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The Jacksonville region continues to be a hotbed of opportunity for advanced manufacturers. As manufacturing continues to evolve by leveraging innovative technologies that depend on information, automation, sensing and networking, it is imperative that they find locales that can scale to their needs with both facilities and talent. Jacksonville has historically been a preferred location for manufacturers of all shapes and sizes and since August, six major manufacturers have made announcements for expansion in the Jacksonville region:

U.S. Chrome
The industrial hard chrome plating services company announced its sixth production facility to open in south Jacksonville, creating 10 new jobs and investing $1.6 million in private capital. The 16,300-square-foot industrial plant was selected due to its location which allows U.S. Chrome to be closer to their customers. The Connecticut-based company referenced location, temperate climate and skilled workforce as key reasons to expand in Jacksonville.

Addix Sportswear
After acquiring Jacksonville-based Great Atlantic Outfitters, the Michigan-based sportwear manufacturer announced its consolidated new corporate headquarters and production facility in Jacksonville. Addix Sportswear CEO Steve Dean chose Jacksonville particularly due to the city’s ability to recruit skilled talent. The company will add 40 new jobs and $679,000 in capital investment to their new headquarters.

Thybar Corporation
The manufacturer of custom sheet metal products for the HVAC industry announced the opening of a new industrial facility in 15,000-square-feet of warehouse in downtown Jacksonville. Thybar Corporation’s new location plans to focus on providing seismic/wind roof curb services to the Southeast market with 10 new jobs.

Shore Manufacturing
The manufacturer of disposable clean wiping products for the food service, janitorial and industrial industries announced its headquarters and manufacturing relocation to Jacksonville from Freehold, NJ. Shore Manufacturing will hire for 20 new jobs and add $2.5 million in capital investment to the region.

Spida USA LLC
The New Zealand-based company is adding a second U.S. facility to assemble and distribute high-quality, precision machinery that manufactures roofing trusses. Spida purchased eight acres of land with an existing 30,000-square-foot building located near JAXPORT for their operations. The company will add 60 new jobs and $5.8 million in capital investment.

Boeing
The aviation manufacturing giant announced a $26 million investment into the expansion of its maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) campus at Cecil Field which will create 75 additional jobs. The investment would go toward Boeing’s construction of a 146,645-square-foot facility with parking, roads, access drives and stormwater control facilities on 18.3 acres to be leased from Jacksonville Aviation Authority. This announcement comes less than two years after the company committed to a first phase expansion with a 25-year lease and 334 new jobs at the facility.

With Northeast Florida already being home to industry-leading companies such as Johnson & Johnson Vision, Anheuser-Busch, CarlisleIT and Northrop Grumman, expanding advanced manufacturing companies will continue to look to the Jacksonville region as a logical destination well suited for their success.