NEPIRC Announces Benefits and Impacts Reported by Manufacturers

According to data voluntarily provided by 575 small and mid-sized manufacturing firms across Pennsylvania throughout 2023, the statewide Industrial Resource Center (IRC) initiative, the Commonwealth’s flagship program for strengthening the competitiveness and resiliency of smaller industrial firms, generated significant positive results among users of their services. Over the past 12 months, manufacturers that utilized IRC professional services avoided 7,197 layoffs while adding 1,462 full-time workers to their rosters. They also realized $796.8 million in retained sales and secured $256.4 million of new customer orders as results of their IRC advisement and engagements.

In addition to growing their workforces and increasing their top-line revenue numbers, companies that performed consultative projects with their regional IRC reduced their non-personnel operating costs by $187.1 million over the past 12 months, avoided $36 million of unnecessary expenditures, and invested more than $376.8 million in new equipment, facility expansion, advanced technologies and workforce training. 

Pennsylvania’s IRC initiative consists of seven affiliates: DVIRC, Catalyst Connection, the Innovative Manufacturers’ Center (IMC), MANTEC, the Manufacturers’ Resource Center (MRC), NEPIRC and NWIRC.

“Over the past year, more than 1,100 manufacturers called upon their regional IRC to help them grow their business, implement new technologies, overcome strategic challenges and build a more robust and skilled workforce. We’re impressed with the results reported by this sampling of our client base while also acknowledging that the true extent of the IRCs’ impact upon our manufacturing economy are well in excess of those represented here,” said Eric Joseph Esoda, president & CEO of NEPIRC, the IRC that services manufacturers across northeastern, northern and north central Pennsylvania. 

The revenue, cost savings, regional investment and job impacts reported by 575 IRC clients was gathered by an independent market research firm and confirmed by the U.S. Department of Commerce.