Hitt: Manufacturing growth requires infrastructure and workforce development

South Carolina is the No. 1 exporter of cars in the U.S., with 18% of the market share, and leads the country in the export of tires, according to the S.C. Department of Commerce.

“Our impressive roster of automotive-related companies continues to grow,” said Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt during a presentation at the S.C. Auto Summit. “Now South Carolina boasts BMW, Mercedes Benz Vans and Volvo. No other state in the country has a constellation of automotive quality like that – and there are almost 400 automotive-related companies in our state, employing some 66,000 people.”

Hitt said the state has turned into a complex advanced manufacturing economy. In an interview with GSA Business Report following his presentation, he said 11% of the state’s workforce is manufacturing and 27.3% of that is in automotive manufacturing.

Read more at GSA Business Report…