The chemical manufacturing industry is expansive — from raw ingredients to fully-functioning products. Chemical manufacturing is essential to our economy, and it plays a vital role in the creation of innovative, ground-breaking products, processes and technologies that make our life and world healthier, safe, and more sustainable.
While there may be hundreds of reasons to consider joining the chemical manufacturing industry, we will focus on three.
1. The chemical manufacturing industry is essential to our economy.
In 2021, the chemical manufacturing industry generated $517 billion. That’s $31 billion more than the $486 billion generated in 2020. In perspective, our industry supports over 25% of the total U.S. GDP.
Our products sold to our customers are used in thousands of applications and sold into a variety of end-markets such as residential and non-residential construction, furniture, energy, decorative coatings, industrial, automotive and agriculture.
Within our Adhesives segment, our ArmorBuilt™ fire resistant wrap is a new product which greatly improves fire protection when applied to a substrate. ArmorBuilt™ wrap is a proprietary wrap from Hexion that can be applied to utility companies’ infrastructure, including new utility poles with potential for existing pole applications and cellular towers. Hexion has been providing high-performing adhesives for decades and has leveraged its expertise to develop a fire-retardant coating for more sustainable wooden utility poles that greatly improves their fire resistance and protects critical utility infrastructure.
Within our Performance Materials segment, we are constantly adapting our application development pipeline to answer manufacturers’ increasing need for sustainable, durable and low VOC coating solutions.
2. We typically out-pay other manufacturing jobs.
The chemical manufacturing industry provides 537,000 skilled, good-paying U.S. jobs. While navigating a global pandemic, between 2020 and 2021, 8,000 jobs were added. Of note, for every one job in the chemical manufacturing industry, 6.8 jobs are generated elsewhere in the economy. The average annual pay for jobs in our industry is $92,000 — 20% higher than the average manufacturing pay.
Here at Hexion, we currently employ over 1,300 people. We have just over 20 open positions — from Production Technician to R&D Chemist to Maintenance Manager. See our open positions today at careers.hexion.com.
3. Get the opportunity to do good in your community.
Employees across the chemical manufacturing industry work daily to develop products that are critical to advancing sustainability in our communities and around the world. This includes developing new emission reduction technologies and clean energy alternatives to safeguard the environment and the people in it.
Recently, our industry has come together through the American Chemistry Council with a commitment to address six key areas:
• Monitoring and improving air quality,
• Conserving and protecting drinking water,
• Increasing product safety,
• Reducing greenhouse gas emissions,
• Expanding recycling, and
• Creating a more diverse workforce.
Our Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reduction initiatives commitment calls for us to reduce our absolute carbon emissions by 20 percent by 2030. This includes our Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, which are direct and indirect GHG emissions from operations and consumed energy.
We continue to strengthen our broader Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives for our global associates with new Business Resource Groups (BRGs) like our “Women@Hexion” “African Diaspora@Hexion” and “PRIDE@Hexion”. Several other BRGs are currently being formed.
Twelve Hexion facilities were also recognized for their achievements in employee health and safety, including 11 plants which received Certificates of Excellence for meeting the most stringent safety criteria. In 2021, Hexion received its first ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year award, one of the highest honors bestowed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR Program.
Learn more about Hexion’s sustainability successes here.
Learn more about the chemical manufacturing industry.
To learn more about the overall chemical manufacturing industry, visit the American Chemistry Council’s website: AmericanChemistry.com. The American Chemistry Council is the leading, collective voice of the business of chemistry, driving a pro-growth, common sense and science-based public policy agenda that brings forth innovation, creates jobs and economic expansion and enhances public and environmental health and safety.
