California Manufacturing Outpaces the Nation
California’s manufacturing companies reported that production, new orders and employment grew in the third quarter of this year over the previous quarter.
In a survey by Chapman University, conducted by the A. Gary Anderson Center for Economic Research in Orange, Calif., the California index increased from 61.6 in the second quarter to 64.6 in the third quarter. This, however, is lower than the 66.9 registered in the first quarter of this year.
“It was a very good quarter for California,” said Raymond Sfeir, the economics professor in charge of the survey. “Luckily, commodity prices moderated a little bit, which is a plus.”
All three manufacturing groups—hightech, durable goods and nondurable goods— did well. High-tech industries, which account for 25.6 percent of the state’s manufacturing employment, showed the strongest growth. This category includes computers, electronics and aerospace.
Purchasing managers noted that new orders were up for categories such as apparel, chemicals, plastics and rubber products, wood products, and computer and electronic products.
Meanwhile, the national index for the third quarter declined for the third time in a row to 59.8. It had been 62.1 in the second quarter and 62.5 in the first quarter. —Deborah Belgum
