IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
Roy Paulson, owner and president of Paulson Manufacturing Corp. in Temecula, doesn’t hold back when asked how his business is going.
“Right now, it’s as good as it can get,” said Paulson, whose company makes protective goggles and facial shields used by engineers and law enforcement. “We’re working 24 hours a day, six days a week, and we can’t fill all of our backorders.”
Paulson Manufacturing has been helped by an increase in law enforcement orders in the aftermath of the Baltimore riots, and a new OSHA regulation that requires some workers to wear a protective shield made by the company.
A lot of other Inland manufacturers are feeling as good as Paulson, if the region’s latest purchasing managers index is any indication.
The July index, released Monday by the Institute of Applied Research and Policy Analysis at Cal State San Bernardino, was 54.3, up from 52.4 in June.
That was a healthy 4.3 percent above the 50 benchmark that determines whether the region’s manufacturing sector is growing or shrinking: 50 or above means it’s growing, below 50 means it’s getting smaller.
“We’ve had slow, steady growth since 2012, and we’re seeing that again this month,” said Barbara Sirotnik, director of the institute. “All of the numbers – employment, inventory, new orders, production – were up, except for a drop in commodity prices. That might have been because of the price of oil, I don’t know.”
Employment was especially strong month-over-month: 63.3 in July, up from 55.2 in June, according to the index.
Twenty four percent of the purchasing managers surveyed said they expect the economy to improve during the next three months, while 28 percent said they expect the economy to get weaker during that time.
Paulson Manufacturing currently employs 160 people, and it could easily add another 50 or so employs to help with its current workload, according to Paulson.
“What we need to do is find some good managers to work with the people we already have,” Paulson said.
