Manufacturing Day is a celebration of the work being done across the nation to produce the modern-day items essential to our quality of life, but it’s also an opportunity to showcase the developments underway to restore a critical sector that has found business elsewhere for too many years. West Virginia’s essential natural gas and oil resources are playing a key role in bringing manufacturing back to America and our region. Here’s how:

  1. Highly industrial processes, like manufacturing, require an affordable, readily available energy source to avoid disruptions in productivity and keep operating costs low. Natural gas provides the flexibility for electricity to be turned on or off at the flip of a switch, and our abundance of this resource greatly reduces energy costs for businesses.
  2. The byproducts of natural gas and oil, primarily natural gas liquids, are used to produce petrochemicals that are the building blocks for virtually all items we use every day. From cellphones to televisions to tennis shoes, these common products you have become reliant on in your life, are made possible by natural gas and oil.
  3. As the cleanest-burning energy source, using natural gas as a feedstock for power generation on in a wide variety of manufacturing processes significantly reduces our nations and world’s carbon footprint.

What impact does manufacturing have on everyday life?

Manufacturing touches every aspect of our daily lives. Everything we have has been refined in some way, from the clothes on our backs to the cellphones we carry in our pockets. Even further, manufacturing helps drive the economy, supporting over 12.5 million U.S. jobs and making up nearly 12% of our GDP. Manufacturers are also helping provide for other nations, exporting $1.4 trillion in manufactured goods in 2021.

What role does manufacturing play in West Virginia?

As the nation’s 4th largest producer of natural gas, West Virginia is positioned to lead the nation in manufacturing given its abundance of this reliable fuel source and feedstock. In addition to heating and powering homes and businesses, these resources are also used to produce everyday needs – from sports equipment and clothes to medical devices and navigation systems.

Consider, the total output from manufacturing in West Virginia was $8.49 billion in 2021. With over 45,000 West Virginians employed by the industry and these careers coming with average annual wage of $78,330.66, it’s clear to see the impact that manufacturing has on our state.

“Manufacturing and reliable, affordable energy is paramount to our ability to grow and expand in WV,” said Rebecca McPhail of the West Virginia Manufacturers’ Association.

So what’s next?

West Virginia is in a unique position to use its abundant supply of natural gas to assist in transforming our current outsourcing of manufacturing careers into a “Made in America” revitalization. However, policymakers must come together and implement smart business policies that back to development of this critical industry. With the innovation and advanced technology that West Virginia producers provide, by working in tandem with legislators our state could see economic prosperity and job creation by bringing homes careers too often sent overseas.

West Virginia Manufacturing in the news: