Business Sector FAQs

 Sector 31-33: Manufacturing

Questions about this sector are provided below and apply to the Sector as a whole.

 Questions

• Sector Questions

1.  What activities should be included when reporting manufacturing activity?
2.  I am a service provider, yet I received a manufacturing form, what should I do?
3.  My company is not a manufacturer, what should I do?
4.  I am not a manufacturer because my establishment only assembles so the form is not applicable to me, right?
5.  I fill out a Current Industrial Report form. How does that relate to the Economic Census form? Or to the ASM?
6.  If my company was bought or sold, does that mean I don't have to file the report?
7.  My establishment changed it's name and/or EIN, does that mean I don't have to file the report?

 Answers

• Sector Questions




1.  What activities should be included when reporting manufacturing activity?

Manufacturing activity involves the mechanical, physical, or chemical transformation of materials, substances, or components into new products. The assembling of component parts of manufactured products is considered manufacturing, except in cases where the activity is appropriately classified in Sector 23, Construction. Report separate data for each establishment. Report all activities (manufacturing, fabricating, processing, and assembling) conducted by the establishment.



INCLUDE:

• Maintenance of plant and equipment
• Receiving and shipping activities
• Warehousing and storage
• Research
• Recordkeeping
• Health and Safety
• Cafeteria and other services

EXCLUDE:

• Sales branches and sales offices
• Research laboratories
• Retail stores
• Mining activities and general administrative offices

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2.  I am a service provider, yet I received a manufacturing form, what should I do?

The manufacturing sector does include establishments engaged in the following activities that are often thought to be in the services sector:



• Apparel jobbing and contracting
• Assembling from purchased components
• Commission processing of materials owned by others
• Dental laboratories
• Embroidery
• Job casting, stamping, and machining
• Lapidary work
• Leather and hide tanning and finishing
• Machine shops, including those operating on a job-order basis
• Manufacturing and delivering ready-mixed concrete
• Milk pasteurizing and bottling
• Milling of grains and vegetables
• Plating, galvanizing, polishing, etc., of materials owned by others
• Poultry dressing
• Printing, prepress, and postpress work, including binding
• Repair of ships on floating drydocks
• Developing and making prototypes, engineering and other services directly related to aerospace industries
• Ret ail bakeries
• Sawmills
• Seafood, fresh-packaged or frozen
• Tire re-treading
• Wood preserving


If your establishment does not fall into any of these categories, please see Question #3.

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3.  My company is not a manufacturer, what should I do?

If you do not manufacture products at the location shown in the address box of the report form, please indicate the nature of your business and provide a contact name and telephone number in the remarks section (Item 29) and return the form to us.

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4.  I am not a manufacturer because my establishment only assembles so the form is not applicable to me, right?

No, assembly of finished goods into a new product (value added) is considered manufacturing and we need you to complete the questionnaire.

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5.  I fill out a Current Industrial Report form. How does that relate to the Economic Census form? Or to the ASM?

The current industrial reports are product specific surveys for certain industries and only ask for product level detail. The total lines (generally a product class) which are the sum of the product detail should match the value of shipments for that product line under Item 22 of the Economic Census form, i.e., the two reports should reconcile for the appropriate product lines that apply to each. The Economic Census form asks for additional economic data such as number of employees, payroll, cost of materials, capital expenditures, assets, purchased services, and inventories.

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6.  If my company was bought or sold, does that mean I don't have to file the report?

No, we are collecting economic activity by location. Fill in the appropriate data as applicable and Item 3, Operational Status. If the operation has continued as it had during the 12 month period, just under new ownership, please complete the form and fill in Item 3 as well. If you owned the company for only part of the year and only have records for a partial year, please complete the form for the period under your ownership and report the number of months in operation. Please update Item 3, Operational Status.

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7.  My establishment changed it's name and/or EIN, does that mean I don't have to file the report?

No, we are collecting economic activity by location. If the manufacturing activity is still in operation at the location listed in the address label, we will need the data. You may help us to update our records by also filling out Item 3, Operational Status, of your Census form.

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