Manufacturing Matters

Manufacturing matters to our state, to our country and to the world. Manufacturing continues to be the leading contributor to North Carolina’s $398 billion Gross Domestic Product (GDP), at 18.2% in 2009, or over $72 billion. The next highest contributor to the state’s GDP is real estate, rental and leasing: $41 billion, or just over 10%. In addition, manufacturing employs 15.1% of the total workforce, providing above-average wage jobs to more than 500,000 individuals.

North Carolina has been the most productive manufacturing state in the Southeast for over a decade. After years of ranking between 7th and 5th in the nation in manufacturing output, in 2006 North Carolina took over 4th place from Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. This strong manufacturing performance is a key reason that North Carolina ranked 10th for its total contribution to the US GDP: $398 billion in 2009.

Manufacturing Matters to North Carolina because:

Last Updated: September 2, 2011

Manufacturing Extension Partnership

IES brings research and expertise from North Carolina State University’s College of Engineering to the workplace, to help businesses and organizations thrive. We will work anywhere, with any industry, to solve problems and deliver results like lower costs, better products, and higher efficiencies. We succeed when our clients succeed. Since 2000, IES has helped create almost $2 billion in economic value to the state of North Carolina; clients working with IES generally receive a $25:1 return on their investment.

IES is part of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), a nationwide program that is part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). With a network of MEP centers in every state and Puerto Rico, the program's purpose is to provide small and medium-sized manufacturers with the tools they need to succeed. In an independent survey conducted quarterly by MEP, manufacturing clients reported that IES services have been worth more than $1.06 billion from 2006 - 2010 in jobs saved or created, productivity gains, increased sales and increased investment opportunities.

If you have any suggestions, corrections, or need any assistance accessing the information on our site, please contact ies_services@ncsu.edu. Commercial or private sites linked from this page are intended only to supply information. No endorsement of products or firms is intended, nor is criticism implied of those not included.

More Information

2009 MEP Making a Difference Brochure