierarchy can give you an advantage in generating sales in the manufacturing sector.

New data released by the Bureau of Labor statistics shows the U.S. added 4.8 million jobs in June 2020, nearly double the number added in May. The unemployment rate fell to 11.1% after spiking to a record high of 14.70% in April.



The U.S. manufacturing sector recovered another 356,000 jobs in June, adding to the 225,000 industrial positions the sector gained in May.



Another Labor Department report out this week found there are hundreds of thousands of new job openings in manufacturing.

Knowing the latest information on a manufacturing company can help make introductions a seamless affair.



As a salesperson, you should be educated on your prospects and able to speak comfortably about any current events that may affect their operations.



The more you know about their business, the more confidence they will have in your ability to help them reach more customers.

The cleaning chemical industry is one of the sectors that is actually doing well despite the COVID-19-induced recession. In fact, according to an analysis of search trends on the industrial marketplace IndustryNet, chemicals were the second most searched category during the month of May.



Of these, cleaning chemicals were by far the most popular. This comes as no surprise, as businesses look to adopt sterilizing protocols and safer work environments during the economic reopening.

COVID-19 has created an unprecedented situation for manufacturers, and many have seen their priorities shift as they engaged their crisis response plans over the past few months.



These plans might include changes in leadership, so a different person may be making purchase decisions - especially if you're offering a product or service that supports a manufacturers crisis response.



Your research process should explore how COVID-19 impacts leads, how priorities might be changing, whether or not new competitors have emerged and what kind of emergency response plans the manufacturer is likely to adopt.



These are the challenges executives are currently facing, so understanding their situation is crucial in order to empathize with and sell to them effectively.

Understanding the current state of the agriculture equipment industry, particularly in the United States, can be challenging.



That's especially true in this period of trade turmoil and in the wake of coronavirus.



Here, we provide an overview of the international and national agriculture equipment industry so you can navigate the market with confidence.

2020 started out strong for U.S. manufacturing, with a number of new plants announced at the start of the year, and the ISM's manufacturing activity index rocketing back into expansion territory.



Then the coronavirus hit, shaking up the supply chain and hitting pause for all but the most essential operations.



The manufacturing sector shed hundreds of thousands of jobs at the height of the pandemic and industrial production hit lows not seen since the Great Depression.



Now, at 2020's halfway mark, there are new signs of life in the sector, with factories recovering 225,000 jobs in May.



The ISM's manufacturing activity index eased off historic lows, contracting at a slower rate, and we've even seen signs of domestic sourcing as manufacturers look to secure supply chains closer to home.



This post will cover some of the U.S. manufacturing expansions and new plant announcements for June 2020.

The reopening of the domestic economy has unleashed a backlog of delayed infrastructure, industrial and special projects.



Crucial to these projects are various liquids, gases and bulk goods. Everything from fuel to paint to water is required.



These substances must be stored someplace prior to use. Perhaps this is why industrial storage tanks has become one of the most-searched industrial categories on the industrial marketplace IndustryNet.

As the coronavirus infection rates begin to fall in many regions of the United States, multiple states are forming plans to reopen their economies and restarting their manufacturing sectors. For those who do business with U.S. manufacturing companies, this represents both a source of confusion and opportunity. This article provides a running list of some major manufacturing states that have opened or are planning to reopen their industrial sectors.

Manufacturers are going through significant changes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. While some struggle to stay in businesses, others are shifting production to focus on essential products.



Proper research is more important now more than ever before when reaching out to prospects. Executive contacts might change as manufacturers restructure existing processes, and you need to understand how the current situation is affecting a prospect to identify relevant pain points and explain how your products or services can help.

New data released today by the Bureau of Labor statistics shows the U.S. recovered an astounding 2.5 million jobs, after shedding an equally astounding 20.5 million jobs at the height of the COVID-19 fallout in April.



The unemployment rate fell to 13.3% after spiking to a record high of 14.70% in April.



Manufacturing, which was among the hardest-hit sectors, losing 1.3 million jobs in April, recovered 225,000 jobs or about 17.3% of jobs lost in April. This hopeful trend is expected to continue, as more states begin to fully reopen their economies.



Though manufacturing job gains were seen across most sectors, some industries fared better than others. This article will take a closer look at the report's manufacturing job numbers, providing details on gains and losses in specific manufacturing sub-sectors.