While many regions have watched their industrial base erode, Butler County has bucked the trend, establishing itself as a manufacturing powerhouse that sustains local families and contributes significantly to Pennsylvania's $116 billion manufacturing economy.

“Butler County’s backbone is truly manufacturing,” said Joe Saeler, executive director of the Community Development Corporation of Butler County. “It provides a lot of jobs and a lot of families a paycheck throughout the entire county.”

Manufacturing's impact on Butler County extends far beyond factory walls. The sector has become the primary driver of population growth in a region where many Pennsylvania counties are losing residents. According to Luke Bernstein, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, Butler County ranks among only 13 counties statewide that have grown at or above the national average in the past four years.

“The only county west of Cumberland County on that list is Butler County,” Bernstein said. “It ranks among the top manufacturing counties in Pennsylvania.”

This growth seems to stem from the county’s diverse industrial base, anchored by major employers including Penn United Technologies, Oberg Industries, Cleveland-Cliffs and Westinghouse. These companies represent advanced manufacturing, metals and precision technology sectors that have attracted workers migrating from Allegheny County’s North Hills region.

The ripple effects of this industrial strength touch every corner of Butler County’s economy. Manufacturing provides the foundation for homeownership, family formation and community investment that defines middle-class prosperity.

“It gives the opportunity for jobs in Butler County, which allows for a better quality of life,” Saeler said. “Without those jobs, you wouldn’t be able to buy a home, a car, start a family. Then they pay taxes and all that goes back into the community. It’s really a full cycle if you look at the jobs that manufacturing provides.”

Butler County’s manufacturing sector isn’t resting on past achievements. Companies are embracing cutting-edge technologies that position them for future growth while maintaining their commitment to skilled craftsmanship.

At Penn United Technologies, the evolution is particularly striking. The employee-owned company has invested heavily in additive manufacturing, also known as 3D metal printing, since 2018. Charles Phillips, sales and marketing manager at Penn United, describes the technology as revolutionary.

“It’s building things you can’t make through standard manufacturing processes,” Phillips said.

The company now operates eight additive manufacturing machines, including one of the largest available units capable of printing parts at nearly 3 feet tall.

The laser-powder bed-fusion technology creates complex metal components for aerospace, medical device and industrial applications. Every commercial airplane contains such parts, as do medical implants and nuclear reactors, dispelling any notion that additive manufacturing remains experimental, Phillips said.

The technology requires both advanced engineering expertise and traditional manufacturing skills. Penn United employs dedicated mechanical engineers to operate the additive machines, while dozens of other workers provide the finishing touches using conventional processes.

“We see it as an extension of our toolbox of manufacturing to offer high-precision metal components to our customers,” Phillips said.

Bill Jones, president of Penn United, said he believes artificial intelligence represents the next frontier. Rather than eliminating jobs, he expects AI to enhance manufacturing capabilities and attract talent to the industry.

“AI won’t eliminate jobs. It’ll help us grow jobs and business by attracting the right people to our jobs and industry,” Jones said.

Despite technological advances and strong demand, Butler County manufacturers face a persistent challenge: finding qualified workers. The problem reflects broader national trends but carries urgency in a region where manufacturing drives economic growth.

“Every industry is short-staffed right now, so if you’re looking for a job, it’s a career you could get into,” Saeler said. “Manufacturing is healthy in the county and they’re all looking to hire.”

The workforce shortage stems partly from outdated perceptions of manufacturing work. Many people still envision the grimy, dangerous conditions of bygone industrial eras rather than today’s clean, technology-driven facilities.

“Everyone still pictures the old steel mill days of manufacturing and that’s not how it is,” Saeler said. “Everything is clean now.”

Jones echoes this frustration, particularly regarding educational guidance that steers students toward four-year colleges regardless of their interests or aptitudes.

“Educators are trained to push students toward colleges, even if they should go out and find a job with their hands,” Jones said. “I just wish more people would do the analysis of sending someone off to college. There’s a lot of degrees out there that they can’t find jobs in, have a $200,000 bill they can’t pay off, rather than going into industry and learning a trade.”

The skills gap extends beyond technical capabilities to basic soft skills. Bernstein notes deficits in problem-solving, teamwork and adaptability — attributes essential for modern manufacturing but sometimes underdeveloped among younger workers.

Addressing workforce challenges requires collaboration between manufacturers and educational institutions. Butler County has developed several innovative approaches to bridge the skills gap.

Penn United operates the Carl E. Jones Learning Center, known as L.I.G.H.T., which provides specialized training for manufacturing careers. The company also partners extensively with Butler County Community College and the Butler County Area Vocational-Technical School.

Students can enter manufacturing with only a high school education and advance through apprenticeship programs toward journeyman positions.

“You can leave high school and you really don’t need to know anything else to get started here,” Saeler said. “Our programs allow workers to advance. As they complete projects, we help them with their learning.”

High-demand skills include precision machining, welding, fabrication, robotics, automation and quality control. Many positions start at $75,000 annually or more, providing family-sustaining wages without college debt.

Penn United and similar companies also emphasize organizational skills and entrepreneurial thinking alongside technical competencies.

“Even being a good machinist, you need to have good organization skills and entrepreneurial skills, anything that makes up a good leader,” Jones said. “You have to make decisions in these positions constantly.”

Butler County's manufacturing success contributes significantly to Pennsylvania's broader economic strength. Manufacturing employs more than a half million Pennsylvanians — one in every 10 workers statewide — while contributing $116 billion annually to the state economy.

“Manufacturing not only is now, but has been for generations, the cornerstone of Pennsylvania's economy,” Bernstein said. “It’s more than raw economics. It’s about the family-sustaining jobs in the manufacturing sector because of the stability of these jobs.”

Pennsylvania’s manufacturing diversity provides economic resilience, preventing the boom-and-bust cycles that plague regions dependent on single industries. Butler County exemplifies this strength through its varied industrial base and commitment to innovation, Bernstein said.

Butler County’s manufacturing leaders express optimism about future growth, contingent on solving workforce challenges and maintaining supportive business conditions. Trade policy, regulatory streamlining and tax reform all influence the sector’s competitiveness.

Jones believes tariff protection could boost domestic manufacturing significantly, while Bernstein emphasizes Pennsylvania’s energy advantages, particularly natural gas resources that provide low-cost power for energy-intensive manufacturing processes.

“Any type of innovation sector requires a significant amount of power,” Bernstein said. “We have that in Southwestern Pennsylvania, we have that in Butler County, so that's fuel to drive innovation in tech development.”

The county’s manufacturing future depends on attracting workers to fill existing opportunities and expanding capacity as demand grows. Success requires continued partnership between employers, educators and economic development agencies to change perceptions and develop talent, Saeler said.

“It’s going to be the future,” Saeler said of manufacturing’s role in Butler County. “It’s the number one job creator in the county, and I see it providing a long-term future for jobs and the ability to afford the finer things in life.”

This article originally appeared in the July edition of Butler County Business Matters.