WASHINGTON—Orders for durable goods in the United States rose in December for an unprecedented fourth consecutive month, indicating manufacturing will keep improving in 2013.
NEW YORK—Most U.S. manufacturing executives anticipate revenue growth in the year ahead, and plans to hire new employees are at the highest level since mid-2006, according to the latest Manufacturing Barometer from PriceWaterhouseCoopers.
EVANSTON, IL—Twenty-eight of the nation’s top fifty industrial cities posted gains in manufacturing jobs last year, according to a new report released by Manufacturers’ News. This was an improvement from 2011, when only 17 cities saw increases.
CAMBRIDGE, ON—The Canadian and Ontario governments are each investing $16.875 million to help Toyota retool its assembly plant here to make hybrid vehicles. Toyota itself is investing more than $100 million to expand production at the facility.
WASHINGTON—Applications for unemployment insurance payments decreased by 5,000 to 330,000 in the week ended Jan. 19, the fewest since the same week in 2008, according to the Labor Department.
SIOUX CITY, IA—Sabre Industries celebrated completion of a $20 million assembly plant here, part of a multiphase expansion that is doubling the company’s workforce in the area. The manufacturer of large electrical and communication transmission equipment expects to add about 200 jobs.
SARASOTA, FL—Florida manufacturers are anticipating a good year in 2013. The state’s exports of manufactured goods have grown 142 percent since 2000, ahead of the national average at 80 percent.