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Welex, Inc. of Blue Bell, PA, a leading manufacturer of high performance plastics extrusion equipment, relocated their production to an existing building in Greenville, NC. The company developed sheet co-extrusion over 30 years ago and today builds complete systems for all applications using their own well-proven modular technology. Welex has customers in more than 70 countries.
“We’ll be able to almost double our capacity without adding much on to our building size.”
“The move to Greenville is a perfect blend of ‘smart’ manufacturing space coupled with a location that affords us a better opportunity to reach a far greater number of customers from a more strategically situated facility.”
Frank Nissel
President
Welex, Inc.
www.welex.com |
CMI Plastics, Inc. of Cranbury, NJ has relocated and expanded their company, including corporate offices, to Ayden, NC in the Greenville, NC MSA. The company built a 70,000 square foot state-of-the-art thermoforming plant on 13 acres in the Minges Corporate Park. CMI Plastics provides custom thermoforming, engineering, tool and die and contract packaging for the cosmetics, medical and boating industries. Major customers include Coty, Johnson & Johnson and Loreal.
“This relocation and expansion is necessary in order to accommodate for our rapidly growing business and to keep us contending with our main competitors that have overseas operations.”
“Pitt County has offered us a great opportunity to expand our business in a place with all of the factors we were looking for: support from the community, low overhead, high availability of employees, and a wonderful environment to nurture and grow our business and our families.”
Steve Hasselbach, Jr.
President
CMI Plastics, Inc.
www.cmiplastics.com |
N.C. Plastics Industry
- NC plastics industry employed 39,400 in 2006
- NC ranked 9th in plastics industry employment
- NC plastics shipments nearly $16 billion in 2006
- NC ranks 8th in plastics industry shipments
- The 3rd largest export industry in NC
- More than 650 plastics companies are located in NC
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Access to Markets
- Major highways include US 264, 64 and 13 with easy access to I-95 and I-40
- Three deep water ports (Wilmington, NC, Morehead City NC, and Norfolk, VA) within 120 miles
- Served by Pitt-Greenville airport with daily commuter service to Charlotte/Douglas
- Approximately 90 minutes via four-lane interstate quality highways from Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU)
- NC Global Transpark/Eastern Regional Jetport is 30 minutes away (Foreign Trade Zone 214)
- Rail freight provided by CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern and short-line railroads
- Over 50% of the US population resides within 500 miles
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Workforce
- At 3.0%, North Carolina has the lowest percentage of unionized workers in the U.S (2007)
- North Carolina ranks 9th as the fastest growing state in the U.S. (Census, 1990-2000)
- NC ranked #6 for State Workforce Training Programs (Expansion Management, 2007)
- Greenville is the 10th fasting growing city in NC
- Worker’s compensation insurance rates consistently rank among the lowest in the nation
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Comprehensive Training Programs
North Carolina Community College System
- Pitt Community College provides New and Expanding Industry Training (NEIT) and Focused Industrial Training (FIT) at no charge to employers. These programs work with local industries to design and deliver training programs to meet company specifications.
- Pitt Community College offers Associate degrees in Industrial Systems Technology as well as other degree, diploma, certificate and continuing education programs in various disciplines.
- East Carolina University (ECU) is the 3rd largest university in NC with enrollment over 26,000
- The ECU College of Technology and Computer Science is one of the university’s largest colleges. Degrees include Industrial Technology, Systems Engineering and Manufacturing Systems.
The Polymers Center of Excellence
The Polymers Center of Excellence is a not-for-profit organization located at the University Research Park in Charlotte, NC. The staff is backed by a network of industry lecturers, consultants and faculty members from NC institutions of higher learning. The Center was developed to support a rapidly growing number of North Carolina companies that manufacture plastics and rubber products to provides test labs, hands-on training and continuing education for these industries. |
Lower Cost of Doing Business
- Among the most competitive utility rates in the U.S.
- State tax credits and other incentives available for qualifying businesses
- Customized local incentive packages based on job creation and investment
- Infrastructure development incentives available for qualifying projects
- No inventory tax
- Construction costs below state and national average
- NC has the lowest tax burden in the US at 3.9% of gross state product (Ernst and Young, 2007)
- Building costs lower than other major population areas of the state and nation
- Comparatively low land costs
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An Oasis in the South
You are probably well aware of the recent severe drought and its affect on much of the South’s water supply. Although under similar drought conditions, Pitt County has not had to implement any water restrictions and all conservation efforts have been on a voluntary basis. To ensure that our water supply continues to flow even in recurring drought conditions, local providers have implemented state-of-the-art Aquifer Storage and Recovery systems. |
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Outstanding Business Climate
- NC #1 Best Business Climate 3 years in a row and 6 out of the last 7 years (Site Selection Magazine-2007, 2006, 2005, 2003, 2002, 2001)
- NC #3 Best State to Do Business (Chief Executive Magazine)
- NC #3 Best State for Business (Forbes)
- NC #1 in the Southeast and #3 in the nation in attracting new industrial plants (Site Selection, 2007)
- Greenville, NC MSA #8 “Best Small Metros for Business and Careers” (Forbes, 2008)
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The Environment to Nurture Business and Family
- Named one of the “100 Best Communities for Young People” (America’s Promise Alliance-2008)
- In 2004, Greenville was designated as NC’s “Sportstown USA” (Sports Illustrated)
- Temperate climate allows year-round outdoor recreation
- Cost of housing below state and national average
- East Carolina University offers strong intercollegiate athletic programs, particularly in football and baseball
- Pitt County is the educational, recreational, commercial, medical and cultural hub of eastern NC
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