Manufacturing and Logistics ReportPrepared by the Center for Business and Economic Research

Ball State University | October 2013

Purpose

• To create an annual economic and workforce-centric report on the manufacturing and logistics industries.

• To show each state’s performance among its peers in several areas of the economy that underlie the success of manufacturing and logistics.

• Prepare annual reports and develop interactive website (http://conexus.cberdata.org) to identify the strengths and weaknesses of a state as relevant to the manufacturing industry and track state performance since 2009.

Background

• Project initiated in February 2008• Conexus Indiana, the client, was a fledgling initiative designed to

advance the manufacturing and transportation/logistics industries and the workforce within Indiana.

• Based on the findings in the first few years, Conexus Indiana evolved its project needs to emphasize the importance of technologically educated human capital, especially as the industries adapt to a highly competitive and increasingly high-tech global market.

Methodology

• Developed a unique scoring system that assigned grades to categories or “subjects” very similar to a school report card.

• Data sets were collected for each state (for the June 2012 report, we evaluated data for 46 factors that contributed to 9 categories).

Categories and Variables

• Manufacturing Industry Health– Share of total income earned by

manufacturing employees, wage premium, share of manufacturing employment per-capita

• Logistics Industry Health– Share of logistics industry income, logistics

employment per-capita, commodity flows data by rail and road, infrastructure spending

• Human Capital– Educational attainment at high school and

collegiate level, first-year retention rates of adults in community and technical colleges, number of associates degrees awarded, share of adults enrolled in adult basic education

• Worker Benefit Costs– Healthcare premiums, long-term healthcare

costs, workers’ compensation costs per worker, fringe benefits

• Tax Climate– Corporate taxes, income taxes, sales

and use taxes, property taxes, unemployment insurance tax

• Expected Fiscal Liability Gap– Unfunded liability, average benefits,

bond rankings• Global Reach

– Export growth, foreign direct investment measures of amount of manufacturing income received annually from foreign-owned firms

• Sector Diversification– Herfindahl-Hirschman Index

• Productivity and Innovation– Manufacturing productivity growth,

Industry R&D expenditures, number of patents

Grades

• The states were ranked for each category factor. The scores were then totaled and averaged for each category.

• Once ranked by value, the top 5 states received a grade of A. The bottom 5 states received a grade of F, with the middle states earning grades ranging from B+ to D-.

Screenshots

Web Statistics

The 2013 scorecard was released on June 12, 2013 Note: A technical glitch makes statistics unavailable for the 2012 release

2013 Statistics (mid-June through mid-July, 4 weeks following release)

• 1,239 total visits to website• 1,046 unique visitors• 3,368 total pages viewed• 16.5% return rate

– 16.5% users of the site actively sought out the tool and returned to use it several times

Highlights• CBER organized the project, collected and analyzed data sets,

developed the display of the reports and website, adapted the project to the custom needs of Conexus Indiana (the client), presented the findings at an annual event with sponsorship from a statewide news journal, and considered feedback when reviewing the project and planning for the next year.

• The project has grown to serve as an awareness tool for economic development initiatives across the nation.

• Understanding what the manufacturing and logistics industries need to thrive is essential to economic developers, policymakers, elected officials, and the businesses of tomorrow.

CBER/Ball State University

• CBER’s vision is to clearly communicate timely and relevant analysis of important economic issues to federal, state, and local policymakers.

• Mission:– Conduct relevant and timely public policy research. – Enhance the premier role Ball State University has in

performing policy research in Indiana. – Partner with Building Better Communities and key

university faculty members.