Though it has dealt with a string of difficult years, the U.S. manufacturing industry is looking up.
The percentage of manufacturers who had a positive view of their company’s outlook grew in the second quarter off 2016 to reach 61.7 percent, according to data from the National Association of Manufacturers, BizTimes reported. It was the first increase in five quarters.
In addition, the survey also revealed a 1.6 percent increase in the amount of expected sales for the next year.
A recent article by Forbes noted that manufacturing has the largest multiplier effect on the economy of any sector, with one dollar of final demand for manufacturing translating into $1.33 in output from other sectors of the economy. In comparison, one dollar of retail trade demand produces $0.66 in output.
Forbes also outlined several cities where the manufacturing is seeing success. It found that the top city for the industry is Grand Rapids, Michigan, which had 5.4 percent growth in manufacturing jobs last year. Rounding out the list was Elkhart, Indiana, Louisville, Kentucky, Warren, Michigan, and Detroit, Michigan.
