Heavy Industry

Northwest Florida is home to several heavy industrial manufacturers. Your company can benefit from the strategic advantages Northwest Florida has in heavy industry, including:

  • Available land, cost-efficient power, and an abundance of water
  • Nearly 800 manufacturers in the region, a manufacturing workforce of 54,000 within a one-hour drive time, and 3,000 separating military personnel each year ready to work for you
  • Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad has access to Class I Rail CSX & Norfolk Southern, and short lines
  • I-10 running from Jacksonville to Los Angeles, also connecting to I-65, I-75, and I-95
  • Three deep-water ports, two of which are Foreign Trade Zones, and access to four additional ports/FTZs

Our laborshed has the following Heavy Industry companies:

  • 37 Ship Building and Repair

  • 6 Plastics Material and Resin Manufacturering
  • 5 Artificial and Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing
  • 4 Polystyrene Foam Product Manufacturing

The laborshed has seen significant growth in heavy industrial related jobs over the last five years:

  • 190% growth in All Other Miscellaneous Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing jobs
  • 174% growth in Air-Conditioning and Warm Air Heating Equipment and Commercial and Industrial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing jobs
  • 154% growth in Polystyrene Foam Product Manufacturing jobs

Northwest Florida is serviced by two investor-owned electric utilities and four electric membership cooperatives. These companies are:

Investor Owned Companies

Electric Membership Cooperatives through PowerSouth 

While electric rates are nationally competitive, special rates are available for industrial and other large customers.

Florida Gas Transmission Company is the natural gas provider in the region. The company is 100% owned by Citrus Corp — a joint venture between Kinder Morgan, Inc. and Energy Transfer. The company’s current infrastructure and capability include:

  • 5,500-mile pipeline system with extensive access to diverse natural gas supply sources
  • A supply capability of 2.3 Bcf/day of natural gas to the rapidly growing Florida peninsula

Business Cost Advantages

Northwest Florida will benefit from $1.5 billion in economic development enhancements, such as workforce training and infrastructure, over the next 15 years. Additionally, Florida ranks among the best states for business because of its pro-business tax policies and competitive cost of doing business.

Your company can benefit from inducements to help offset initial costs when locating a new or expanding your existing business in Northwest Florida. Moreover, your business dollars go further given the state's limited corporate taxes and your employees benefit from 0% state personal income tax.

Learn more about incentives avilable with a Northwest Florida location.

 

TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE

Port Panama City, with its six deep-water berths, Foreign Trade Zone status, and 200-acre Intermodal Distribution Center, is a significant regional asset, as is the Port of Pensacola. These assets, coupled with the new 4,000-acre Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport near Panama City in Bay County, make Northwest Florida an ideal hub for international trade.  Learn more about Northwest Florida’s transportation infrastructure.

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

Many of our R&D facilities in the region support heavy industry and manufacturing-related innovations, such as:

  • National High Magnetic Field Laboratory
  • Institute for Human and Machine Cognition
  • Sea3D

Read more about our R&D and innovation assets…


Featured Companies

Ascend Performance

Ascend Performance Materials is a premium provider of high-quality chemicals, fibers and plastics. Ascend’s Pensacola plant is the largest integrated nylon facility in the world. The site produces basic chemicals and nylon polymer in a single facility that consists of multiple chemical manufacturing and polymer manufacturing units. The site supplies a diverse customer base in the Americas, Europe and Asia in the growing markets of automotive, electronics and consumer goods.

Berg Pipe

Berg Pipe produces pipe for the oil and gas sector. The Panama City mill has a capacity of 400,000 tons per year and manufactures Linepipe by 3RB process (straight seam with double submerged arc welded pipe manufactured by three roll bending).

Eastern Shipbuilding

Eastern is a leading innovator in marine construction and repair. They were recently awarded the contract for Coast Guard’s Offshore Patrol Cutter with construction beginning in 2018. Using a state-of-the-art production line and fabrication process, Eastern builds everything from offshore supply vessels to barges to inland transport vessels and more.

Eastman

Eastman Chemicals produces a range of amines products that are used in the food, feed and agriculture markets. The facility produces functional and specialty amines as well as crop protection products.

ENVIVA

Enviva is a company with a passion to develop clean energy fuel sources, which they accomplish through their production of wood pellets. The Jackson County mill has a capacity of 700,000 metric tons per year and manufactures wood pellet fuel with a mix of untreated raw wood, waste wood, and residuals.  

Oceaneering

Oceaneering is a one-stop shop for subsea distribution and have delivered more than 4,000 km of subsea umbilical control systems. With world-class global manufacturing facilities and industry experience, we meet your complete subsea distribution requirements with optimized solutions.

Patti Marine

Since 1977, the PATTI family has been producing award-winning ships. The company has built Ferries, Quarters Barges, Galley Barges, Research Vessels, Clam Vessels, Long-liners, Dinner Vessels, Trawlers, Anchor Tenders, Drift Collectors, Floating Machine Shops and River Towboats.

 

CONTACT US

Florida’s Great Northwest is here to provide you the practical, on-the-ground resources and support you need for your business location/expansion project. From incentives to site selection to workforce development, we’ve got the expertise and connections to help your business be even more competitive with a Northwest Florida location.

Contact Us