In the Northeast, expansions are a sign of the manufacturing industry’s robust improvement. For example, at Bendheim Architectural Glass, headquartered in Passaic, New Jersey, sales of exterior glazing have doubled in line with management’s decision to purchase additional space—a former Toshiba headquarters in Wayne, New Jersey, spanning 140,000 square feet on 12 acres. “We expect to double in size in three to five years,” says owner and vice president Donald Jayson.

There’s similar momentum statewide, reports Brian Sabina, senior vice president of economic transformation for the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. “New Jersey’s manufacturing activity is up 3.3 percent through September, and overall output is up 4.3 percent,” says Sabina.

At Infinity Drain in Amityville, New York, sales are also up. That strength is viewed as signaling longterm growth because linear drain systems (a significant chunk of the company’s business) have only gained traction in the U.S. in the last decade. “We haven’t reached full market potential yet,” says sales and marketing director Barbara Kratus.

Laticrete in Bethany, Connecticut, a manufacturer of tile and stone installation products reports it must deliver products quicker than it did five years ago. So expanding in areas that are closer to customers has helped them “add value,” says Sean Boyle, vice president of marketing.

Roughly 47 miles south in Stamford, Connecticut, Accurate Lock & Hardware has also stepped up investments in staffing, facilities, and equipment on the heels of a 17 to 18 percent sales increase. Meanwhile, in Farmington, Stanley Access Technologies anticipates year-over-year sales climbing through 2019. For that reason, the company is maintaining “a strong backlog of inventory,” says director of manufacturing Costas Drakatos. Onward and upward.