James Moran, City of East Providence

Over the years, I have heard many state that manufacturing is dead in Rhode Island; that it is gone, never to return. While many of Rhode Island’s traditional manufacturing industries have indeed dwindled or departed to a variety of places around the world, where labor is cheaper and regulation more lax, there is ample evidence to prove that Rhode Island is more than holding its own in retaining and growing its manufacturing base in our State. A recent study released by the Brookings Institution has indicated that Rhode Island is exhibiting notable success in growing its advanced manufacturing base. The report showed that Rhode Island maintained the highest advanced industries job growth rate in New England, even beating out neighboring Massachusetts. In fact, the only Northeastern state that rated higher than Rhode Island on this account was New York.   The report indicated that from 2013 to 2015 Rhode Island’s rate of growth in advanced industries jobs increased by 285%.

East Providence is a great indicative sample of how advanced manufacturing has played an important role in creating high paying jobs in the state, with a number of local manufacturers investing significantly in our community in recent years. Examples include Aspen Aerogels, a producer of energy-efficient insulation products, who recently spent more than $30 million to expand its East Providence manufacturing plant and increase the facility’s capacity by 25% in order to meet growing customer demand. Eaton Aerospace, a manufacturer of some of the industry’s most advanced products and technologies for the aerospace industry, recently completed a $11.5 million investment in their newly refurbished facility in the Rumford section of our city. The company continues to maintain a strong plan for growth into the foreseeable future. Igus Bearings, Inc., a German based company who specialize in the manufacture of repetitive motion energy chain systems, flexible and harnessed cables, and advanced polymer bearings, recently constructed a brand new 150,000 s/f industrial building that serves as the company’s United States headquarters. The company also is in the process of receiving permits to construct an additional 80,000 s/f of industrial space that is scheduled for construction in 2017. Examples of additional infrastructure investment and job growth from other local high tech companies in East Providence, in combination with the developments highlighted within this article, provide further evidence that the future for advanced manufacturing in the city and the state of Rhode Island is indeed bright. 

Business owners, developers and other parties who are interested in learning more about economic development initiatives in East Providence are urged to contact the city and visit the city’s website at www.eastprovidence.com or the city’s Waterfront District website at www.eastprovidencewaterfront.com.

James Moran is the economic planner for East Providence, R.I.