A    S I T E    S E L E C T I O N    I N D U S T R Y    R E V I E W    F R O M    S E P T E M B E R    2 0 0 0

---

Dayton's Strong Cluster

Dayton, Ohio, also continues to be a major center of machine tool and tool and die work. The metro's $2.2 billion sector consists of 835 companies, employing 26,000 people, making it the fourth largest concentration of machining and tooling firms in the United States, according to Dayton economic developers.

The region's machining companies have worked jointly to create Tool Valley, a new precision metalworking park in downtown Dayton designed to provide training, education and support services for the area's tool and die companies. The shared facility will allow for joint marketing, purchasing and research and development efforts. One goal is to recruit and train 5,000 new machining employees over the next five years.

Gem City Engineering is one company that's benefiting from its Dayton location. The maker of automation systems and metal products has doubled in size over the last decade, growing to 600 employees, and seven Dayton plants.

Gem City President Jim Whalen says that among the Dayton location's positives, the skilled labor base, competitive costs, centrality to U.S. customers and density of suppliers were among the most important.