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Manufacturing Conventions

It’s no mystery why Expansion Management magazine ranked Greenville 11th out of the 50 hottest cities in the United States for manufacturing expansions and relocations. Over the past thirty years, Greenville has transformed itself from the textile capital of the world to the total package – a destination for corporate offices, manufacturing and distribution operations. As a result, Greenville has landed top-notch international manufacturing companies including KEMET Corporation, Michelin, Milliken & Company, FUJIFILM Manufacturing U.S.A., Cytec Industries Inc., Bausch and Lomb, General Electric, Honeywell and Lockheed Martin, and South Carolina is now a global player in supplying the world’s market with advanced materials. The Harvard Business Review identified the Upstate as the model of manufacturing community because of its visionary leadership, hospitable business climate and positive work ethic, customized training and upgrading of workers’ skills, and collaboration within the business community and between government and business. Come and see for yourself why Greenville is a world leader in manufacturing.

 

Ask the Expert
There is certainly no deficit of manufacturing experts in the area. Upstate South Carolina offers several partnerships devoted to assisting area manufacturers, and an executive from any one of these would provide an excellent resource for your manufacturing convention. South Carolina Manufacturing Alliance (SCMA) is an organization devoted to preserving and promoting economic health of manufacturing industries in the state; South Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership (SCMEP) exists primarily to aide smaller manufacturers and provide the resources needed to keep them competitive; and The Upstate Lean Alliance is a partnership facilitated by the SCMEP in which members open their plants to each other and exchange the best practices in Lean Manufacturing. Other speaker resources include professors or researchers from the highly-rated College of Engineering & Science at Clemson University or executives from one of the area’s leading manufacturing corporations.
 
 
Manufacturing Overview
  • South Carolina manufacturers claim the highest rate of productivity in the Southeast and the third highest in the country.
  • Manufacturing represents over 70 percent of the state’s capital investment and is the leading sector for both investment and employment in the state.
  • South Carolina has a diverse manufacturing economy with the leading categories being plastics & rubber, motor vehicles & parts, textiles, fabricated metals, machinery, paper, and chemicals.
  • There are over 130 plastic-related manufactures alone in the Upstate, which account for more than 17,000 jobs.
  • Upstate South Carolina boasts the highest international investment per capita in the United States, and manufacturing accounts for 93 percent of South Carolina international investment.
  • Nearby Clemson University, whose College of Engineering & Science has received superior ratings, maintains several academic programs related to manufacturing, including one of only five nationwide university degrees in packaging science. Clemson’s Center for Flexible Packaging, Center for Optical Materials Science and Engineering Technologies (COMSET), and Center for Advanced Engineering of Fibers and Film (CAEFF) provide the Upstate region’s manufacturing industry with valuable research and developmental services.
  • Greenville hosts the corporate headquarters for KEMET Corporation, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of capacitors.
  • Michelin North America, the world’s leading tire manufacturer, calls Greenville its home, along with many other automotive-based manufacturers.
  • The corporate headquarters for Milliken & Company, one of the largest privately held textile and chemical manufacturers in the world, is located right down the road in Spartanburg.
  • FUJIFILM Manufacturing U.S.A. is based out of neighboring Greenwood, SC and is FUJIFILM Corporation’s North American Manufacturing and Research and Development Headquarters.
  • Cytec Industries Inc., a carbon fiber manufacturer, has recently built a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Greenville.
  • Bausch & Lomb, Honeywell, General Electric and Lockheed Martin are a few of the first rate international companies who have opened plants in the Greenville area.

Start Planning
We’re here for you!  Submit an RFP with the specific requirements for your next automotive meeting or convention and let the Greater Greenville Convention & Visitors Bureau assist you in planning a successful event.