Metals

The Quad Cities region has a long history of metal manufacturing and fabrication. This includes areas such as:

  • Fabricated structural metal manufacturing
  • Sheet metal work manufacturing
  • Aircraft parts and other fabricated and manufactured timeline equipment


Key Regional Advantages for Metals:

  • Employees with strong manufacturing know-how and Midwestern work ethic.
  • Rates for electricity.
  • In-place, multi-modal transportations options available in the region.
  • Access to and increasing demand of suppliers.
  • Employment growth in metals industries has been very strong in the Quad Cities region, while growth has been flat in the four-state region (IA, IL, MN and WI) during the same time period, despite the recession.
  • Throughout the Quad Cities region, machinery and equipment used in the manufacturing process is not subject to local property tax.

Construction on the Quad-City Manufacturing Lab will be completed in 2010. The lab will work to develop a less expensive way to manufacture titanium. The ninth most abundant element in the earth's crust, titanium is as strong as steel but 45 percent lighter. It is twice as strong as aluminum at just 60 percent more weight. 

Titanium's potential use for military applications - from armor to vehicles and weapons to prosthetic limbs - was the buzz during the recent Titanium Processing Conference held at the Rock Island Arsenal. 

Affiliated with the Joint Manufacturing Technology Center (JMTC), operations at the Quad-City Manufacturing Lab will begin in 2010.

Available Labor for Jobs in Food and Packaging Related Industry (April 2010)

Standard Occupational Code
Title% of IndustryTarget JobsCompatible JobsTarget Median Hourly Earnings
13-1023
Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products
2.771,01513.581$31.13
15-1032
Computer software engineers, systems software
2.713512,680$43.63
51-4041
Machinists
1.51,1993,672$18.49






Source: Ady-Voltedge & Janus Economics, in proprietary research sponsored by Quad Cities First, 2010.

Notes: % of Industry = percent of industry skilled labor accounted for by each SOC; Target Jobs = Number of workers in the Quad Cities region that are classified in that SOC, regardless of industry; Compatible Jobs = Number of workers in the Quad Cities region that have highly compatible skill sets (O*Net). Contact Quad Cities First for information on additional Standard Occupation Codes and other related data.


Representative Regional Metals Employers