EVANSTON, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE )--Manufacturers’ News, Inc.-- For a second straight year, industrial employment in South Carolina posted a gain reports the 2014 South Carolina Manufacturers Register®, an industrial directory and database published by Manufacturers’ News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. According to data collected by Manufacturers’ News, South Carolina gained 1,967 manufacturing jobs from September 2012 to September 2013, or about one percent, a smaller increase than the 2.3% gain reported in last year’s survey, but slightly ahead of the national average increase as reported by the Labor Department.

Manufacturers’ News reports South Carolina is now home to 4,794 manufacturers employing 263,696 workers.

“Once a struggling textiles state, South Carolina has experienced something of a manufacturing renaissance,” says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. “The state’s favorable business conditions and educated workforce combined with its ideal location for the shipment of goods has been a draw for a variety of businesses, particularly those in the transportation equipment sector.”

According to Manufacturers’ News, transportation equipment has continued gains, with employment climbing 4.2% over the year. Transportation equipment ranks second in the state for industrial employment, employing 32,813.

Several automakers and related suppliers announced expansions over the year, including BMW, which announced plans to expand capacity at its plant in Spartanburg; ZF Transmissions, which opened a new plant in Laurens County; The Crown Group, which recently established an auto parts plant in Greenville County; BorgWarner, which expanded its Seneca plant; and Germany-based Coroplast Tape Corp., which plans to establish its first U.S. factory in York County. Other bright spots include Boeing’s plans to expand and ramp up hiring at its North Charleston plant; the planned expansion of Fitesa’s textiles plant in Simpsonville; and Ithaca Gun Company’s plans to build a new factory in Aynor.

Industrial machinery and equipment remains the state’s leading sector by manufacturing employment, accounting for 34,582 jobs, down a half percent over the year, reports MNI.

Sectors reporting industrial gains included furniture/fixtures, up 12.9%; chemicals, up 4.9%; food products, up 1.5%; and rubber/plastics, up 1.4%. Losses were reported in instruments/related products; down 9.6%; lumber/wood, down 2.1%; paper products, down 1%; and electronics, also down 1%.

Industrial locations announcing closures included Pexco’s extruded sheet products plant in West Columbia; Covidien’s medical device facility in Seneca; and a Mohawk Industries location in Calhoun Falls.

According to Manufacturers’ News, South Carolina’s Northwest region accounts for the largest share of industrial employment with 167,427 manufacturing jobs, up about one percent from a year ago. The Northeast region ranks second at 44,708 manufacturing jobs, up 1.5% over the year. The Southeast region of the state is home to 32,043 industrial jobs, with no significant change reported, while the Southwest is home to 19,518 jobs, virtually unchanged from a year ago.

Greenville remains the state’s top city for manufacturing employment, home to 23,792 jobs, down a half percent over the year. Second-ranked Spartanburg accounts for 14,866 jobs, up 1.4%. North Charleston is home to 11,822 industrial jobs, up 1.7%, while jobs in Greer rose 1%, with the city currently home to 11,285 industrial workers. Anderson accounts for 9,027 industrial jobs, up a half percent over the past twelve months.

Detailed profiles of South Carolina’s 4,794 manufacturing companies and 879 distributors can be found in the 2014 South Carolina Manufacturers Register® available in print for $111, or available online through MNI’s industrial database subscription service EZSelect.com. Users may generate custom profiles of manufacturers using a variety of criteria, including region, SIC, sales volume, number of employees, and more. Each business profile provides up to 30 facts, including vital contact information, 19,068 executives by name and title, product(s) manufactured, and more.

Manufacturers’ News, Inc. is the nation’s oldest and largest publisher of state industrial directories and manufacturers databases, and the industrial search engine IndustryNet.com. For 101 years the company has identified, researched and profiled manufacturing companies. MNI employs an 85-person editorial staff to scour business registrations, trade journals, financial reports, and many other sources to pinpoint every manufacturing establishment in the U.S. Each manufacturer is contacted throughout the year to update their profiles, including their employee counts. For more information, contact Manufacturers’ News, Inc., 1633 Central St., Evanston, IL, 60201, 847-864-7000, http://www.manufacturersnews.com

Manufacturers’ News, Inc. Jennifer Ratcliff, (847) 864-9440 ext. 241 jratcliff@manufacturersnews.com

Industrial database and directory publisher Manufacturers' News, Inc. reports South Carolina gained nearly 2,000 manufacturing jobs over past year.

Manufacturers’ News, Inc. Jennifer Ratcliff, (847) 864-9440 ext. 241 jratcliff@manufacturersnews.com