Target Industry Development

Metals/Transportation Equipment

PDC focuses retention, expansion and recruitment efforts in the metals industry, a key component in the overall manufacturing health of the region.

• Metals Manufacturing Fact Sheet

Metals & The Local Economy

The metals sector includes businesses that produce raw metal, shape it, make it into parts, or manufacture machinery that is composed mostly of metal parts. In Portland metals manufacturing includes steel mills, foundries, aluminum metal extruders, makers of architectural metal parts, industrial machinery manufacturer, pump manufacturers, and makers of construction and mining machinery.

The City of Portland ranks 16th nationally in terms of the number of jobs in metals-related manufacturing.

Portland metals companies provide family wage jobs for nearly 27,000 workers, and they contribute $4.2 billion in sales to the local economy on an annual basis. Portland’s metals industry overall has invested billions of dollars in capital equipment; local firms provide nearly $7 million in annual revenue to the City. Metals companies are one of the most sustainable industries in the region, recycling more material than any other sector in the Portland metropolitan area.

An added advantage for the growth of metals manufacturing in the Portland region is the presence of a number of local industry leaders, such as:

• PCC Structurals – 2,000 employees
• Blount – 950 employees
• ESCO – 800 employees
• Oregon Steel – 750 employees
• Cascade General – 500 employees
• Leatherman Tool – 400 employees
• Columbia Steel – 400 employees
• Cascade Corp – 350 employees
• Stanley Hydraulic Tools – 300 employees

Helping the industry thrive

PDC is involved in several specific initiatives that are targeted to the growth and strength of the metals manufacturing industry, including:

• Work with the Oregon Metals Initiative, a cooperative effort with Portland State University (PSU) to strengthen the Mechanical Engineering program at PSU and make the Portland region one of the leaders in the research and development of new and better alloys and metals.
• Contribute to industry alliances such as the Oregon Precision Metal Fabricators Association and the Oregon Metals Industry Council to provide financial or technical assistance to companies in order to ensure their long term viability in the community.
• Participate in the Metals Industry Consortium, a collaboration of over 20 local employers, public education (both high school and post-secondary), state and municipal economic development and workforce development professionals. The mission of the Metals Industry Consortium is to strengthen the competitiveness of local metals and transportation equipment manufacturers by increasing the sector's ability to create and sustain solid job opportunities.
• Work with partners to develop the Northwest Center for Manufacturing and Infrastructure Engineering. This proposed Center will provide a one-stop location for training, hiring, education, applied research and development, and business support services for the manufacturing and infrastructure clusters in the Portland area.

PDC Business Team Contact

Kevin Johnson at 503-823-1176 or by email

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