MISSOURI'S MANUFACTURING GROWS FOR FIFTH YEAR IN ROW

There's good news and bad news in the 1993 report of the Missouri Manufacturers Register.

The good news is that the state gained 663 new plants during the past year.

The bad news is that Missouri lost 485 manufacturing firms to mergers, movement out of state and closings.

Statewide, Missouri has an all-time high of 8,652 manufacturing establishments. The 1993 total follows a steady increase enjoyed by the industrial community in the state since the debut of the register in 1988.

"Additional good news is that the state realized a gain of 178 plants during the year," said Robert Hendrix, president of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce. "We shared in the gains."

The register shows Cape Girardeau with 90 manufacturing establishments, ranking the city number 11 on a statewide list.

"This is up by three from the 1992 report of 87 manufacturers," said Hendrix. "We feel fortunate; we're doing a lot better than some areas."

Of the state's 10 top industrial cities, three suffered net decreases in numbers of plants.

St. Louis, the state's top industrial city with 2,028 plants, gained 94 but lost 138, for a net decrease of 44. Third-ranked Springfield, with 340 plants, gained 21 during the past year but lost 22, for a decrease of one plant. St. Charles, ranked 10th statewide with 92 plants, gained nine but lost 12, a decrease of three.

Kansas City, the second largest industrial city in the state with 823 plants, gained 65 and lost 56, for an increase of nine plants. Fourth-ranked North Kansas City, with 168 plants, gained 16 and lost two for a net increase of 14. Fenton, fifth on the list, remained the same as a year ago with 145 manufacturing facilities.

Rounding out the top 10 in Missouri: St. Joseph (sixth), with 139 plants, gained 10 and lost seven; Joplin (seventh), with 133, gained nine and lost eight; Independence (eighth), with 120, gained 11 and lost 10; and Maryland Heights (ninth), with 95, gained six and lost one.

"Missouri's manufacturing environment has remained strong despite economic conditions that have plagued business in the Midwest in recent years," said Howard S. Dubin, president of Manufacturers' News Inc., publisher of the annual register. "Hopefully this is a sign of economic improvement for the region."

Hendrix agreed.

"We have had a gain over the past five or six years," said Hendrix. In 1988 Cape Girardeau had 69 manufacturing establishments; now we have 92, an increase of 23."

Figures show that more than 125 manufacturers are in Cape Girardeau County, up from 95 reported in 1988, an increase of 30.

Jackson has shown an increase in manufacturing firms over the past five years from 24 in 1988 to 34 in 1993.

Perryville has also experienced an increase since 1988, from 28 to 34. Poplar Bluff and Sikeston have each experienced growth. Bluff's 1988 totals showed 43 manufacturers. That total a year ago was 49. Sikeston totals increased from 33 in 1988 to 42 in 1992.

Printing and publishing firms comprise the largest industrial group in Missouri, according to the register, with 1,468 such firms statewide, or 16.9 percent of the state's totals.

The next largest industry, with 1,095 companies, is machinery and non-electrical, which accounts for 12.6 percent of all manufacturers in the state.

Metal fabricating totals 840 plants (9.7 percent of the state total), followed by the food industry, with 632 statewide, for 7.3 of Missouri's industrial firms.

Lumber and wood products plants make up the fifth largest manufacturing group in Missouri, with 611 related plants, translating to 7 percent of the total.

Other manufacturing establishments include those involved in stone and concrete, glass, chemicals, rubber and plastic products, machinery and electrical, furniture and fixtures, paper and allied products, leather goods, textiles, petroleum and fuel products.