Indiana’s manufacturers have generally weathered the Coronavirus pandemic better than other industries, even as some plants have been battered by changes in consumer spending amid the public health crisis, according to some business leaders.
Because companies that make up Indiana’s key manufacturing industry are designated as essential businesses, most have remained in operation and haven’t seen nearly as many closures and layoffs as restaurants and hotels.
Some Indiana manufacturing plants scaled back production and furloughed workers, but they remained open even as stay-at-home orders forced other industries to pause their operations, the Indianapolis Business Journal reported.
“Generally, the manufacturing sector is doing well – not all the way back yet, but doing well as compared with other sectors,” said Brian Burton, president and CEO of the Indiana Manufacturers Association.
In 2019, manufacturing was responsible for 26.9 percent of Indiana’s gross domestic product and employed more than 16 percent of the state’s workforce. Those wide-ranging manufacturers have felt varying degrees of impact from the pandemic, based largely on what markets they serve.
Click here to read the full Associated Press story in the Antelope Valley News.
