Ohioans may feel as though their industrial heritage has taken a beating, given the shift away from the industries that were humming when the Rust Belt was a little shinier. But a recent study by Smartest Dollar looked at the states that shipped the most goods to the rest of the U.S.

It may come as a surprise to learn Ohio is fifth in the nation.

Approximately $609.3 billion worth of goods are shipped out of the Buckeye State each year. That is approximately 4.2 percent of all the goods shipped in the U.S., and the most common type of goods to come out of Ohio are motorized and other vehicles (including parts).

Supply-chain problems that began with the onset of the pandemic are making those goods harder to produce, harder to buy and more expensive for consumers.

“Challenges in the domestic supply chain can bring major economic disruptions from the sheer volume of goods shipped within the U.S.,” the study suggests. “Freight businesses move trillions of dollars in goods each year, nearly 90 percent of which is transported by commercial trucks. For businesses that rely on shipments of parts or materials to create their own products, supply-chain delays can make it difficult to provide goods to their own customers. For consumers, breakdowns in the supply chain mean having a harder time finding goods — or paying a premium to purchase them.”

We’ve made progress in overcoming some of the other challenges that sprang up as a result of the arrival of COVID-19.

It seems as though public officials and industry leaders are having a tougher time with this one — and it is still a BIG problem. How many of us have waited months for a package to ship or stayed on a waiting list for repairs long enough to consider scrapping a vehicle rather than waiting much longer?

Further, how many of us have sought an alternative to products that required international shipping, only to be among the “businesses and consumers (who) found that American-made alternatives were not easy to find either?”

Domestic suppliers are fewer and farther between, and recovering from the same setbacks that plagued international suppliers at the peak of the pandemic. Surely public officials and lawmakers understand they need our support now, as they fight their way back. At least one such supplier is getting to work here in Ohio.

We can’t let the momentum stop there. Intel must be just the start as we climb our way out of the backlog that has slowed our economy for far too long.

editorial@vindy.com