If you are thinking about relocating to a piece of Yonkers real estate, you might want to check out the potential for jobs in the area before committing to a mortgage. One of the old manufacturing guards of the Eastern United States, Yonkers was once a community where tens of thousands of industrial rotary valves churned around the clock to produce hundreds of different goods.
The economy, combined with a long trend of factory relocation within the United States, has seen the industrial output of the Yonkers area drop significantly over the last ten years. However, there are still several industries which have a significant factory presence within the Yonkers area, where laborers can still find work in a manufacturing work environment. Typically well paying and with safety equipment including fire sleeves and shielding, these jobs can be important for anyone saving for a down payment on a Yonkers home.
Clothing
Perhaps because of its close proximity to one of the fashion capitals of the world in New York City, Yonkers has long been a stronghold for companies which produce clothing of all types. Companies both large and small had factories as well as retail outlets here, although today the smaller companies are the ones who have remained.
Among those companies are the Windsor Tie Company and the Burlington Coat Factory. Both produce clothing sold all over the United States and North America. As is the case with many manufacturing niches, the clothing industry today is all about robotics, so workers generally oversee systems instead of applying hands on labor creating the clothes.
Kawasaki
Yonkers was once home to a thriving large scale vehicle manufacturing economy, but the exit of businesses such as Otis and Colt would hurt this sector considerably.
On the other hand, the migration of these and other companies left room for other businesses to set up shop in the Yonkers area. The creation of industrial vehicles in the Yonkers area continues today, with international giant Kawasaki setting up shop in the old Otis buildings. The focus of the Kawasaki factories in Yonkers is the production of subway cars, used both here in the state of New York and in subway lines all over the world.
Food
One factory industry that does not seem to suffer much from relocation or economic worries is the food sector. It may be due to local demand, the cost of shipping, the availability of raw goods, or a combination of these and other factors, but once set up food producing factories tend to stay put and provide work for decades.
Yonkers continues to be an important commercial food producing center. High Ridge Bagels is one of the best known, but there are many factories which manufacture foods, bundle them using a high tech strapping system, and then send them out to market.
Yonkers has become more of a commuter town than a value added one over the last decade. Work for someone experienced in operating a hand notcher or layup line is scarce, but there are still factory jobs to be found here.
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