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USA: "Invest in America: Essential policies needed to secure U.S. jobs in the auto industry" report

USA: "Invest in America: Essential policies needed to secure U.S. jobs in the auto industry" report. Briefing by Economic Policy Institute.

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backAMERItalk June, 2012

Why is Tennessee a Hotbed for Manufacturing?

Aggressive incentives and a focus on workforce training, leadership and innovation help position the state for continued manufacturing growth.

A lot of big-name companies are flocking to Tennessee. Within the past year, Volkswagen AG (IW 1000/10) opened a $1 billion plant in Chattanooga, and Nissan Motor Co. (IW 1000/29) announced it will be building Mercedes-Benz engines for the first time in the United States. Meanwhile, Whirlpool Corp.'s (IW 500/59) new plant is pursuing LEED Gold certification and Bridgestone Metalpha U.S.A. Inc. expanded to enable a 10% daily output increase.

They join fellow manufacturers Johnson Controls Inc. (IW 500/34), Dana Holding Corp. (IW 500/146), Procter & Gamble Co. (IW 500/10) and others.

The auto sector remains dominant. In fact, Tennessee sits at the No. 8 spot in auto production, and the industry accounts for 34% of manufacturing jobs with 105,000 employees. Adding up OEMs, suppliers and ancillary manufacturers, there are 864 auto-related companies in Tennessee.

Strengthening U.S. Base

Tennessee seems to be cashing in on the trend of non-U.S.-based companies to produce locally for the huge U.S. consumer market. Explaining Volkswagen's decision to locate in Tennessee, back in 2008, Stefan Jacoby, CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, said: "Today's decision is a fundamental part of our new strategic direction in the U.S."

Whirlpool echoed that sentiment last year. "Our $120 million investment in Cleveland, Tenn., is the largest single investment we've ever made anywhere in the world and reinforces our commitment to the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing," said Jeff Fettig, CEO of Whirlpool Corp.

Supporting Existing Operations

Nissan chose to build upon its past success in the state. "There's no better plant to rise to the challenge than our top-quality manufacturing operations in Smyrna," said Bill Krueger, vice chairman, Nissan Americas.

A contributing factor to the high quality of manufacturing is the level of workforce skills. "My top priority is for Tennessee to be the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high-quality jobs," said Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam. "Our Jobs4TN plan is a blueprint for doing just that. By leveraging our existing assets in each region, we will be able to attract new businesses to the state while helping our existing businesses expand and remain competitive. We will also be making significant investments in innovation to position Tennessee as a national leader well into the future."

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Source: IndustryWeek - GAI

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