The most productive container port in the U.S, the Port of Charleston provides access to all 20 of the top ocean carriers in the U.S. container trade.

Skilled manufacturing workforce, which grew nearly 17% between 2000 and 2008 compared to a nearly 20% decline for the United States during the same period.

Comprehensive workforce training developed and delivered by South Carolina's internationally recognized pre-employment training program, readySC, which develops a trained workforce at little or no cost to the company. Trident Technical College (TTC) provides programs ranging from mechanical and electronics engineering to metal fabrication and automated manufacturing. TTC often collaborates with local companies to develop company-specific programs.

Competitive wage structure. The chart below provides wages typically associated with the automotive sector, or visit our data center to access a more comprehensive list of average wages by occupation (BLS data). For a local wage & benefit survey - broken down by industry sector and company size - contact Heyward Horton at the Charleston Regional Development Alliance.

Automotive Manufacturing Cluster, Selected Occupations, Charleston S.C. MSA

Occupation Code	Occupation Title	2008 Average Hourly Wage	2008 Median Hourly Wage
17-2141	Mechanical Engineers	$36.35	$36.86
51-1011	First-line Supervisors/Managers of Production & Operating Workers	$25.98	$25.35
51-2092	Team Assemblers	$15.08	$13.13
51-4031	Cutting, Punching and Press Machine Setters, Operators and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	$15.53	$14.58
51-4041	Machinists	$16.69	$15.53
51-9061	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers & Weighers	$17.57	$15.79
51-9121	Coating, Painting and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators and Tenders	$14.92	$14.57
51-9198	Helpers - Production Workers	$13.22	$10.16
53-7051	Industrial Truck & Tractor Operators	$16.35	$14.46
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 5/2009

South Carolina is a right-to-work state. In 2009, just 2% of private workers in the Charleston metro area were members of an organized union, well below the national average of 12.3%.

Reliable, low cost energy with the state’s industrial electricity averaging 20 - 25% below the national average. The Charleston region is served by two generating electric utilities (Santee Cooper and SCANA/SCE&G) with a combined capacity of 10,275 megawatts, plus two electric cooperatives (Berkeley Electric and Edisto Electric).

Greater Charleston is also part of the South Carolina transmission grid, which is served by four generating utilities with a combined capacity of 19,721 megawatts. For natural gas transmission and distribution, the region is served by Carolina Gas Transmission Corporation, a subsidiary of SCANA Corporation.

Foreign Trade Zone, with a number of industrial parks and greenfield sites having existing Foreign Trade Zone permits while the entire region is FTZ eligible. Learn more about the benefits of Foreign Trade Zone status.

Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) is a 250-acre research campus partnering the university’s research and academic programs with industry partners, including BMW, IBM, Microsoft, Michelin North America and SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers). CU-ICAR is located along I-85, halfway between Charlotte and Atlanta, a corridor home to two-thirds of the nation’s motorsports racing teams.

ARC Hydrogen, approximately 150 miles from Charleston, is co-located with the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) where scientists conduct hydrogen research in support of national security and energy applications. General Motors and Toyota Motor Corporation have formed collaborative partnerships with SRNL focused on improving hydrogen storage technologies for automotive applications.

FuelCellSouth is a non-profit association partnering the US Department of Energy National Laboratories, the National Science Foundation’s Center for Fuel Cell Research and industry partners to foster collaboration among researchers, entrepreneurs and industries to build the fuel cell and hydrogen economy in the southeastern United States.

South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) is a non-profit contract R&D organization facilitating cross-industry collaboration via national and international research networks. SCRA has expertise in 30 market and technology segments, including advanced metals, composite materials, alternative energy and supply chain logistics.

The Automotive Research Alliance brings together seven universities in the Southeast to provide the automotive industry with access to research funding and a vast collection of automotive-focused scientists, engineers, researchers, laboratories and equipment.

Automotive Cluster Firms in the Charleston S.C. MSA

Company	Web Address	Product/Service
OEM / Assembly
American LaFrance	www.americanlafrance.com	Heavy duty work trucks, emergency vehicles and related parts
Daimler Vans Manufacturing, LLC	www.daimler.com	Semi-knocked down (SKD) production of Mercedes Sprinter Vans for the U.S. market
Force Protection, Inc.	www.forceprotection.net	Mine-protected vehicles, military class vehicles
Primary Suppliers
Behr Heat Transfer Systems, Inc.	www.behramerica.behrgroup.com	Engine cooling systems
Bellwright Industries, Inc.	www.bellwright.com	CNC machining and assembly
Caterpillar Remanufacturing Powertrain Services	www.cat.com	Transmission remanufacturing
Cummins Turbo Technologies	www.holset.co.uk	Turbochargers and air compressors
Getrag Precision Gear	www.getrag.de	Gears for trucks and automobiles
Hubner Manufacturing Corporation	http://www.hubner-germany.com/USA/Homepage.html	Articulation and passageway systems
Leatherwood Electronics & Manufacturing, Inc	http://www.leatherwoodmfg.com/index.htm	CNC machining and assembly
Robert Bosch, LLC	www.bosch.com	Antilock brake systems, fuel injectors, common rail
Rotorion North America, LLC	www.rotorion.de	Vehicle drive shafts
Streit USA Armoring	www.armored-cars.com	Armored sport utility vehicles
ThyssenKrupp Presta SteerTec USA, LLC	www.steertec.com	Automotive steering components
Wabco Compressor Manufacturing Company	www.wabco-auto.com	Air compressors for motor vehicle control systems
Weber Automotive Corporation	www.weber-a.com/en/	CNC machining of engine components
Secondary Suppliers
The 2AM Group, LLC	www.2amgroup.com	Engineering, process implementation, technical logistics, quality management
Atlantic Coast Steel & Supply	www.atlanticcoaststeel.com	Fabricated metal products
Brackett & Cochran Manufacturing, Inc.	www.mfgbybcm.com/	Precision fabrication, integration, subassembly, powder-coating
DuPont	www.dupont.com	Hytrel® thermoplastic polyester elastomer, Kevlar®
IMR Test Labs Charleston	http://www.imrtest.com/index_charleston.html	Engineering testing and analysis
Laurentide Incorporated	www.fabtech.com	Constant velocity (CV) joints
Mankiewicz Coatings, LLC	www.mankiewicz.de/home/default.asp?lng=eng	Specialty coatings
Metalworx, Inc.	http://www.metalworxinc.com/	Industrial machining and metal fabrication
Multiplastics/Curd Enterprises, Inc.	www.multiplastics.com	Plastic thermoformed parts
Trelleborg Sealing Solutions South	www.tss.trelleborg.com/us	Sealing devices and gaskets
TWL Precision	www.twl-precision.com	Precision engineered metal components
Zapp USA	www.zappusa.com	Specialty steel wire, flat wire and bar
Zeltwanger	http://www.zeltwanger.de/en/home/welcome-to-zeltwanger-lp.html	High precision machine components, prototypes and assemblies
Source: Center for Business Research, Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, 12/2009