Manufacturing accounts for 7.3 percent of North Dakota's Gross State Product. While the rest of the country has experienced a manufacturing retraction since 2000, North Dakota has enjoyed an expansion. Strong market growth, both domestically and internationally, have contributed to a healthy manufacturing economy.
Manufacturing and technology-based businesses in North Dakota face a serious threat from off-shore competition. North Dakota manufacturers are not immune from the pressures of globalization and competition.
Commerce has concluded, through a combination of both a manufacturing survey and personal visits with manufacturing leaders across the state, that future expansion of our manufacturing sector will come not from labor growth, but rather from innovation and productivity gains, as well as a strong focus on developing foreign markets. State policy, both in terms of taxes and finance, should be examined to help stimulate and incentivize growth in this fashion.
IMPACT Dakota is the North Dakota delivery organization of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s nationwide Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) network. Their staff of experts provide specialized business consulting services to North Dakota based manufacturing and processing companies. Impact Dakota conducts detailed needs assessments, outlines potential solutions, and provides technical assistance to solve problems of waste and inefficiencies.
Areas of service include, but are not limited to:
- Performance: Growth & Innovation
- Process Improvement
- Technology
- Leadership & People Development
- Strategic Planning
The North Dakota Trade Office (NDTO) continues to increase its efforts to expand North Dakota’s exports to high demand foreign markets. In fact, in 2018, North Dakota led the nation in export growth, with a 35 percent increase over the previous year. Continued support and funding for the NDTO are essential to continued market growth for our state’s manufacturers, producers and exporters.
Commerce is committed to growing manufacturing. Contact your Advanced Manufacturing Business Development Manager, David Lehman at (701) 328-5378 to learn how we can help with your business development needs.