WE BUILD THE FUTURE.


lumber making
lumber making

FOREST PRODUCTS

Forest products are integral to Southern Carolina’s flourishing economy, and in turn our comprehensive supply chain advantages are key to the sector’s impressive growth—from abundant timber to experienced, affordable workforce to rapid domestic and global transportation—all in a top-producing state leading the way to a more sustainable future.

South Carolina’s towering success:

  • $21 billion sector
  • 98,000 jobs
  • $5 billion in labor income

$946 M
total forest product exports
$445 M
exports in paper and paperboard
$367 M
exports in woodpulp
$82 M
exports in solid wood products
$946 M
total forest product exports
$445 M
exports in paper and paperboard
$367 M
exports in woodpulp
$82 M
exports in solid wood products

Source: Clemson University Edisto Research and Education Center


Southern Carolina’s Strategic Advantages:

Rapid Global Access

I-95

CSX Rail

Port of Savannah

Port of Charleston

Robust Talent Pipeline

readySCTM

Clemson University

2.3%

Unionization rate in a right-to-work state

Rapid Global Access

I-95

CSX Rail

Port of Savannah

Port of Charleston

Robust Talent Pipeline

readySCTM

Clemson University

2.3%

Unionization rate in a right-to-work state


7th

lowest electric rate in the U.S.

9th

lowest gas rate in U.S. 

Certified

shovel-ready sites

7th

lowest electric rate in the U.S.

9th

lowest gas rate in U.S. 

Certified

shovel-ready sites


JOIN OUR FAMILY OF FOREST PRODUCT COMPANIES

Contract Lumber
Collumns Lumber
Queen Wood Products
Boise Cascade
Tri-County Pallet Company
Flint Group Pigments
Kinard Wood Preserving
Builders FirstSource
Greif
Denmark Lumber
Swiss Krono
West Fraser
Canfor
48Forty Solutions
Paper Converters
Green Line Industries
South Carolina Oak to Barrel
Koch & Co., Inc.
planes in hangar
planes in hangar

AEROSPACE AND DEFENSE

Aerospace and defense companies are landing in South Carolina at an unprecedented pace—more than 400 to date. Located within a one-hour drive from the Boeing facility in Charleston and just a 25-minute drive from Gulfstream in Savannah, the Southern Carolina region positions your operation to leverage the state’s wealth of cluster advantages at significantly lower costs.

  • Custom skilled workforce through readySC & Apprenticeship Carolina
  • 1.6% Unionization rate in a right-to-work state
  • 7th lowest electric rate in the U.S.

#1
In the nation for business incentives
[Area Development]
$2.2 B
Investment by new and expanding aerospace
firms in SC since 2011
#1
In the nation for business incentives
[Area Development]
$2.2 B
Investment by new and expanding aerospace
firms in SC since 2011


Southern Carolina’s Strategic Advantages:

Defense Assets

Marine Corps Air Station
Joint Base Charleston

Rapid Access

 to Southeastern Aerospace Hub

Leading Innovation

McNair Center for Aerospace Research and Innovation at USC

Defense Assets

Marine Corps Air Station
Joint Base Charleston

Rapid Access

 to Southeastern Aerospace Hub

Leading Innovation

McNair Center for Aerospace Research and Innovation at USC


JOIN OUR FAMILY OF AEROSPACE AND DEFENSE COMPANIES

SkyDrive Inc.
MegaWatt Lasers
Lockheed Martin
SafeTech, USA
Vetronix Research Corporation
L3 Harris
Phoenix Specialty
Delavan
Lowcountry Aviation
research facility
research facility

LIFE SCIENCES

Life sciences are the fastest growing segment of South Carolina’s knowledge economy, nurtured by innovation, investment and a favorable business environment. And in the SCA region, heathier profits accrue through strategic access to life sciences assets combined with the utmost affordability.

  • #1 Foreign direct investment (3 of the past 5 years)
  • Leading research - Medical University of SC, University of South SC, Clemson University, Greenwood Genetic Center, and CU Edisto Research Center
  • 700 On-going clinical trials at Medical University of SC

Top 10
state with the lowest
workforce costs
[Business Facilities Magazine, 2018]
#1
Lowest manufacturing costs in
the lower 48 states
[The Boyd Survey, 2017]
81.0
Cost of living compared
to 100 national average.
Top 10
state with the lowest
workforce costs
[Business Facilities Magazine, 2018]
#1
Lowest manufacturing costs in
the lower 48 states
[The Boyd Survey, 2017]
81.0
Cost of living compared
to 100 national average.

JOIN OUR FAMILY OF LIFE SCIENCES COMPANIES

Coastal Technologies, Inc.
eviCore Healthcare
Oakwood Products
Yield Scientific
Trison Wells
Alpha Genesis
AKPA Kimya
Floralife
Agriculture Technology Campus
L3 Harris Technologies
sparks on angle grinder
sparks on angle grinder

METAL FABRICATION

As South Carolina’s booming activity across manufacturing sectors creates robust market demand for metal fabrication, companies are making the most of the opportunity in Southern Carolina. Here, a low-cost environment facilitates the highest profitability while a talent pipeline supported by the region’s technical colleges, plus a cost-effective transportation network, assure productivity and speed.

  • Custom skilled workforce - readySC & Apprenticeship Carolina
  • 1.6% Unionization rate in a right-to-work state
  • 7th lowest electric rate in the U.S.


Southern Carolina’s Strategic Advantages:

Higher

than the National Average of Welders, Cutters, Solderers, Brazers Milling, Planing, Tool and Die and Machinists In the Workforce

Double

the National Average of Many Production Occupations

Four Times

the National Average of Extruding Forming, Pressing and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators and Tenders

Higher

than the National Average of Welders, Cutters, Solderers, Brazers Milling, Planing, Tool and Die and Machinists In the Workforce

Double

the National Average of Many Production Occupations

Four Times

the National Average of Extruding Forming, Pressing and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators and Tenders


JOIN OUR FAMILY OF METAL FABRICATION COMPANIES

AS/R Systems Inc.
Southern Metal Works, Inc.
McCrary's Incorporated - Metal Fabricators
Rockford Steel Manufacturing
Geismar North America
Gaddis Inc.
Meter Bearings
J & L Wire
Precision Machined Components
Mid-Am Metal
JGBR
Kinsouth Inc.
Arnett Engineered Solutions
Phoenix Specialty
Precision Metal Fabricators
Crane/Dixie Narco
Southeast Rails
Clark Sound Boats
auto mechanics
auto mechanics

AUTOMOTIVE

Automotive manufacturing has become a powerful engine of growth for South Carolina. And in the Southern Carolina region, manufacturers enjoy critical market access combined with lower costs, a highly skilled workforce and certified industrial sites, including megasites. Southern Carolina is ready to roll for both tier suppliers and OEM operations.

  • Nation’s top exporter of tires and completed passenger vehicles
  • 500 Automotive companies in South Carolina
  • 74,000 Sector employment
  • SC is home to Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research 
  • #1 In the nation for business incentives [Area Development]

45 min.
Drive time to Port of Charleston from nearest SCA industrial site
15 min.
Drive time to Port of Savannah from nearest SCA industrial site
8,900+
Available acres near the I-95 corridor and Megasites for OEMs
45 min.
Drive time to Port of Charleston from nearest SCA industrial site
15 min.
Drive time to Port of Savannah from nearest SCA industrial site
8,900+
Available acres near the I-95 corridor and Megasites for OEMs

JOIN OUR FAMILY OF AUTOMOTIVE COMPANIES

Phoenix Specialty
Pioneer Boats
Eastern Motorcycle Parts
Atlas
Clark Sound Boats
B&T Auto Machine
TICO Manufacturing
truck on freeway
truck on freeway

DISTRIBUTION

Southern Carolina delivers for distribution: Lower costs and a rapidly growing population, plus faster speed to market thanks to a strategic location halfway between Miami and New York, served by a powerfully integrated logistical network.

  • 1 day drive-time to two-thirds of the U.S. population
  • 8,900+ available acres near the I-95 corridor in 27 industrial sites
  • 2 Global ports:  Port of Savannah Port of Charleston
  • 100 foreign ports served daily
  • 2 Class I Carriers: CSX in SCA region, Norfolk Southern across the state

10.66%
SC’s population growth rate (#10 in the U.S.)
2.3%
Unionization rate, the lowest in the nation, in a right-to-work state
10.66%
SC’s population growth rate (#10 in the U.S.)
2.3%
Unionization rate, the lowest in the nation, in a right-to-work state

JOIN OUR FAMILY OF DISTRIBUTION COMPANIES

RCL Burco
Nupi Americas
Luigi Bormioli Corporation
Simmons Irrigation Supply
Le Creuset of America
Birdsong Peanuts
Quality Beverage
Gourmet Warehouse
Jonathan Y
Coca-Cola
Balchem Corporation
K & M Tire Company
Style Access
AGM Imports
Grayco
Norman USA
Pegasus Home Fashions
AKPA Kimya
Mayzo
Helena Chemical Company
Seaside Grown
Mira International
Luray Peanut Co.
factory worker
factory worker

ADVANCED COMPOSITES

Constructing the advanced materials needed to produce today’s complex products requires the right talent, infrastructure, and access to relevant innovation. For advanced composite manufacturers seeking higher performance and productivity, Southern Carolina offers all the right elements: a highly skilled workforce in a low-cost setting that provides affordable proximity to cutting-edge R&D.

Skilled workforce and innovation:

  • readySCTM - Globally recognized custom training
  • University of South Carolina - Multiple research centers, including the McNair Aerospace Center

JOIN OUR FAMILY OF ADVANCED COMPOSITES COMPANIES

BAR Marine Group
Spencer Industries
Clark Sound Boats
CMT
Nupi Americas
Augusta Fiberglass
Atkore
IRP / Mer-Made Filter
Pioneer Boats
Tiva Building Products
Blasch Precision Ceramics
Allendale Fibertech Corporation
Monmouth Rubber and Plastics
hands holding pellets
hands holding pellets

ALTERNATIVE ENERGIES

Southern Carolina is building a more sustainable world, leveraging resources and innovative research to brighten the future.

  • Research Leader - Savannah River National Laboratory at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site
  • 20 MW Power produced by SC biomass facilities using wood byproducts

JOIN OUR FAMILY OF ALTERNATIVE ENERGIES COMPANIES

Atlantic Power Corporation
Southern Current
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions
Kontrolmatik Pomega
Intelligent Lifecycle Solutions
Unitech
Carolina Textile Recycling
IP BioMass
Narenco
Cypress Creek Renewables
Energy Solutions
Befesa
tractor harvesting crops
tractor harvesting crops

FOOD PROCESSING

The business-friendly communities of Southern Carolina have all the essentials to cultivate food processing profitability: Abundant crops, low-cost utilities, a cost-effective distribution network and an affordable workforce dedicated to your success. The $314 million Agriculture Technology Campus, one of the nation’s largest Opportunity Zone projects, is one more proof that Southern Carolina is the place to raise profits.

  • 5.37¢ per kilowatt hour (7th lowest electric rate in the U.S.)
  • 1.6% Unionization rate, the lowest in the nation, in a right-to-work state

8,900+
Available acres near
the I-95 corridor
in 27 industrial sites
2
Global ports
-Port of Savannah
-Port of Charleston
8,900+
Available acres near
the I-95 corridor
in 27 industrial sites
2
Global ports
-Port of Savannah
-Port of Charleston

JOIN OUR FAMILY OF FOOD PROCESSING COMPANIES

Gehl Food and Beverage
MAPtech Packaging
Birdsong Peanuts
Lucky Dog Cuisine
Agriculture Technology Campus
Innovative Poultry Products
Gourmet Warehouse
Burnt Church Distillery
Shellring Ale Works
Hardee Greens
ADM
Seaside Grown
Side Hustle Brewing Co.
Cera
laboratory worker
laboratory worker

CHEMICALS

Some of the world’s leading chemical companies are thriving in South Carolina, and in Southern Carolina, chemical operations are welcomed in business-friendly communities where an innovative manufacturing culture supports success with lower costs of operation, a motivated workforce, and a fast-moving transportation network that includes global ports.

Talent and innovation pipeline:

  • Clemson University - Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. M.S and Ph.D programs
  • University of South Carolina - Department of Chemical Engineering, Undergraduate and graduate degrees

8,900+
Available acres near
the I-95 corridor
in 27 industrial sites
5.37¢
per kilowatt hour
7th lowest electric rate
in the U.S.
2
Global ports
-Port of Savannah
-Port of Charleston
8,900+
Available acres near
the I-95 corridor
in 27 industrial sites
5.37¢
per kilowatt hour
7th lowest electric rate
in the U.S.
2
Global ports
-Port of Savannah
-Port of Charleston

JOIN OUR FAMILY OF CHEMICAL COMPANIES

Flint Group
Archroma
Oakwood Products
Trison Wells
Fibergard Chemical Corporation
Anovotek
AKPA Chemical
Balchem Chemical
Mayzo