Washington
manufacturers
produce more than
$58 billion
in goods annually.
collective power
The power of connection was evident during AWB’s second-annual Manufacturing
Week bus tour in October when, on the tour’s third morning, the bus stopped at
Hobart Machined Products. The small machine shop in rural King County, founded
in a garage in 1978, has fewer than 10 employees and yet it has produced parts for
every Boeing jet since the 707.
From there, the bus immediately headed north to Everett where it visited the largest
building in the world — Boeing’s 100-acre production plant. Every day, 40,000 workers
pass through the campus — each of them with a connection to manufacturers in every
corner of the state. Manufacturers like Hobart Machined Products.
In all, the bus tour covered more than 2,200 miles over seven days and included stops
at more than 50 shop floors, coinciding with national Manufacturing Day Friday, Oct.
5. Federal, state and local elected officials rode the bus along the way, and the tour
received widespread media attention with coverage in every market it visited.
The tour succeeded in raising the profile of Washington’s manufacturing sector,
encouraging lawmakers to support the industry and inspiring young people to
pursue careers in manufacturing.
7,326
The number of
manufacturers in
Washington state
282,431
The number of
manufacturing
employees
Washington state
pg. 11