The 5th Annual Manufacturing and Logistics Report Card has been released this week by Conexus Indiana and the Ball State Center for Business and Economic Research.  For the second consecutive year, Indiana received a grade of A in 4 of the 9 categories that were looked at.  Only Texas had as many A grades.

Indiana continued to rank high, not only in the Midwest Region, but also nationally, as it was ranked as the most manufacturing-intensive economy in the nation.  The state ranks first among states in manufacturing employment per capita, 9th in logistics employment, and 10th in freight shipments by tonnage.  This combined to give Indiana an A in both manufacturing and logistics.

Indiana also received an A in Global Position, ranking 10th in manufacturing exports per capita, and first in income derived from foreign manufacturing investment.  The other area that received a grade of A was for its favorable tax climate.

The study also noted these Quick Facts about Indiana:

      Manufacturing workers earn about 50% more than non-manufacturing workers with the same level of education

      Indiana exports manufactured goods to every continent except Anartica.

      Indiana has consistently improved its grades in logistics, benefit costs, diversification, and productivity/innovation.

      Indiana has received straight grades of A in manufacturing, tax climate, and global reach for 5 consecutive years.

The unemployment rate for Starke County as of May, 2012 has fallen to 9.6%, the lowest it has been in the County since November of 2008, when it was 9.0%.  In addition,the rate has fallen from 11.7% in January of this year down to its current level, including four straight months when it has gone down from the previous month.

The rate for the State of Indiana has fallen to 7.9%, while the national rate is at 8.2%.  Neighboring states range from 7.3% in Ohio up to 8.6% in Illinois.

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has updated their construction progress report on two projects that are currently ongoing in Starke County.  The Koontz Lake Dam project is now listed as 93% complete, with State Road 23 scheduled for opening no later than June 27.  That project has been ongoing for several months and included reconstruction of the dam and road at that location.  The contract for this work was let on January 12, 2011 in the amount of $4,646,759.

The second project is the reconstruction of the bridge on US 35 over the Yellow River on the north side of Knox.  That project is now about 43% complete, and plans are to pour the bridge deck within the next couple of weeks.  This project was let on March 7, 2012 in the amount of $803,101.

The Port of Indiana - Burns Harbor handled its first shipment of wind components in May and has seen major increases in several steel products as well as industrial and agricultural cargoes.  This has resulted in a 6% increase in 2012 shipments through the first five months of the year.  Significant increases in early shipments of fertilizer, corn and soybeans amount to 10 times greater shipments than at the same time last year.

The Port has reported that they have seen new outbound shipments of slag material for Phoenix Services, one of three companies opening new facilities at the Port in 2012.  The Port of Indiana - Burns Harbor is located about 45 miles from Starke County, Indiana.

The entire St. Lawrence Seaway reported that year-to-date total cargo shipments for the period of March 22 through May 31 were up 3.7% over the same period in 2011.

The US Department of Labor this morning released its May jobs report.  While analysts expected to see 150,000 jobs created, only 69,000 new jobs were added for the month.  Private sector jobs added amounted to 82,000, while public sector employment continued to fall by another 13,000 jobs for the month.

The US unemployment rate rose for the month from 8.1% up to 8.2%.  Approximately 12.7 million Americans are still unemployed, and of that number, 42.8% have been unemployed for 6 months or more.