Toyota is currently building its eighth North American automotive assembly plant on a 1,700-acre site in Blue Springs, Mississippi. Originally slated to build up to 150,000 Highlander SUVs annually, the Blue Springs plant will now build the Prius, the world’s most popular gasoline/electric hybrid vehicle. Toyota broke ground on the facility in April 2007 and a Mississippi company cleared the 335-acre core site in 16 days – 29 days before they were contracted to complete the job. Since Toyota’s announcement, a number of Toyota suppliers including PK USA, Toyota Boshoku, Vuteq, Toyoda Gosei and Auto Parts Manufacturing Mississippi have also announced their intent to locate facilities in the state.
Stark Aerospace, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (IAI), Israel’s largest industrial exporter, has two facilities in Mississippi. At its Starkville plant, Stark Aerospace manufactures the Hunter Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The company’s Columbus facility conducts electro-optics work and services IAI's Plug-in Optronic Payload, which is flown on AAI Corporation's Shadow UAV. Both UAV systems are currently used by the U.S. military.
In southern Mississippi, PSL-North America (PSL-NA) is constructing a pipe manufacturing and coating facility in Hancock County. PSL-NA is a recently created joint venture between PSL Limited, an Indian company based in Mumbai, and other Indian and American partners. The plant will initially employ 275 people, with wages averaging $50,000 per year. And Hanson Pressure Pipe in Hattiesburg, a division of Hanson Building Products North America and one of the largest manufacturers of pressure pipe in North America, recently had the opportunity to sell their product to a company constructing Mexico’s first supercritical-pressure coal-fired power plant. Hanson Building Products North America is a subsidiary of Hanson PLC, a British company.
These international manufacturers, along with European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS), Nissan, Rolls-Royce, Severstal and others, have taken advantage of Mississippi’s favorable business climate. The state’s construction costs, energy costs and business tax rates are below the national average. For 2008, CNBC ranked Mississippi 10th in the nation for cost of living and 17th for cost of doing business, a rating that factors in the state’s business taxes, utility costs, wages and workers’ compensation insurance rates. Mississippi’s Department of Environmental Quality offers manufacturers a one-stop permitting process for all environmental permits and regulations, and the State enacted tort reform legislation in 2004, ensuring fairness in the courtroom for Mississippi businesses. The state’s strong business climate continues to yield substantial benefits, with record employment levels in Mississippi in 2008 and a 26 percent increase in per capita income the last four years.
That being said, one of Mississippi’s greatest assets is undoubtedly its workforce. Toyota Manufacturing Executive Vice President Ray Tanguay declared, "On my visits to Northern Mississippi, I talked with area companies and observed their workforce. What I observed were people who are educated, ethical and friendly with a strong work ethic – a perfect match for the Toyota Way." Brian Vaill, CEO of PSL-NA, concurred, "We considered several sites around the country for our new plant, but in the end chose Hancock County [Mississippi] because of the people. From facilitating the incentive package to demonstrating an outstanding workforce, the people in Hancock County separated their site from others." Mississippi’s workforce is skilled, plentiful and largely non-unionized. Moreover, many of the state’s workers have a background in manufacturing, with approximately 15 percent of workers employed in manufacturing, the fifth highest per capita in the nation. The State is committed to providing quality workforce training programs, often through partnerships between businesses and the state’s community colleges, and tailors these programs to the specific needs of businesses.
Mississippi’s universities offer cutting-edge research centers in addition to excellent educational opportunities. The State of Mississippi, University of Mississippi and Toyota recently joined together to establish the Center for Manufacturing Excellence, which will be located at the University of Mississippi in Oxford. Through collaboration with the state’s manufacturers, the center will offer degrees in engineering with an emphasis on manufacturing, along with other industry-relevant cross-disciplinary studies. Mississippi State University in Starkville is home to the Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems (CAVS), established in 2001 to further the state’s interaction with the automotive and other manufacturing industries. Mississippi State is also home to the Raspet Flight Research Laboratory, the largest university flight laboratory of its kind in the nation, with a long history of research in aerodynamics and flight and structural mechanics. The lab includes a complete aircraft manufacturing facility and is home to several prototype and research aircraft.
Mississippi’s location and transportation network are also key assets to manufacturing companies looking to relocate or expand. The state is located within a day’s drive of 50 percent of the U.S. business population, and its highway system ranks among the four best in the country and the best in the southern United States. Four interstate highways and 17 rail systems serve the state, and Mississippi’s 15 ports include two deepwater ports on the Gulf Coast that provide access to worldwide commerce.
The State provides economic incentive programs for job creation, investment, retraining of employees, and research and development activities and offers access to Foreign Trade Zones along the Gulf Coast, in the Jackson/Vicksburg area, and in the northern region of the state. Mississippi is a member of both the Japan-U.S. Southeast Association (SEUS-Japan) and the Southeastern United States-Canadian Provinces Alliance (SEUS-Canada). Both organizations offer an opportunity to promote trade, investment, understanding and friendship between Mississippi and its counterparts in the southeastern U.S. and international representatives from across the private and public sectors.
Stark Aerospace, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (IAI), Israel’s largest industrial exporter, has two facilities in Mississippi. At its Starkville plant, Stark Aerospace manufactures the Hunter Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The company’s Columbus facility conducts electro-optics work and services IAI's Plug-in Optronic Payload, which is flown on AAI Corporation's Shadow UAV. Both UAV systems are currently used by the U.S. military.
In southern Mississippi, PSL-North America (PSL-NA) is constructing a pipe manufacturing and coating facility in Hancock County. PSL-NA is a recently created joint venture between PSL Limited, an Indian company based in Mumbai, and other Indian and American partners. The plant will initially employ 275 people, with wages averaging $50,000 per year. And Hanson Pressure Pipe in Hattiesburg, a division of Hanson Building Products North America and one of the largest manufacturers of pressure pipe in North America, recently had the opportunity to sell their product to a company constructing Mexico’s first supercritical-pressure coal-fired power plant. Hanson Building Products North America is a subsidiary of Hanson PLC, a British company.
These international manufacturers, along with European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS), Nissan, Rolls-Royce, Severstal and others, have taken advantage of Mississippi’s favorable business climate. The state’s construction costs, energy costs and business tax rates are below the national average. For 2008, CNBC ranked Mississippi 10th in the nation for cost of living and 17th for cost of doing business, a rating that factors in the state’s business taxes, utility costs, wages and workers’ compensation insurance rates. Mississippi’s Department of Environmental Quality offers manufacturers a one-stop permitting process for all environmental permits and regulations, and the State enacted tort reform legislation in 2004, ensuring fairness in the courtroom for Mississippi businesses. The state’s strong business climate continues to yield substantial benefits, with record employment levels in Mississippi in 2008 and a 26 percent increase in per capita income the last four years.
That being said, one of Mississippi’s greatest assets is undoubtedly its workforce. Toyota Manufacturing Executive Vice President Ray Tanguay declared, "On my visits to Northern Mississippi, I talked with area companies and observed their workforce. What I observed were people who are educated, ethical and friendly with a strong work ethic – a perfect match for the Toyota Way." Brian Vaill, CEO of PSL-NA, concurred, "We considered several sites around the country for our new plant, but in the end chose Hancock County [Mississippi] because of the people. From facilitating the incentive package to demonstrating an outstanding workforce, the people in Hancock County separated their site from others." Mississippi’s workforce is skilled, plentiful and largely non-unionized. Moreover, many of the state’s workers have a background in manufacturing, with approximately 15 percent of workers employed in manufacturing, the fifth highest per capita in the nation. The State is committed to providing quality workforce training programs, often through partnerships between businesses and the state’s community colleges, and tailors these programs to the specific needs of businesses.
Mississippi’s universities offer cutting-edge research centers in addition to excellent educational opportunities. The State of Mississippi, University of Mississippi and Toyota recently joined together to establish the Center for Manufacturing Excellence, which will be located at the University of Mississippi in Oxford. Through collaboration with the state’s manufacturers, the center will offer degrees in engineering with an emphasis on manufacturing, along with other industry-relevant cross-disciplinary studies. Mississippi State University in Starkville is home to the Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems (CAVS), established in 2001 to further the state’s interaction with the automotive and other manufacturing industries. Mississippi State is also home to the Raspet Flight Research Laboratory, the largest university flight laboratory of its kind in the nation, with a long history of research in aerodynamics and flight and structural mechanics. The lab includes a complete aircraft manufacturing facility and is home to several prototype and research aircraft.
Mississippi’s location and transportation network are also key assets to manufacturing companies looking to relocate or expand. The state is located within a day’s drive of 50 percent of the U.S. business population, and its highway system ranks among the four best in the country and the best in the southern United States. Four interstate highways and 17 rail systems serve the state, and Mississippi’s 15 ports include two deepwater ports on the Gulf Coast that provide access to worldwide commerce.
The State provides economic incentive programs for job creation, investment, retraining of employees, and research and development activities and offers access to Foreign Trade Zones along the Gulf Coast, in the Jackson/Vicksburg area, and in the northern region of the state. Mississippi is a member of both the Japan-U.S. Southeast Association (SEUS-Japan) and the Southeastern United States-Canadian Provinces Alliance (SEUS-Canada). Both organizations offer an opportunity to promote trade, investment, understanding and friendship between Mississippi and its counterparts in the southeastern U.S. and international representatives from across the private and public sectors.
