Companies benefit from solid workforce, phenomenal logistics and government support
By Abby Laub
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer participated in the May 2017 groundbreaking of Linak U.S. Inc.’s $33 million expansion, which will create 413 full-time jobs. Linak’s expansion is emblematic of the high quality of the region’s manufacturing workforce.
Linak’s plant, which manufactures linear actuators for hospital beds, office desks, farm equipment and other uses, has steadily grown in the last 20 years. Thanks to Greater Louisville and Southern Indiana’s strategic location, abundance of water, government support, low cost of doing business and a formidable workforce, manufacturers can count on successful operation.
And while downtown may be known for production of the iconic Louisville Slugger baseball bat, the entire region is chock full of formidable manufacturing operations including Girl Scout Cookies, vehicles, bourbon, chemical catalysts, airline seating, billiard tables, automotive stamping, Pillsbury dough, water heaters and much more.
Some of the region’s biggest manufacturers, like Ford Motor Co., enjoy continued growth. In 2016 Ford announced an additional investment to support facility upgrades and new machinery and tooling, mainly for the Kentucky Truck Plant. In December 2015, Ford announced an investment of $1.3 billion and an additional 2,000 new jobs for production of the F-Series Super Duty truck. In June 2017 it announced Ford would build 8,500 additional Ford Escape and Lincoln MKC vehicles at Louisville Assembly Plant.
Regional growth
In Southern Indiana, River Ridge Development Authority anticipates another big year at its 6,000-acre Jeffersonville site. The board of directors of the megasite – it includes manufacturing and office space – approved a first round of projects for 2017 involving nearly $8 million in investment in infrastructure and demolition. In 2016, 30 projects were initiated and the completion of the nearby Lewis and Clark Bridge as part of the $2.3 billion Ohio River Bridges Project spurred a lot of development.
In Bullitt County, officials are ramping up development of more space for businesses, manufacturing or otherwise. The area benefits from having major logistical benefits and more available land.
Bullitt County Economic Development Authority Executive Director John Snider said the county has a strong automative manufacturing sector and that the area is all about “location no matter what. Staying close to I-65 pays,” he said. I-65 splits Bullitt north-south, and interstates 64 and 71 are only 11 miles away.
He said Bullitt plans to have roughly 2 million s.f. of new space built in the county in 2017, mostly in Cedar Grove Industrial Park, which already has almost 9.2 million s.f. Manufacturers also will benefit from new infrastructure.
“We expect Cedar Grove to have a new interchange to I-65 to be started next year,” he said. “Shepherdsville is spending $4.2 million for an access road.”
In Jeffersonville, Ind., America Place touts a business park with 20 brick buildings at dock height and nine ground buildings perfect for drive-in doors. It also has a build-to-suit park with spaces up to 300,000 s.f. America Places offers ideal options for printing, manufacturing, storage, office and distribution operations.
Manufacturing is a major industry in Hardin County also. Rick Games, president and COO of Elizabethtown/Hardin County Industrial Foundation, said manufacturing jobs represent 15.5 percent of total county employment.
Site Selection magazine ranked the Elizabethtown MSA ninth in corporate facility investment among MSAs with populations of 200,000 or less, and it made the Top 20 list for The U.S. Cities Where Manufacturing is Thriving. Also, the three-county MSA created 1,300 jobs last year; a growth rate of 2.3 percent compared to a national average of 1 percent, Games cited.
“Elizabethtown has benefited from nearly $300 million in industrial investments made in the last five years,” Games said. “These include Metalsa, Hendrickson, Altec and several other companies. During that time, we’ve had 11 major industrial location or expansion announcements. Netherlands-based Eurotrol is the latest.”
Games credits great logistics, fantastic manufacturing employees and the ability to draw people from outside the county for Hardin County’s success in this sector. Hardin County is part of the KY FAME’s Lincoln Trail chapter and has multiple technical career pathways in its local school systems.
The county is home to the two largest automotive suppliers in the state, Akebono Brake Corp. and Metalsa, which makes frames for the Ford F150. Roughly 750,000 truck frames roll out of the county every year.
In Louisville, FirstBuild continues to crank out new appliances. The partnership between Louisville-based GE Appliances and Local Motors includes a “microfactory” and is creating a new model for the appliance industry.
Future innovators also are continually on the mind of the region’s manufacturers. In April top robotic teams representing more than 30 nations competed in the 10th VEX Robotics World Championship at the Kentucky Exposition Center. The event draws 1,100 teams made up of 15,000 students ranging in age from elementary school through college. They are the best of the best, and have competed against 16,000 teams to advance to the championship. During VEX Worlds, these teams compete in games using robots constructed to overcome engineering challenges.
GE Appliances now conducts virtual tours of its Appliance Park plant in Louisville to Jefferson County students to help them learn about the types of careers modern manufacturing offers.
The work from educators, manufacturers and government officials alike is paying off as announcements continue to pour into the region.
Following is a sample of manufacturers based in the region. All are located in Louisville unless indicated.
Abell Elevator
Vertical transportation
abellelevator.com
Airguard
Air filtration products
Jeffersonville, Ind. – airguard.com
Akebono Brake Corporation
Auto disc, drum brakes
Elizabethtown, Ky.
akebonobrakes.com
Algood Foods
Private-label peanut butter, jellies, preserves
algoodfood.com
American Fuji Seal Inc.
Container shrink labels
Bardstown, Ky. – afseal.com
American Greetings Corp.
Greeting cards
Bardstown, Ky. –
americangreetings.com
American Printing House for the Blind Inc.
Educational, daily living products
aph.org
BAE Systems
Military equipment
baesystems.com
Balfour Co. Inc.
High school/college announcements
balfour.com
Beach Mold & Tool Inc.
Injection-molded plastics
New Albany, Ind. – beachmold.com
BFW Inc.
Fiberoptic headlight systems
bfwinc.com
Bourbon Barrel Foods
Condiments, spices
bourbonbarrelfoods.com
Bowles Mattress Co.
Lady Americana mattresses
Jeffersonville, Ind. –
bowlesmattress.com
Caldwell Tanks Inc.
Steel water tanks, towers
caldwelltanks.com
Cardinal Aluminum Co.
Custom aluminum extrusions
cardinalaluminum.com
Clariant Corp
Specialty chemicals
clariant.com
Compass Manufacturing International
Kitchen, bath products
cmiproduct.com
Cox Interior
Interior moulding, trim
Campbellsville, Ky. –
coxinterior.com
D.A. Inc.
Automotive parts
Charlestown, Ind. – daiwa-da.com
Dawn Food Products Inc.
Bakery mixes, fillings, coatings
dawnfoods.com
D. D. Williamson & Co.
Carmel food/beverage colorings
ddwcolor.com
Derby City Shine
Premium moonshine
derbycityshine.com
Derby Dental Laboratory
Crowns, bridges, dentures
derbydental.com
Discount Labels Inc.
Labels, rubber stamps
New Albany, Ind. –
discountlabels.com
Drexel Metals Inc.
Metal roofing products
drexmet.com
Finchville Farms
Country ham/seasoned bacon
Finchville – finchvillefarms.com
FireKing Security Group
Fireproof safes, files
New Albany, Ind. – fireking.com
Ford Motor Co.
Super Duty Trucks, F-250, F-550,
Expedition, Navigator, Escape
ford.com
GE Appliances
Water heaters, dishwashers,
refrigerators, washers
ge.com
General Mills
Pillsbury refrigerated dough
New Albany, Ind. – generalmills.com
Green Bull
Professional-use ladders
greenbullladder.com
Grindmaster Corporation
Beverage, food equipment
grindmaster.com
Haas Cabinet Co. Inc.
Kitchen cabinets
Sellersburg, Ind. – haascabinet.com
Hillerich & Bradsby Co. Inc.
Louisville Slugger baseball bats
slugger.com
Hunter Knepshield
Modular park buildings,
sports lighting
LaGrange, Ky. –
hunterknepshield.com
INDCO Inc.
Industrial mixers
New Albany, Ind. – indco.com
Jeffboat LLC
Inland ships
Jeffersonville, Ind. – aclines.com
KACI (Katayama
American Co. Inc.)
Automotive door sashes, moldings
Shelbyville, Ky. – kaci.com
Kelley Technical Coatings
Pool, deck tennis/basketball
court coatings
kelleytech.com
K-I Lumber
Building material
Shelbyville, Ky. – ki-lumber.com
Kentucky Trailer
Custom vans, trailers
kytrailer.com
Kern’s Kitchen
Derby-Pie dessert
derbypie.com
Kitchen Kompact Inc.
Kitchen/bath cabinets
Jeffersonville, Ind. –
kitchenkompact.com
Lantech Inc.
Stretch-wrapping equipment
lantech.com
Linak U.S. Inc.
Healthcare equipment, furniture, desks
linak-us.com
Little Brownie Bakers
Girl Scout cookies
littlebrowniebakers.com
Lear Corporation
Automotive seating
lear.com
Louisville Bedding
Bed pillows, processed fiber
loubed.com
Louisville Golf Club Co.
Custom clubs under the Persimmon brand
louisvillegolf.com
Louisville Stoneware
Stone plates, bowls
louisvillestoneware.com
Mesa Foods
Corn and flour products
mesafds.com
MedVenture Technology
Medical devices
Jeffersonville, Ind. – medventure.com
Metalsa
Engineered assembled metallic automotive products
Elizabethtown, Ky. – metalsa.com
Multi Packaging Solutions
Printer of home
entertainment products
multipkg.com
Nationwide Uniform Corp.
Security/police/postal uniforms
Hodgenville, Ky.
Papercone Corporation
Specialty envelopes, soft packages
papercone.com
Paradise Tomato Kitchens
Custom sauces
paradisetomato.com
Peerless Gear
Outdoor equipment transmissions
Salem, Ind. – peerlessgear.com
Peptides International
Biological products, research supplies
pepnet.com
PPG Architectural Finishes Inc./Porter Paints
Residential paints, stains
ppg.com
Premier Packaging Inc.
Corrugated boxes
Buechel, Ky. – prempack.com
Publishers Printing
Magazines, labels
Shepherdsville, Ky. – pubpress.com
Purnell’s “Old Folks” Sausage
Sausage products
Simpsonville, Ky. – itsgooo-od.com
Radio Sound Inc.
Sound systems
radiosound.com
Raque Food Systems LLC
Food product-packaging machines
raque.com
Ralcorp Frozen Bakery Products Inc.
Frozen biscuits, pancakes, dry mixes
ralcorpfrozen.com
Raytheon Co.
Defense weapons systems
raytheon.com
Rev-A-Shelf LLC
Home storage, organization products
Jeffersontown, Ky. – rev-a-shelf.com
Restonic New Albany
Restonic mattresses
New Albany, Ind. – restonic.com
Reynolds Packing Group
Aluminum foil
reynoldspkg.com
Rooibee Red Tea
Bottled organic tea
rooibeeredtea.com
Samtec Inc.
Electronic interconnect products
New Albany, Ind. – samtec.com
Stanley Black & Decker
Professional power tools
Shelbyville, Ky. –
stanleyblackanddecker.com
Steepleton Co.
Billiard tables
steepleton.com
Superior Van & Mobility
Vehicle mobility systems
Louisville – superiorvan.com
Sypris Solutions Inc.
Data acquisition/storage systems
sypris.com
Tower International
Metal, automotive stampings,
assemblies
Bardstown, Ky. –
towerinternational.com
Tyson Foods Inc.
Poultry deli products
Corydon, Ind. – tyson.com
USWorldMeds
Pharmaceuticals
usworldmeds.com
Zeon Chemicals
Innovative polymers
zeonchemicals.com
Zoeller Company
Sewage pump systems
zoeller.com
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