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

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
• 2.3% Unionization rate in a right-to-work state, one of the lowest in the Nation
• 7th lowest electric rate in the U.S.

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

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
• 2.3% Unionization rate in a right-to-work state, One of the Lowest in the Nation
• 7th lowest electric rate in the U.S.

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]

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

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

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

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.)
• 2.3% Unionization rate, one of the lowest in the nation, in a right-to-work state

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