Target Industries

Mobility & Automotive

 

Michigan leads the world in the design, development and production of cars and trucks, and is the home of General Motors, Chrysler Fiat and Ford Motor Company.   Our state employs more mechanical and industrial engineers than any other in the U.S. and has the second most engineers of all types in the country.  Michigan also is home to 61 of the world’s top 100 automotive suppliers.

St. Clair County is a preferred location for tiered automotive suppliers.  The county provides a central location and is an international gateway to the automotive supply chain through the Blue Water Bridge and CN rail tunnel.  The county provides the following key advantages to automotive suppliers and OEMs:

• Highly productive and skilled manufacturing-based workforce
• Significant plastics cluster with a location quotient of 1.8
• 26 assembly plants located within four hours of our location
• OEM assembly plants in the region include Chrysler Fiat, Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co., Honda and Toyota
• Located on I-69, a NAFTA highway connecting Canada, U.S. and Mexico via highway and rail
• RESA Tech Center annually produces national award-winning talent in machining, welding and automation
• Cost of living below national average
• Labor costs below or equal to other automotive clusters in the U.S. (Source: Stats America)

Global Tier 1 Suppliers

Company	Country	Product
Magna Electric Vehicles Structures	US	Electric Vehicle battery enclosures
ZF Group	Germany	Axle
Mugele	Germany	3PL
MAPAL	Germany	Cutting/Tooling
ALD Thermal Treatment	Germany	Heat Treat
Adler Pelzer	Germany	Fabric/Insulation
Norma Group	Germany	Plastics
Eissmann Automotive Group	Germany	Leather Interior
Motherson	India	Mirrors
Grupo Antolin	Spain	Interior Plastics
Michigan Metal Coatings	Japan	Metal Treatment
Aludyne	US	Control Arms
Dana Corporation	US	Tubing/Cooling
Mopar	US	Parts/Coating
International Automotive Components	US	Carpet/Deck
Engineered Plastic Components	US	Plastics
R & E Automated Systems	US	Automation/Prototypes/Engineering
TI Fluid Systems	US	Fluid Lines
US Farathane	US	Plastic Interiors
PTM Corporation	US	Metal Stamping and Tools
Shawmut	US	Lamination/Composites
Sejasmi Industries	India	Die Casts
Auto Anodics	US	Parts Finishing

Advanced Manufacturing

The advanced manufacturing sector is the top industry in the county. In addition to the automotive industry, the region also supports two national defense installations: Selfridge Air National Guard Base; and the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center.Michigan’s strong heritage of manufacturing means that nearly every sector in the industry is broadly represented in St. Clair County, including the following:

 

1. Robotics & automation
2. Advanced plastics & compounding
3. Aerospace components
4. Heat treating and advanced coatings
5. Metal stamping
6. Prototype manufacturing
7. Medical devices
8. Paper manufacturing and packaging

Energy Generation & Distribution

Energy generation is an important industry in St. Clair County.Two DTE coal-fired plants and one natural gas-fueled combined-cycle peaker plant currently exist.The $950 million Blue Water Energy Center, a 1.1 megawatt natural gas-fueled combined-cycle plant, is under construction and slated for completion in 2023.Consumers Energy also has a major gas distribution plant in the county.

International Transmission Company distributes DTE’s power on an extensive grid system that also connects our region to Canada via international transmission lines.

Facts and figures:

 

• St. Clair County leads the Midwest U.S. in underground natural gas storage

 

• One-third of metro Detroit’s power is generated in St. Clair County

 

• Utility companies and their assets make up 20% of the county’s tax base

 

• The power generated by wind turbines in the Thumb Region is distributed to the Greenwood Energy Center in St. Clair County

 

• St. Clair County is a prime location for solar power due to its large tracks of land, extensive transmission network, as well as the transformers and other  infrastructure servicing the power plants

Warehouse, Logistics and Distribution

 

Mobility is one of the most important characteristics of economic activity within a region. As the northern entry point of the NAFTA corridor, St. Clair County makes moving goods, materials and people easy. With multi-modal assets supporting travel by highway, water, air and rail, St. Clair County provides quick and easy access to larger markets in the U.S. and Canada as well as to key suppliers in the automotive, alternative energy and defense industries.

St. Clair County's location & outstanding transportation network make the area especially attractive to companies that need easy access to major markets, but would like to do without the congestion of a large metropolitan area.  The I-69 corridor and CN line link directly to deep water ports in Canada: Port Ruppert on the west coast, and Port Halifax on the east coast.

Quality of Place

A St. Clair County location provides value to companies that ship or receive goods along the I-69 NAFTA corridor, including the following:

• A central location in North America for distribution to and from international markets
• Quick connections to/from Canada  via the Blue Water Bridge. The Blue Water Bridge is far less congested than the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit and connects with two major highways.  
• The CN railroad crosses under the river through a double-stacked tunnel, allowing more freight to cross the border at once.
• Freighters travel through the St. Clair River and Lake Huron, the midpoint of the St. Lawrence Seaway system. Deep water ports along the shoreline, including one in Marysville, can accommodate Great Lakes and ocean-going freighters.
• St. Clair County offers an international private/cargo airport complete with U.S. Customs services and also close proximity to two nearby major airports (Flint’s Bishop Airport and Detroit Metro Airport).
• Close proximity to the world’s largest automotive cluster and supply chain, as well as the southwest Ontario and Michigan food belt

Warehousing, Logistics and Distribution Regional Companies:
Mugele
Buckland Global Trade Services
Livingston International
XMI Logistics
DHL Global Forwarding 
Fedex Trade Networks Transport & Brokerage
Worldwide Carriers