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Automotive/Motorsports | Industrial Machinery | Advanced Textiles | Plastics/Chemicals | Medical Devices

A quality workforce, a low cost of doing business and superb access to a global infrastructure network has allowed the Charlotte region to soar as a superior location for manufacturers and distributors. Given the central location midway between New York City and Miami, manufacturers can reach more than 60% of the U.S. market within one day’s drive.

Click here for an in-depth profile of the Advanced Manfacturing sector in Charlotte USA

Automotive/Motorsports

The Charlotte USA region has long-been a location that is highly attractive to the automotive industry – with over 250 automotive companies in the region, employing over 15,000 people. Freightliner, a subsidiary of Daimler, has 3 major assembly plants in the region, and the BMW facility lies just 1 hour 15 minutes from Charlotte Douglas International Airport – the only airport in the region with non-stop flights to Detroit and Munich. Additional significant facilities include Dana Corporation, ArvinMeritor, Continental Tire, Eaton Corporation, Goodyear, Hella Lighting, Mayflower Vehicle Systems, Meridian Automotive Systems, and ZF Lemforder.

The Charlotte region is also the hub for NASCAR, with over 90% of NASCAR teams built and operating within a fifty mile radius of downtown Charlotte. The NASCAR Research and Development Center is located here, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte offers a program in Motorsports and Automotive Engineering, and there are two wind tunnel testing facilities located in the region. There are three major races at the Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, NC: Coca-Cola 600, The Nextel All-Star Challenge (formerly The Winston), and the Bank of America 500.

Click here to learn more about the Automotive industry in Charlotte USA.
Click here to learn more about the Automotive industry in Charlotte USA.
Motorsports Assets Map of Charlotte USA.

Industrial Machinery

Since the 1960’s the machine manufacturing industry has been expanding in Charlotte USA. Originally drawn to the region by its proximity to textiles and furniture, machine manufacturing started with textile and wood-working machinery. Over 1,250 companies engaged in machine and machine parts manufacturing can be found in the Charlotte USA region, employing nearly 40,000 people today. Larger companies, like Cooper Tools, Honeywell, Ingersoll-Rand, and Siemens Westinghouse all have production facilities in the Charlotte USA region. However, the majority of the machine manufacturing industry in the Charlotte USA region is made up of world class medium sized manufacturers, such as Colfax, Chiron America, INA, Okuma Machine Tools, PCI Wedeco, Schrader-Bridgeport, and Timken.

The strong machine manufacturing industry in the Charlotte region is further supported by a strong metal working skills base. There is a leading technical college system, which has many specialized courses and certifications for metalworking and machine manufacturing. All told there are over 1,000 companies in metal manufacturing in the Charlotte region that employ more than 36,600 people.

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Advanced Textiles

The textile industry has a long history in the Charlotte region, and while there have been recent declines in the classic market for textiles, manufacturers are finding new high tech applications for their craft. BAE Systems and their subsidiary Tensylon High Performance Materials Inc. have found success locating in the region, taking advantage of available talent left behind by factory closings and community college retraining programs such as York Technical College’s Institute for Manufacturing Productivity. In late 2007, Tensylon expanded their Union County facility and doubled the plant’s workforce.

Plastics/Chemicals

With its distribution advantages (rail and road) and proven manufacturing capabilities, the Charlotte USA region has a growing plastics industry. There are currently 218 plastics manufacturers operating that employ approximately 17,000 workers. The Charlotte USA region offers these companies relatively low utility rates, competitive wages, excellent distribution capabilities, and a great quality of life. In cooperation with the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the Polymers Center of Excellence offers a variety of services to the plastics industry, including testing, workforce development, process problem solving, as well as research and development. Some of the larger plastics manufacturers in the region include Charlotte Pipe & Foundry Co., Otto Industries, Polar Plastics Inc., and RBX Industries Inc.

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Medical Devices

The machine manufacturing industry has also created a niche in medical device and equipment manufacturing. The creation of this niche, which requires a highly skilled and trained workforce, speaks highly to the capabilities of the Charlotte USA region’s diverse and adaptable workforce. Approximately 45 companies specializing in this field are located within the Charlotte USA region, exporting their products to domestic and international destinations.

There are 60 companies that produce medical devices and equipment in the Charlotte region that employ a small group of 2,000 talented people. Some of the larger manufacturers are Hartmann-Conco Inc., Scott Health and Safety, and Zimmer Orthopedic Surgical.

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