By Claude Solnik
Long Island Business News, March 18, 2016
... Until recently, talk about manufacturing on Long Island often focused on paradise lost and the past. ... Yet lately, “Made in the U.S.A.” is starting to make strides... While aviation subcontractors still dot the landscape, generic drug makers are going strong along with firms making everything from windows to surgical masks. ...
Jon Cooper, president of Westbury-based Spectronics, which makes products using ultraviolet light, said the region’s skilled workforce has helped his firm grow.
“It’s great knowing that when we expand, we can find fellow Long Islanders to fill the jobs,” he added.
Manufacturing has a multiplier effect, leading to jobs for other industries.
“Attorneys, accountants, architects and consultants are employed because of manufacturing,” Cooper added. ...
Long Island manufacturers often are investing heavily in research and development, a boon to the local economy. ...
Spectronics, whose slogan is “Innovating for today: Imagining for tomorrow,” has been hiring mechanical, electrical and chemical engineers.
“We tripled the size of our R&D team,” Cooper said of the firm, which spends more than $1 million annually on research and development. “We were able to find each employee right here on Long Island.” ...
Wages and worth
... A $15 minimum wage would impact many manufacturers.
“I think it will boost the economy,” Cooper said. “I think companies invest in their workforce; then you have a more productive, more motivated workforce.”
Cooper sees benefits to the local economy from a higher minimum wage, taking workers off public assistance.
“They’re basically being subsidized,” he said. ...
It may be too early to tell whether manufacturing has turned the corner. But one thing about manufacturing remains as alluring as ever: the thrill in making something tangible.
“It’s exciting, producing products you can touch and feel that make people’s lives better,” Cooper said. “Employees take pride in that.”
Adina Genn contributed to this story.
Copyright 2016 Long Island Business News