Portland Economic Development Strategy

Why Advanced Manufacturing?

• Regional manufacturing is diverse and dynamic
• The spectrum of skills within the cluster talent pool is key to the success of other regional clusters.
• The health of this cluster is a key indicator to the health of the regional economy.

ADVANCED MANUFACTURING CLUSTER SNAPSHOT
Total Regional Employment (2006)	72,358
Average Annual Wages	$68,200
Employment Growth (2001-06)	-7.3%
Portland Share of Regional Employment (2006)	23%

What does this cluster contribute to the economy?

• Manufacturing jobs pay 25% above the regional average.
  
  
• Each $1 worth of manufactured goods creates another $1.43 in other sectors.
  
  
• Each of Portland’s target clusters have numerous embedded sectors, many of which possess distinct supply chains. Each of these supply chains have one core commonality – they are all driven by manufacturing. As we grow and enhance supply chains, we grow manufacturing. As we grow manufacturing, we grow living wage jobs.
  
  
• The Portland Metropolitan Region contains the 12th largest cluster of metals manufacturers in the United States.
  
  
• Portland advanced manufacturing companies are traded sector, meaning they sell over 85% of what they produce outside of the region and bring back to the region the revenues from those sales.
  
  
• Manufacturing is the cornerstone of the Portland region’s economy as it is with every leading advanced economy in the world including England, France, Germany, Japan, China, and Korea.

Top PDC Initiatives

What is PDC doing?	Why?
Harbor ReDI brownfield reclamation	Gain industry knowledge and initial cluster mapping by indentifying firms, resources, and leaders in the software cluster. This will help us uncover common themes and better understand the cluster firms interact. We are currently meeting one-on-one with firms, and have completed six meetings.
Enhance the regional manufacturing supply chain	Identify business needs and issues for newly formed and emerging businesses. This will inform an entrepreneurial program to support the Economic Gardening piece of the city’s Economic Development strategy. PDC is working through Nedspace to convene round table discussion.
Expand lean manufacturing and waste elimination	Identify who/what is shaping and driving the software industry and what issues the industry is dealing with. This will lead to a more informed industry definition around which to begin convening. Three roundtable discussions were held in early November.