IndustryWeek Top 500 Manufacturing Lists

Each year, IndustryWeek magazine publishes its Top IW 500 Manufacturing companies, industries and states lists. IndustryWeek’s company list is a ranking of the largest public manufacturers based on revenue. The IW 500 state list looks at the U.S. states with the most revenue from IW500 companies. In addition, IndustryWeek reveals the industries and companies that drive manufacturing in each state.

California surged ahead of Texas, 64 companies to 55. By revenue, the biggest manufacturers in California together contributed $881 billion to the state’s coffers, while the biggest in Texas contributed $847 billion. Last year, the two states were tied with 61 IW U.S. 500 companies each last year.

Once again big oil, computer/electronics, and chemicals industries finish far ahead of the other industries, with 62, 57 and 52 companies making the IW U.S. 500 list. Machinery finished fourth, with 39 companies, and food industries, fifth, with 27 companies.

As for companies, ExxonMobil topped the IW 500 with revenue of $268.86 billion. Apple came in a distant second.

Read More

Manufacturing Industry Trends

Industry Week magazine recently published an article about the trends that will shape manufacturing in the future. In 5 Manufacturing Trends that will Shape the Market in 2015, author Michael Kotelec identified greater automation and  investment driven to accelerate production cycles, advanced technology, and changing labor demographics as key drivers in the manufacturing industry.
Kotelec specifically identified these following trends:

• ‘SMAC Stack’ adoption to gain speed.
• Social media to further impact business model innovation.
• Internet of Things (IoT) will increase automation and job opportunities.
• Greater capital investment.
• The emergence of “Next-Shoring.

These are a few of the trends that will shape the industry in 2015.

Read More