Manufacturing
Description OES Code:00013
Most of us depend on others to make the things we use and the food we buy at the store. We look to manufacturers to produce the material goods we need to live. At every step of the production process, there are jobs in manufacturing. There are machines for making other machines, and someone has to design them. Then those machines have to be operated and supplied with materials. The goods produced by these machines have to be finished—sometimes by hand. Then comes packaging, marketing, and delivering. Much of the work in manufacturing is repetitive. In fact, that’s how profits are made. A manufacturing process is developed that can turn out the same item over and over, meeting specific standards.

Categories Within This Industry
Chemicals are an essential component of manufacturing, vital to industries such as construction, motor vehicles, paper, electronics, transportation, agriculture, and pharmaceuticals. Although some chemical manufacturers produce and sell consumer products such as soap, bleach, and cosmetics, most chemical products are used as intermediate products for other goods. Chemical manufacturing is divided into eight segments, seven of which are covered here: Plastics materials and synthetics; cleaning preparations; organic chemicals; inorganic chemicals; miscellaneous chemicals; paints and allied products; and agricultural chemicals; drug manufacturing.

The range of apparel and other textile products is as broad as their uses—suits, rainwear, fur coats, purses, and curtains are just a few examples. Workers in the apparel industry transform fabrics produced by textile manufacturers into these finished goods and many others that fill the Nation’s retail stores. By cutting and sewing fabrics or other materials, such as leather, rubberized fabrics, plastics, and furs, workers in this industry help to keep us warm, dry, and in style.

The printing and publishing industry produces items ranging from newspapers, magazines, and books to brochures, labels, newsletters, postcards, memo pads, business order forms, checks, maps, and even T-shirts. This industry includes a number of segments. Commercial printing establishments, which print newspaper inserts, catalogs, pamphlets, and advertisements, make up the largest segment of the industry, accounting for 36 percent of employment and 50 percent of total establishments. Newspapers are the next largest sector, with 29 percent of industry employment. The greeting card segment is the smallest, accounting for only 2 percent of employment and less than 1 percent of total establishments.

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Categories Within This Industry (Cont'd)
The electronic equipment manufacturing industry produces computers, television sets, and audio equipment, as well as a wide range of goods used for both commercial and military purposes. In addition, many electronics products or components are incorporated into other industries’ products, such as cars, toys, watches, appliances, and a variety of electronic gadgets.

Products manufactured in this industry include computers and computer storage devices, such as disk drives, and computer peripheral equipment, such as printers and scanners; calculating and accounting machines, such as automated teller machines (ATMs); communications equipment, such as telephone switching equipment and cellular telephones and pagers; consumer electronics.

The motor vehicle is an intricate series of systems, subsystems, and components assembled into a final product. Each manufactured part or component is integrated into the vehicle—none is developed to exist separately. Vehicles are constantly changing as new technology or reengineered components are incorporated, and as new and updated models are designed to keep abreast of the constantly changing tastes of buyers. Like their products, motor vehicle and equipment manufacturers are complex organizations that constantly evolve to maximize their efficiency and maintain a continuing stream of commercially viable products in a highly competitive market.