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 8% between 1990 and 2006 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	2007 Average Hourly Wage	2007 Median Hourly Wage
17-2141	Mechanical Engineers	$33.94	$34.19
51-1011	First-line Supervisors/Managers of Production & Operating Workers	$25.93	$24.74
51-2092	Team Assemblers	$13.15	$13.38
51-4011	Computer-Controlled Machine Tool Operators, Metal & Plastic	$14.12	$13.80
51-4031	Cutting, Punching and Press Machine Setters, Operators and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	$13.50	$13.19
51-4041	Machinists	$16.39	$15.13
51-9061	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers & Weighers	$16.45	$14.93
51-9198	Helpers - Production Workers	$12.86	$9.45
53-7051	Industrial Truck & Tractor Operators	$16.55	$14.14
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 9/2008

South Carolina is a right-to-work state. In 2006, just 1.1% of private workers in the Charleston metro area were members of an organized union, well below the national average of 12%.

Reliable, low cost energy with the state’s industrial electricity averaging 24% 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.

The Center for HydrogenResearch (CHR), 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.

American LaFrance
Headquartered in greater Charleston, this world leading manufacturer of emergency vehicles also operates a state-of-the-art vehicle manufacturing facility in the area.

Behr Heat Transfer Systems
Part of the Behr Group, the company’s 200,000-square-foot Charleston operation manufactures radiators and charge air coolers.

Robert Bosch Corporation
Bosch’s Charleston area operation manufactures diesel and gasoline fuel injector products and ABS brake systems in a 900,000-square-foot facility.

Caterpillar Remanufacturing Services
The local operation remanufactures dozens of transmission models for various vehicle platforms and for several automotive OEMs.

Cummins Engine
Manufactures and markets a broad range of diesel and natural gas engines and aftermarket products for automotive, industrial and power generation applications.

Cummins Turbo Technologies Ltd.
The world’s largest manufacturer of turbochargers for the medium-heavy duty diesel engines market. Operates two operations in the Charleston region, manufacturing mid-range and heavy duty turbochargers.

Daimler
The world’s largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles. The local operation assembles the Dodge Sprinter utility van for the North American market.

Force Protection
Headquartered in greater Charleston, the company is the nation’s leading center for research to counter improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and for the development of blast protection technology. The company manufactures a line of military vehicles built to withstand explosions.

Gates Corporation
The Charleston area operation produces power transmission products (synchronous timing belts and micro-V belts) and hose lines for the automotive industry.

GETRAG Precision Gear Company
A wholly owned subsidiary of GETRAG Corporation, manufacturing diesel engine timing gears for Cummins and Caterpillar.

Rotorion
The Charleston area plant produces drive shafts for premium automotive companies, including Chrysler, Ford, Mercedes Benz, GM and BMW.

Pegasus Steel
A global leader in steel processing, Pegasus Steel opened its first U.S. operation in the Charleston region. The company uses high-tech machinery to cut and shape steel plates.

ThyssenKrupp Presta SteerTec USA
The company’s Charleston area operation produces and assembles rack-and-pinion steering gears for passenger cars and compact vans.

TWL Precision Ltd.
Specializes in high volume tier one and two manufacturing of precision machined components for the automotive and industrial markets. The company and its parent, VTL Group, are headquartered in West Yorkshire, England but chose Charleston for its North American Corporate Office.

WABCO
WABCO’s local operation produces air compressors for braking systems.

Albert Weber Manufacturing Corporation
The company’s local operation produces crankshafts for DaimlerChrysler Corporation.

Zeltwanger
Designs, manufactures and assembles high-precision components and systems for use in numerous automated manufacturing processes.