Target Industry Development

Northwest Center for Manufacturing and Infrastructure Engineering

The success of Portland’s manufacturing and infrastructure clusters is vital to maintaining and expanding the number of family-wage jobs in our region. The survival of manufacturing in Oregon depends upon the ability of our companies to compete globally. Workers must be well trained, flexible and adaptable. The products they and their companies produce must be valued for innovation, quality and price in the highly competitive global marketplace for manufactured goods.

In fall 2004, the Portland Development Commission, Regional Economic Development Partners, Oregon Economic and Community Development Department, and Metals Industry Consortium members began a multi-phase study to explore the concept of establishing a Center for Manufacturing and Infrastructure Engineering in order to strengthen the manufacturing sector in the Portland metropolitan area.

The 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. The Center’s mission is to increase the competitiveness of Oregon’s diverse manufacturing and infrastructure engineering clusters. It will accomplish this by coordinating, integrating and expanding training, education, applied research and business support programs and services, and creating new multi-institutional programs to foster competitive companies and to produce well-paying jobs.

For the purpose of this study, the manufacturing and infrastructure engineering clusters are defined as those companies and firms which manufacture, design, fabricate, assemble, engineer, install or service products composed of primary and alloy metals, composite and related infrastructure materials. This definition includes companies engaged in civil and construction engineering.

Download Center documents

• Feasibility Study
• Employer Survey:Training and Workforce Trends

We are actively seeking companies and workforce development organizations that would like to be involved in the details of developing the Center as well as lobbying for local, state, and federal support.

For more information on the Center and how your company or organization can get involved in the next phase of planning, contact Tricia Ryan, Senior Economic Development Manager, 503-823-2200 or by email.

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